Deer, Carmen Mountain White-tail

Physical Features

Carmen Mountain White-tail Deer are subspecies of the White-tail Deer. They are usually grayer in the winter and redder in the summer and have white fur located in a band behind their nose, in circles around their eyes, inside their ears, over their chin and throat, on their upper insides of their legs and beneath their tail. At birth, fawns are red-brown in color with white spots, and weigh between 1.5 and 2.5 kg. With age their coats become grayish and they lose their spots by their first winter. Carmen Mountain White-Tailed Deer are not commonly known for heavy or tall antlers, they are known to have antler bases around 2 ½ to 3 inches in circumference and gradually thin out towards the points. A mature buck will usually have main beams about 12-13 inches long and tines around 4 inches long on average, which is a particular characteristic of these Deer. Adults Carmen Mountain White-tailed Deer males weigh between 57-135kg/125-300 lbs while the adult females are much smaller and only weigh about 60% of the male's weight.

Habitat

The Carmen Mountain White-tailed Deer population is relatively stable and occurs in several mountain ranges is southern Brewster County and western Presidio County. The primary habitat of the Carmen subspecies is the pinyon-juniper-oak associations of the Chisos Mountains. There is some debate concerning the subspecies of white-tailed deer that occurs in the Davis Mountains (pinyon-juniper woodlands) at higher elevations. Whether they are the Carmen subspecies or the more common White-tailed Deer (or an hybrid). This population is relatively stable in areas with abundant woody cover and free-standing water.

Diet

Carmen Mountain White-tailed Deer feed on a wide variety of vegetation depending on what is available. In eastern forests, buds and twigs of maple, sassafras, poplar, aspen, birch and some shrubs make up their main diet. In the desert regions, plants such as huajillo brush, yucca, prickly pear cactus, coma, retama and various tough shrubs are their preferred diet Carmen Mountain White-tailed Deer make use of surface water when available, but they usually get enough water from the food they eat which can sustain them for long periods without drinking water.

Meat

Carmen Mountain White-tail Deer meat is low in fat, low in calories and low in cholesterol. Its meat is dark red and has a distinct gamey taste that has a rich flavored taste similar to that of roast beef.

Behavior

Carmen Mountain White-tail Deer are diurnal animals, with a crepuscular bias. They are very alert animals and characteristically raise and wave their tails from side to side when startled and when fleeing, showing off their white underside of their tail. The Carmen Mountain White-tailed Deer has very good eyesight, and their hearing is excellent, but the primary means of locating predators is by their acute sense of smell. They are extremely fast and agile and can attain speeds of up to 30 miles per hour, and can jump obstacles as high as 8 feet. They are also known for their swimming abilities often entering large streams and lakes to escape predators or in search of better habitat. Carmen Mountain White-tailed Deer are polygamous. Females breed once annually and breeding occurs from September to January. The gestation period lasts for six and a half months and the female usually gives birth to one fawn in her first pregnancy with twins being born in subsequent pregnancies. Fawns are born quite developed, and are able to walk within a few hours of birth, and nibble vegetation within a few days, which supplements the mother milk. The young are weaned at 8-10 weeks of age and they reach maturity between 1-2 years. High fawn mortality is primarily attributable to coyote, bobcat, and lion predations and other nutritional factors that are associated with frequent drought. Their life span in the wild is estimated to average 2-3 years.

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