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The Attentiveness of the Deer
A team at the Cusino Wildlife Experiment Station in Michigan decided to test the skill (and attentiveness) of deer. Thirty-nine deer were released inside a onesquare- mile, escape-proof, wood-and-swamp habitat. Sometime later, six skilled hunters entered the enclosed area. A layer of snow provided the hunters with ideal conditions for tracking their game.
One day passed, and the hunters spotted no deer. Then a second day passed—still no deer. A third passed, and then a fourth day arrived before any of the hunters saw even one deer. It took 6 experienced hunters 51 hours to locate a single deer! Who was more attentive?

Even a fawn can maintain the swift 30-mph pace set by adult deer as they flee through the woods.With great agility, deer can maneuver a heavily obstructed woodland course. Layers of tough cartilage between the bones of the deer’s forelegs and skeleton serve as heavy-duty shock absorbers. This allows the fleeing deer to stop and turn “on a dime” without damaging its legs.

When a fawn is born, its mother licks it completely clean, eliminating any odors that might attract the alert noses of predators. The newborn’s coat is spattered with 250–350 creamy white spots. These spots allow a fawn to blend almost imperceptibly with the sunspots shining through
the leafy trees onto the woodland floor Although older deer no longer sport the protective spots, their earth tone coloring helps them hide easily.

White-tailed deer have extremely sharp noses. Deer use their noses extensively, not only in their watch for danger, but also in their communications within the deer community. Scientists have identified seven different skin glands, in addition to excrement, that deer use to leave aromatic “signposts” for other deer. Deer also have good eyes. Although deer are commonly believed to be colorblind, there is evidence that this might not be completely true. Even in semidarkness,
a deer watches closely for any motion. Once it sees something move,
the deer pricks up the sharpest of all its receptors: its ears. Studies have shown that the deer’s hearing is so acute that without even lifting
its head, it can discern the difference between the steps of another deer, a bear, or a human. Just because a deer continues grazing does not mean it is unaware of a person’s presence. While eating, the deer is constantly turning its ears, monitoring the precise location and activities of the other deer in the herd. If it hears the sound of another deer running, it will run as well. The deer also walks with a cautious, inconsistent gait. By alternately stepping and stopping, the deer keeps its own footfall from covering other woodland noises.