Sitka black-tailed deer • Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis
• Heiltsuk/Haíɫzaqv - qám̓ílá • Nuxalk - scwpanilh (Odocoileus spp.) )
{Odocoileus = hollow-toothed; hermonius = mule-like, a reference to the species' large ears}
Left: a doe with her fawns. Photo by Brian Starzomski. Right: a deer on a Calvert Island beach. Photo by Maria Shallard.
Identification
The Sitka black-tailed deer is one of three mule deer subspecies. The other two are the Columbia black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) and the Rocky Mountain mule deer (O. h. hemionus). All are medium-sized, with slim legs and robust bodies. The antlers of fully-grown males branch evenly twice, for a total of four branches per antler (though this varies in the Rocky Mountain subspecies) The ears, which are relatively large, are light inside with a dark outside rim. The coat colour changes from reddish-brown in summer to greyish-brown in winter, and is fairly uniform except for lighter colouring inside the legs, a white rump patch, and some darker and lighter head and neck patches. There is a darker brown head patch extending from between the ears to between the eyes, which is usually less obvious in summer and more obvious in older males. They have a white chin and a white neck patch. Young have reddish-brown coats with white spots. At about 3 months their coats begin to take on their adult colouring.
The Sitka subspecies has two white neck patches, a darker coat colour, a smaller forehead patch, and individuals in some populations have a dark nose line. Both black-tailed subspecies are smaller than the Rocky Mountain subspecies, and both have dark brown or black tails (only the tip of the Rocky Mountain subspecies is dark).
Habitat & Range
The mule deer is found throughout a large portion of BC except for more northern areas of the province. The range of the Sitka black-tailed subspecies stretches along the North and Central coasts, including Haida Gwaii (where it is an introduced species). It is more common along the coast and its frequency decreases eastwards towards the Coast-Cascade mountains, where it hybridizes with the Rocky Mountain mule deer subspecies. It merges with the Columbia subspecies along the southern extent of its range, around Rivers Inlet. Click here for a range map.
Old-growth forests are key to the survival of Sitka black-tailed deer over the winter months in coastal areas north of Vancouver Island and the adjacent mainland, where snowfall can be substantial and persistent, as more than 30 cm of snowfall impedes movement for all three subspecies. Old-growth forests prevent snow from piling up too much, provide areas for shelter, and tend to provide forage in the form of lichen growing on broken branches. While black-tailed deer mostly inhabit coastal forests, they also require more open areas for forage.
Similar Species
The Columbian black-tailed deer's range stretches almost as far north as Calvert Island and Rivers Inlet on the adjacent mainland (see the range map linked above), where it begins to merge with the Sitka subspecies' range. It could be found in the more southern areas of the Central Coast. The Columbian subspecies has a lighter coat, is generally larger, and is missing the two white throat spots of the Sitka subspecies. However differentiation can be quite difficult, as Shackleton describes below.
The Sitka black-tailed deer is one of three mule deer subspecies. The other two are the Columbia black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) and the Rocky Mountain mule deer (O. h. hemionus). All are medium-sized, with slim legs and robust bodies. The antlers of fully-grown males branch evenly twice, for a total of four branches per antler (though this varies in the Rocky Mountain subspecies) The ears, which are relatively large, are light inside with a dark outside rim. The coat colour changes from reddish-brown in summer to greyish-brown in winter, and is fairly uniform except for lighter colouring inside the legs, a white rump patch, and some darker and lighter head and neck patches. There is a darker brown head patch extending from between the ears to between the eyes, which is usually less obvious in summer and more obvious in older males. They have a white chin and a white neck patch. Young have reddish-brown coats with white spots. At about 3 months their coats begin to take on their adult colouring.
The Sitka subspecies has two white neck patches, a darker coat colour, a smaller forehead patch, and individuals in some populations have a dark nose line. Both black-tailed subspecies are smaller than the Rocky Mountain subspecies, and both have dark brown or black tails (only the tip of the Rocky Mountain subspecies is dark).
Habitat & Range
The mule deer is found throughout a large portion of BC except for more northern areas of the province. The range of the Sitka black-tailed subspecies stretches along the North and Central coasts, including Haida Gwaii (where it is an introduced species). It is more common along the coast and its frequency decreases eastwards towards the Coast-Cascade mountains, where it hybridizes with the Rocky Mountain mule deer subspecies. It merges with the Columbia subspecies along the southern extent of its range, around Rivers Inlet. Click here for a range map.
