Deer are considered by many to be one of nature's most beautiful animals, but they can compromise public safety and pose a nuisance to homeowners. Additionally, an overabundance of deer will denude forest undergrowth and remove vital food sources on which other animals rely. This overabundance of deer can have a dramatic impact on the quality of small, urban forests. In the 1950's deer were isolated to the Land Between the Lakes region of Kentucky and numbered approximately 2,000. Between 1960 and 1990, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife released deer into Kentucky from other parts of the country.
This restocking program increased the number of deer in the state from approximately 2,000 in the 1950's to over 1 million today. According to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife, deer are reaching a saturation point in many parts of the Commonwealth. The deer is found in the forests of Europe, Asia and North America, where most deer grow to an average of about 1 meter tall. Deer-like creatures are found in Africa, however they are all antelope and not deer.
Deer stay in herds of approximately 25 deers per herd, mainly female deer and a dominant male deer known as a stag. The male deer are protective deer and will often fight other stags to protect their herd of female deer and to protect their pride. The male deer horns shed and regrow every year, a little like the skin on a snake. The only species of deer with exception to this annual horn shedding is the Chinese water deer.
There are around 40 different species of deer found in the woodlands of the Northern Hemisphere. There are roughly six different species of deer found in the UK alone, however, only the red deer and the roe deer are truly native to the Isles. Deer have an excellent sense of smell, which allows them to detect predators from a long distance away. Deer lick their nose to keep it moist, which helps odor particles stick to it, improving their sense of smell. The nose also plays a role in communication. Deer produce scents with glands located on their head, legs and hooves. These scents provide information to other deer about their gender, social status, physical condition and whether an area is safe.
Deer usually stay in the same area called a home range. These areas are shared by related females who form matriarchies and that exclude adult males. The breeding season for deer occurs between October and January. This period is called the "rut". During the "rut" the necks of the male deer will swell to more than double their normal diameter and their antlers will have lost their velvet. This will prepare them for fights with other buck to determine dominance and breeding rights.
Deer - Wikipedia