Fig. 132. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus leucurus), doe at least nine years old, kept as a pet by Mrs. Jack Hovis, Puget Island, Washington, December 16, 1939. (Fish and Wildlife Service photo by Victor B. [Scheffer], No. 750.)
White-tailed deer range from Canada south to Panama and from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Their range is much more extensive to the east and south than that of the "blacktail" and mule deer. In western Washington the whitetail occupies a limited habitat near the mouth of the Columbia River. Its geographic range was probably somewhat greater in the past. Its habitat includes the low, damp, marshy islands and floodplain of the Columbia. Blacktail range in the wooded hills surrounding the whitetail's range but rarely enter it to compete with the whitetail ([Scheffer], 1940A: 282).
In northeastern Washington the whitetail shows the same tendency to occupy low, marshy areas and valleys. The habitat preference of the whitetail in northeastern Washington is less exact than in western Washington, for the species ranges up from the valleys into the forests of larch and cottonwood of the Transition Life-zone. Its habitat includes denser forest and brushy areas. Rarely does it occur in the open type of forest occupied by the mule deer.
Fig. 133. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus ochrourus): fawn kept as a pet by L. E. Borud, Ione, Washington, June 13, 1938. (Fish and Wildlife Service photo by Victor B. [Scheffer], No. 69.)
In Washington the whitetail is not an important game animal. The race occurring in western Washington is characterized by small size and small antlers. Further, its total population is estimated at but 400 to 900 individuals. The whitetail of northeastern Washington is larger and possesses larger antlers. Indeed, some antlers from Ferry County are the largest antlers of whitetail that I have ever seen. Nevertheless, the whitetail of northeastern Washington is smaller than the mule deer and far less common. The habitat is dense and difficult to traverse. The animal is shy and silent, fleeing soundlessly when approached. For these reasons most hunters in northeastern Washington prefer to hunt the mule deer.
Fig. 134. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus ochrourus): left antler found on ground at Park Rapids, Pend Oreille County, Washington, October 1, 1937. (Fish and Wildlife Service photo by Victor B. [Scheffer], No. 756.)