{"id":7296,"date":"2021-11-09T19:20:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-10T03:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sandysglobaleyes.blog\/?p=7296"},"modified":"2021-11-09T19:20:00","modified_gmt":"2021-11-10T03:20:00","slug":"columbian-black-tailed-deer-at-home-in-my-vancouver-island-neighborhood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandysglobaleyes.blog\/?p=7296","title":{"rendered":"Columbian Black-Tailed Deer at home in my Vancouver Island Neighborhood."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On Vancouver Island<\/strong>, according to the B.C. Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks there are 150,000 to 250,000 Columbian Black-tailed deer<\/strong>. These deer are identified by their large mule-like ears, a white rump and an all-black tail. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Black-Tailed Deer <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The population of Columbian Black-tailed deer (subspecies of the mule deer<\/strong>) fluctuates based on a variety of reasons. This Discover Vancouver Island website<\/strong> contains interesting facts about Black-Tailed Deer from general habits and mating, to their life cycle and food choices. https:\/\/www.discovervancouverisland.com\/wildlife-on-vancouver-island\/black-tailed-deer\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

An informal consensus with friends typically divides people’s opinions on our Black-Tailed Deer<\/strong> population into 3 categories: hunters<\/strong> (fresh wild venison), gardeners<\/strong> (annoyed by the foliage consumed by deer), and nature lovers<\/strong> (adore watching the deer and encourage their presence). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sophia (our cat) watching the Deer family grazing in the front yard. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I must confess, our household has evolved into a combination of the 3 categories. Although we do not hunt, a gift of lean wild venison is a delicacy we greatly appreciate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fenced backyard… open to graze in the front yard <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Our backyard is fully fenced in order to keep the deer out. They quickly consume fresh veggies, flowers, and new growth on plants. However, our front yard is free territory for deer to graze and wander or relax. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the seasons<\/strong> rotate, we find ourselves curious about the upcoming new fawns and look forward to observing the deer family behaviors and interactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rutting\/mating Season! This big buck suddenly started showing up and chasing the does! <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At present… It is<\/strong> November (Autumn<\/strong> in<\/strong> Canada<\/strong>). To our Black-Tailed deer this means it is rutting\/mating season<\/strong>! We can hear the Buck<\/strong>s (males) crashing their antlers together as they fight to establish dominance!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Another big buck recently appeared… The doe started running away when she saw him heading her direction–right beside our vehicles! <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We observe the Does<\/strong> (females) pushing away their 1 1\/2 year old sons. It’s time to leave mom’s company and become independent. The does<\/strong> will be in heat soon and inbreeding is not encouraged! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This was a family unit that frequented our yard until this past month. Momma doe is now being chased by big bucks. This year’s fawn remains with her. Last year’s fawn (buck) now has spike antlers and momma has chased him off to be independent. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By late October … Spike was not included when momma doe and this year\u2019s fawn wandered through our yard to munch on newly fallen leaves and grass. The fawn seemed to enjoy resting on top of the autumn leaves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Late October…. Spike was no longer part of the family unit. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Dominant bucks<\/strong> suddenly appear during daylight hours to mate and chase does<\/strong>. The bucks remain by the doe’s side for several days while she is in heat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bucks remaining by doe’s side during her estrus period. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Reflecting back to September and<\/strong> October<\/strong>, the deer family units were still intact in our neighborhood. Momma doe<\/strong> had been injured on her back leg and she continues to lick the wound regularly and struggle to walk. This year’s fawn<\/strong> is usually close beside her and rarely wanders out of her sight. Last year’s fawn has grown into a healthy young buck<\/strong> and is now sprouting spikes<\/strong> on his forehead! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Our usual deer family\u2014including Spike! <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Our cat, Sophia, continues to be fascinated by the deer family–mainly the youngest fawn. They watch each other from a distance, and naughty Sophia even sits on the roof of the vehicles to increase her safety and view. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sophia and the fawn playing in our yard. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sophia watching the action from a distance! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sophia and the fawn! October 2021<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Once a doe falls pregnant, the gestation period <\/strong>is nearly 7 months<\/strong> long. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We don\u2019t see our urban deer as often during the winter months <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

During the winter the deer cope with the colder temperatures by hiding under foliage and growing thick coats. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Momma and last season\u2019s twins <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Last March a momma doe and her twin fawns popped by to graze in our yard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The deer are in the process of shedding their thick winter coats! (March) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The majority of fawns<\/strong> are born during May\/June<\/strong> in our area. Twins<\/strong> are common, but young does sometimes only produce one fawn. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The new spotted fawns finally venture out to visit! Summer <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On Vancouver Island<\/strong>, the major predators<\/strong> for black-tailed deer are: humans, wolves, cougars<\/strong>, and occasionally Black or Grizzly bears. Lynxes and wolverines are additional threats on the coastal mainland of British Columbia, but do not exist on Vancouver Island. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new threat is making the news in the past year. AHD (Adenovirus Hemorrhagic Disease<\/strong>), is a contagious virus killing black-tailed deer on Vancouver Island<\/strong> and the surrounding Gulf Islands<\/strong> in B.C. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apparently, the disease is only found in deer populations and spreads mainly through nose-to-nose contact. Information is accumulating about AHD on many veterinarian and hunting websites. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is a September 30th 2021 Chek TV News article about this disease . https:\/\/www.cheknews.ca\/deadly-virus-killing-hundreds-of-deer-is-spreading-on-vancouver-island-891862\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dedicated to our neighbourhood Pacific Northwest Black-tailed deer. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We are entranced by our urban black-tailed deer<\/strong> families and look forward to observing visits each day. Keep safe and keep healthy my cervidae friends. Winter is coming! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upcoming posts will be about antics of Sophia<\/strong> and more hiking adventures on Vancouver Island<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep Safe and Keep Optimistic. S <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Vancouver Island, according to the B.C. Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks there are 150,000 to 250,000 Columbian Black-tailed deer. These deer are identified by their large mule-like ears, a white rump and an all-black tail. The population of Columbian Black-tailed deer (subspecies of the mule deer) fluctuates based on a variety of reasons. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7297,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,10,13,28],"tags":[128,148,212,263,280],"class_list":["post-7296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-black-tailed-deer","category-british-columbia","category-canadian-animals","category-exploring-vancouver-island","tag-canada","tag-deer","tag-nature","tag-sophia","tag-vancouver-island"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandysglobaleyes.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandysglobaleyes.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandysglobaleyes.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandysglobaleyes.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandysglobaleyes.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7296"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sandysglobaleyes.blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7296\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandysglobaleyes.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandysglobaleyes.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandysglobaleyes.blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}