White-tails Bound and Abound Around the Metro

There are more than 1 million White-tailed deer in Minnesota right now.  Finding deer in your own Twin Cities neighborhood is easy, especially in late autumn, with all the leaves down.  Deer in suburban neighborhood parks are often super-accustomed to people and are actually less likely to run away from you when you see them.  Our Dodge deer are so accustomed to our passivity and benign interest, they seem sort of like pets; I half expect them to beg for a treat.  So take a kid out to track deer.  It's fun, and you are often rewarded with a sighting.  Please don't hike and track in hunting areas though, Deer Season just opened and I don't want anyone mistaking you for a venison roast.

If you visit your local park or nature center, you can look for these signs:

Buck Scrape
Where a male deer scrapes a tree with his antler, signaling that he and his nice big antlers are in the area.  More scrapes can be seen in the fall, in conjunction with breeding season, also known as “the rut.”  For more on scrapes, check out this fascinating link. 

Scat

Deer poop.  Usually dark in color, about the size and shape of plump jellybeans, usually found in a little pile.

Bed
A deer-sized depression in tall grass or vegetation where a deer has been resting; you’ll often see scat nearby, or in the bed.

Track

Deer tracks can be seen even in dry dusty conditions; once you train your eye, you’ll see them everywhere.

Browse

Look at bushes in your park.  Check on plants like Dogwood; look at deer munching height (eye level on a human adult).  Often you will be able to see where the tips of branches and vegetation have been chewed, or browsed. 

Deer are crepuscular, meaning they are likely to be active in the early morning and early evening.  Taking a walk in your park at these times of day could increase your chances of seeing deer.  Bucks, or males, can also be active at night, especially during the rut.  Bucks drop their antlers in the winter, after the rut, and you can look for these “sheds” in the woods in your park too (get ‘em before the mice do).

More info about Whitetails: MN DNR

Great places to see deer in the metro:

Dodge Nature Center, West Saint Paul

Lebanon Hills, Eagan

Ritter Farm Park, Lakeville

Steve Michaud Park, Lakeville

Murphy-Hanrehan, Lakeville & Savage

Terrace Oaks, Burnsville

Tamarack Nature Center, White Bear Lake

Afton State Park, Afton

Carpenter Nature Center, Afton/Hastings

Happy Tracking!