Old-growth forests are key to the survival of Sitka black-tailed deer over the winter months in coastal areas north of Vancouver Island and the adjacent mainland, where snowfall can be substantial and persistent, as more than 30 cm of snowfall impedes movement for all three subspecies. Old-growth forests prevent snow from piling up too much, provide areas for shelter, and tend to provide forage in the form of lichen growing on broken branches. While black-tailed deer mostly inhabit coastal forests, they also require more open areas for forage.
Similar Species
The Columbian black-tailed deer's range stretches almost as far north as Calvert Island and Rivers Inlet on the adjacent mainland (see the range map linked above), where it begins to merge with the Sitka subspecies' range. It could be found in the more southern areas of the Central Coast. The Columbian subspecies has a lighter coat, is generally larger, and is missing the two white throat spots of the Sitka subspecies. However differentiation can be quite difficult, as Shackleton describes below.
For most of us, it is probably impossible to tell Columbian Black-tailed Deer apart from Sitka Black-tailed Deer in the field where their distributions meet. The Columbian is less reddish brown in winter than the Sitka, but more red in summer, and it has a larger forehead patch. It also lacks the obvious dark line down the nose that the Sitka Black-tailed Deer has. The tail of the Columbian has more black on its upper surface than the Sitka.
The following videos show the colouring of Sitka black-tailed deer adults (left) and young (right, an orphaned baby deer raised in the Alaska Zoo):
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Human Uses
Sitka black-tailed deer were a traditional food and material resource for First Nations groups. Bones and antlers were used to make a variety of tools, including harpoons and awls. The deer were also essential to the survival of early European explorers. They were also killed for their hides and for use in trading posts. These deer are now mostly targeted by recreational hunters.
Intriguing Info
There are no major conservation concerns regarding this subspecies, though there are areas where habitat has been lost due to development and urbanization, logging of important old-growth forests, and agricultural development and grazing. Road and highway deaths are also a concern, as the number of deer killed by vehicles per year is in the thousands and is rising.
These deer are a concern on Haida Gwaii, however. Their numbers have greatly increased and they have dispersed widely since their introduction in the late 1800s and early 1900s. While black bears occasionally prey on the deer, particularly on fawns, predation is not high enough to control their numbers. Without anything to keep them in check, browsing has had a significant impact on native plant communities, and as a result the native species that rely on those plants have also been impacted.
The two black-tailed subspecies are clearly morphologically, behaviourally, and ecologically distinct from the Rocky Mountain subspecies. They are expected to continue to diverge, and may eventually be recognized as two distinct species.
See the E-Flora species page for interesting and detailed information on social organization and behaviour.
iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/182715-Odocoileus-hemionus-sitkensis
Sitka black-tailed deer were a traditional food and material resource for First Nations groups. Bones and antlers were used to make a variety of tools, including harpoons and awls. The deer were also essential to the survival of early European explorers. They were also killed for their hides and for use in trading posts. These deer are now mostly targeted by recreational hunters.
Intriguing Info
There are no major conservation concerns regarding this subspecies, though there are areas where habitat has been lost due to development and urbanization, logging of important old-growth forests, and agricultural development and grazing. Road and highway deaths are also a concern, as the number of deer killed by vehicles per year is in the thousands and is rising.
These deer are a concern on Haida Gwaii, however. Their numbers have greatly increased and they have dispersed widely since their introduction in the late 1800s and early 1900s. While black bears occasionally prey on the deer, particularly on fawns, predation is not high enough to control their numbers. Without anything to keep them in check, browsing has had a significant impact on native plant communities, and as a result the native species that rely on those plants have also been impacted.
The two black-tailed subspecies are clearly morphologically, behaviourally, and ecologically distinct from the Rocky Mountain subspecies. They are expected to continue to diverge, and may eventually be recognized as two distinct species.
See the E-Flora species page for interesting and detailed information on social organization and behaviour.
iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/182715-Odocoileus-hemionus-sitkensis
References
Blood, D.A. (2000). Mule and Black-tailed Deer in British Columbia: Ecology, Conservation and Management. Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks. Province of British Columbia.
Odocoileus hemionus (Rafinesque). In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Ed.). E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Accessed 10/09/2013.
Species: Endangered, Important, Introduced. Ecosystem Based Management in Haida Gwaii. Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC. Accessed 15/09/2013.
Authors and editors of page
Kelly Fretwell and Brian Starzomski (2013).
Blood, D.A. (2000). Mule and Black-tailed Deer in British Columbia: Ecology, Conservation and Management. Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks. Province of British Columbia.
Odocoileus hemionus (Rafinesque). In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Ed.). E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Accessed 10/09/2013.
Species: Endangered, Important, Introduced. Ecosystem Based Management in Haida Gwaii. Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC. Accessed 15/09/2013.
Authors and editors of page
Kelly Fretwell and Brian Starzomski (2013).