White-tailed deer are not as large as most people think. The back of an adult deer is seldom more than waist-high on an adult person of average height. Typical weights in the autumn are 170 pounds for bucks and 145 for does.

Back in September, the bucks started to rub their antlers against young saplings, removing the velvet from their antlers and leaving scars on tree trunks. They will continue to rub long after the velvet is gone, marking the edge of their mating territories with a scent from a specialized gland on their foreheads.

By the middle of October deer have begun their mating season in earnest. Now the scrapes and rubs of rutting males can be spotted in the woods. A buck may scrape an area of ground less than 1-yard square with his hoofs, marking each scrape with urine and scent from glands located on its hind legs. The scrape is a sign to other males that the territory is occupied while alerting females that an interested buck is nearby.

In late October, as competition intensifies, disputes between males take the form of aggressive displays and foot-stomping, sometimes followed by threats and rushes, with heads lowered toward potential rivals. On occasion, two bucks will actually crash antlers in a battle of physical supremacy, though such bouts rarely last longer than 30 seconds. Mating season is over by early December, and most bucks shed their antlers in January or February, only to begin growing them again in the spring.

Jim Gilbert's Nature Notes are heard on WCCO Radio at 7:15 a.m. Sundays. His observations have been part of the Minnesota Weatherguide Environment Calendars since 1977, and he is the author of five books on nature in Minnesota. He taught and worked as a naturalist for 50 years.