The white-tailed deer is an amazing animal. Each year, 16 million hunters go afield in pursuit of the most popular big-game animal in North America. The more you learn about deer, the easier it is to appreciate what an amazing animal you are pursuing.

Tip 1: It’s a Big Family.
The deer family also includes caribou, elk, moose, and some 100 other species and subspecies worldwide. Some northern whitetails top 200 pounds, while the smallest U.S. deer is the Key deer, found in the Florida Keys and about the size of a Golden Retriever. The smallest deer in the world is the South American pudu, which weighs about 20 pounds and grows up to 14 inches tall. The moose is the largest of the deer family, reaching more than 6 feet at the shoulder and weighing more than 1,800 pounds. Deer are very adaptable, and various species are found throughout the world, with the exception of Australia and Antarctica.

Tip 2: The Eyes Have it.
While deer are sort of color blind, their vision is 20 times more sensitive to blue wavelengths than humans; blaze orange does not register to them, but blue jeans will stand out in the woods. They can also see 310 degrees (humans see an arc of about 120 degrees) without moving their head, but cannot focus to deliver fine resolution of an object, particularly at a distance. There is a lining in the back of their eyes, called the tapetum lucidum, which reflects light inside their eye and greatly aids in night vision. Some scientists estimate a deer’s eye can take in 50 times as much light as a human eye. When browsing on the ground, a deer’s eyes rotate so that the best part of their visual field remains on the horizon. This lets them pick up danger even if their nose is buried in clover.

Tip 3: The Nose Knows.
Deer have millions more scent receptors than humans, and it is estimated that they can smell at least 100 times better than humans. They have an estimated 34 square inches of surface area inside their nose, while humans have about 2 square inches. There are long hairs around their mouth and eyes, called vibrissae. These “whiskers” help the deer determine wind direction, so when they smell danger they can better determine where it is coming from. Their hearing is also keen, with a large number of muscles attached to each ear, allowing them to move each ear in any direction—independent of one another—without moving their head.

Tip 4: The World is Their Dinner Table
An adult whitetail will consume 7 to 8 pounds of food a day, and it’s estimated that deer in the U.S. eat more than 500 different plant species. Their diet changes through the year, and while they select the most beneficial food available in their area, in some seasons the available food is very low in nutrition (think deep winter in the North). Deer are ruminants, which means that as they eat, the food is first stored in the stomach and is later brought up and rechewed to extract maximum nutrients. Interestingly, deer can eat poison ivy with no ill effect.

Tip 5: Dating Season is a Real Jungle.
During the rut (breeding season) a buck’s neck can be 50% larger, they lose interest in eating, and they can drop 25% of their body mass. Does ensure genetic diversity via multiple mating—in various studies, 25% to 60% of twins born to the same doe have different fathers. One study found a set of triplets where each fawn had a different father.

Tip 6: Great on Our Dinner Table.
Venison has about 104 calories in a 3.5-ounce serving—less than beef, lamb, turkey, and chicken. Venison is a complete protein, which means it contains all the essential amino acids humans need in their diet; it also contains more iron than most other meat sources, as well as vitamins B12 and B3, which help regulate metabolism.