This is a white-tailed buck that I came across while walking in Steer Swamp in mid December.
According to MassWildlife, Massachusetts residents are learning to coexist with native white-tailed deer.
Adult bucks typically weigh 120–160 pounds, while does average 80–120 pounds.
Deer coats change seasonally for camouflage and insulation. Remarkably agile, these deer can run up to 40 mph and leap over significant obstacles.
With exceptional vision, smell and hearing, they are well-equipped to sense danger.
As herbivores, their diet varies seasonally, preferring young forests, brushy habitats and agricultural areas. Does usually start breeding at 1.5 years, giving birth to one to three fawns after a 28-week gestation.
Fawns can walk within an hour of birth and are known for their white spots. Deer are most active at dawn and dusk, often venturing into human-inhabited areas at night.
The Marblehead Current is proud to partner with photographer Rick Cuzner. For the past 15 years, he has taken thousands of nature photographs that capture the wild animals who call Marblehead home.
