Leonard Weber

November 4, 2024

Whitetail Deer are common in Eliza Howell Park, so common that I rarely give much attention to them on nature walks. 

This year, however, I have seen four bucks together a couple times, something that is not common here.

The beginning of November is approximately the start of the deer mating season in Michigan (often called rutting season). This is a good time to look for small trees that have had some of the bark rubbed off.

Bucks use their antlers to scrape the bark off, then rub their forehead  glands on the bare wood, leaving their scent. While some have suggested that this behavior is a territorial signal to other males, it might be more related to getting the attention of females in the area. Whitetail males are not known as very territorial.

I came upon this rubbing buck last November. (Unfortunately,  the photo is not very good.)

Some tree rubbing begins in the summer when the males are trying to shed the velvet from their new antlers, but the number of rubbed trees increases dramatically at this time of the year. It is the easiest-to-find indication that mating season is (nearly) here.

The trees selected are usually quite small, with trunks of about 1 – 2 inches in diameter.

I don’t expect to see a number of mature bucks together this month, as I did earlier. They are now each involved in seeking a receptive doe. The gestation period of Whitetail Deer is about seven months, typically November to June here. In July and August, when walking through meadows, I sometimes come across a young fawn in its daytime hiding spot.

For now, however, bucks are (trying to be) the attention getters.

This winter, after mating season is over, the bucks will lose their antlers. In early spring, long before the fawns are born, the new antlers will begin to grow.  The annual cycle continues.