The Zone B deer season opens Saturday and hunters are hoping for a cooling trend. The B zones cover most of northern Lake and Mendocino counties and run all the way to the Oregon border.
All the deer in Lake County, and in the B zones, are of the black-tailed species. Their official name is actually Columbia blacktail. The name was coined by explorer Merriwether Lewis of the Lewis-Clark Expedition. He first sighted the deer along the Columbia River.
Columbia blacktail are considered a subspecies of mule deer. Whether you”re a hunter or just like to watch wildlife, the blacktail deer is an interesting creature.
Mule deer are so named because of their large ears. A blacktail deer can be identified from its muley cousin by looking at the tail. The tail on a blacktail is mostly black with a rim of white. The blacktail is normally much smaller than a mule deer, a mature buck weighing about 130 pounds.
Hunters consider the blacktail one of the most challenging deer to hunt. They are very elusive and will hide rather than run. Their smelling ability is second to none. A buck can pick up a hunter”s scent from more than one-half mile away. In addition, they can hear very well.
Like many wild animals, deer are mostly nocturnal, meaning they do most of their moving about at night. However, during stormy days they will move and feed during the daylight hours.
Deer eat green forbes, acorns, brush and leaves. They rarely eat grass. When you see deer feeding on the local golf courses they are mostly seeking out the forbes that are growing among the grass. They also love various species of flowers and shrubs that grow in residential backyards. In fact, the deer are considered pests in many areas of the county.
The breeding season occurs from late September to November. A doe will come into heat for 24 hours every 28 days. The gestation period (pregnancy) lasts about 202 days. The doe will normally give birth to one or two fawns, however, a doe occasionally will give birth to triplets. Most of the time only one of the fawns will survive to adulthood. Predators such as mountain lions and coyotes take their toll on the fawns. Disease also plays a major role as does starvation.
The bucks lose their antlers each year between December and February. The new antlers are filled with blood and are covered with a skin that”s called “velvet.” As the antlers start to harden, the buck will rub his antlers against trees and brush to remove the velvet. The size of the antlers depends on the food source and the deer”s genes. However, many of the bucks will remain only as forked horns their entire life.
An adult blacktail buck can live up to 15 years but it”s extremely rare. Most deer live less than six years. In addition to predators (including humans), many adult deer die of starvation because their teeth wear down from the grit and sand that”s on the leaves and other food they eat. Parasites also take their toll. One of the major causes of death comes from automobiles. Nearly as many deer are killed by automobiles as are taken by hunters.
The first deer hunting season in California was in 1852 and it was six months long. The first bag limits were set in 1901 and it was three bucks. The present bag limit of two bucks was set back in 1905 and the take was limited to forked horns or better.
The deer population in Lake County reached its peak in the 1960s. Livestock grazing and logging actually opened vast areas and provided excellent deer habitat. However, as logging and ranching diminished, the deer population began to shrink, a trend that continues. Loss of habitat because of the lack of control burning also has been a major factor.
What the future holds for the county”s deer herd doesn”t appear bright. As more and more vacant land is turned into housing tracts, the habitat for the deer continues to shrink. It would be a shame to see one of the county”s most majestic wild creatures disappear.
