Winter Doe
by Marty Fancy
Title
Winter Doe
Artist
Marty Fancy
Medium
Photograph
Description
The mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. There are believed to be several subspecies, including the black-tailed deer. However, some genetic studies have indicated that mule deer may have developed relatively recently through the interbreeding of white-tailed and black-tailed deer, which may have evolved from white-tailed deer thousands of years ago. Unlike the related white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), mule deer are generally more associated with the land west of the Missouri River, and more specifically with the Rocky Mountain region of North America.
The most noticeable differences between white-tailed and mule deer are the size of their ears, the color of their tails, and the configuration of their antlers. In many cases, body size is also a key difference. The mule deer's tail is black-tipped, whereas the whitetail's is not. Mule deer antlers are bifurcated; they "fork" as they grow, rather than branching from a single main beam, as is the case with whitetails. Each spring, a buck's antlers start to regrow almost immediately after the old antlers are shed. Shedding typically takes place in mid-February, with variations occurring by locale.
This doe was foraging after a snowstorm in Park City, Utah. The species is common state-wide in Utah, where it can be found in many types of habitat, ranging from open deserts to high mountains to urban areas. Mule deer often migrate from high mountainous areas in the summer to lower elevations in the winter to avoid deep snow. The mule deer is an extremely popular game animal in Utah; tens of thousands of hunters pursue mule deer in Utah each year.
Uploaded
January 15th, 2014
Embed
Share
Similar Images
Comments (58)
Pali S
What a beautiful animal and what an amazing photography Marty...L/F sad to read that these beautiful animals are hunted so widely just for some thrill. I wish humans were not so cruel ...wishful thinking i know
Larry Kniskern
Congratulations, Marty – your snowy scene has been featured by the Go Take a Hike Photography Group! Feel free to add it to the 2023 Featured Images thread in the group discussion board for archive.
Gary F Richards
Spectacular animal composition, lighting, shading, colors and artwork! F/L voted for this piece in the contest YOUR BEST ANIMALS WORK
Gary F Richards
Spectacular capture, lighting, shading, colors and artwork! F/L … voted for this piece in the WINTER WONDERLAND contest
Catherine Robertson
This is such an incredible picture, Mary ! I just love her and I love the patterns of brown and white ! Beautiful.
Christopher James
One of your peers nominated this image in the 1000 views Groups nominated images by your fellow artist in the Special Features #7 promotion discussion. Please visit and pass on the love to another artist.
Mary Ann Weger
Congratulations! Your wonderful image has been featured in the Fine Art America Group: “Snow-Ice-Frost including Mountain Tops”! You are invited to archive your featured image for long-term storage and for viewing on the Discussions Page: “Featured Images Archive” theme. Simply copy your image’s Embed URL and paste it into the theme as noted above. Group URL: https://fineartamerica.com/groups/snow-ice-frost-including-mountain-tops.html
John Bailey
Congratulations on being featured in the Fine Art America Group "Images That Excite You!"
Ann Horn
How wonderful, Marty! Looks like this deer is right at home with the winter snow. Congrats on being selected as a special featured artist image in the Winter Wonderland group. f/l
Angela Davies
Gorgeous wildlife capture, congrats on the special featured artist in Winter Wonderland! LF
Recently Viewed
