CautionEdible
White-tailed deer
Odocoileus virginianus
The county’s main wild meat. Flag of white tail, summer red coat, winter gray.
- Marks
- White tail flag; no black-tipped tail like mule deer (not here)
- Size
- 100–200 lb field-dressed typical
- Habitat
- Woods edges, creek bottoms, crop fields. They bed in multiflora and cane.
- Season
- Year-round. Rut November. Fawns late May–June.
- Frequency
- abundant
A large ungulate. Does and fawns stay in family groups; bucks are more solitary except rut. Fawns are spotted. Tracks are split hearts.
Uses
Venison, hide, sinew, tallow. See the Process chapter for field dressing.
If this is the one
Indiana has chronic wasting disease in deer. Do not shoot or eat an animal that looks sick, thin, or unafraid. Avoid brain and spinal tissue. Vehicle collisions are the real daily danger on US-50 and the creek roads.