Schnee Hirsch

Translation:  Snow deer

Sure enough - if you look carefully this fork-horn buck still has his antlers - although some of the boy deer showing on the trail cameras are now missing half their headgear.  Blonde dog is going to have to kick her antler-hunting into high gear any day now. 

The other thing you may notice is that deer this time of year appear fuzzy or chubby in their cold weather wardrobe.

Whitetail deer sport a uniquely adapted winter coat that efficiently absorbs scarce winter sunlight.  Solar heat is trapped by coarse outer guard hairs - each of which is hollow.  For added insulation the layer beneath is dense and soft - retaining heat close to the skin.  Deer also produce an oily substance that works thru the entire coat to enhance waterproofing.  These insulating qualities are so efficient that falling snow will collect on the animal without melting.  Furthermore, the dull brownish-grey winter coat this time of year is superb camouflage.  

 

The whitetail deer is a remarkably adaptable animal - all the way down to below zero.

 Digital images were captured six days ago at two different locations