Whitetail Deer
Whitetails breed during the fall and early winter and young are
born in late spring. Where there is plenty of food year round, twin
fawns are common. Where food is scarce, especially during the winter months,
twins are rare indeed. After the breeding season, bucks shed their
antlers; growing a new set the following year.
Considering its size---3-feet tall, 6-feet long
and weighing 140 pounds; color--- tan to reddish brown in the spring and
summer; brown to gray in the fall and winter, and its big ears and white
tail, an adult whitetail should be easy to see in the woods or from a canoe.
Not so, because most deer move to cover when they see, hear or smell what
doesn't fit in their environment. So, most hikers and canoeists see
lots of deer tracks in the mud, sand and leaves, but seldom see deer.
Whitetails are seen more often in the spring, fall
and winter because there is less cover than during the summer. Chances
of seeing deer are greatly improved when hikers pay special attention to
noise and wind direction when approaching established deer trails, bedding
or feeding areas.
Hugging inside turns in a stream and keeping noise
to a minimum improves the chances of seeing deer from a canoe.
As noted previously, it's not unusual to see hundreds
of deer near roads, especially during later winter and early spring. Early
morning and late evening are usually the best times, but in recent years
deer feed in some fields throughout the day.
Whitetails browse on the tender buds, leaves and
branches of sumac, basswood, maple, apple, dogwood and white cedar,
but they will also eat cherry, birch, beech, ash, oak and hemlock. (In
recent years deer have been killing stands of mature sumac and small apple
trees, by eating the bark during the winter) Other preferred foods are
mushrooms, grasses, beechnuts, acorns, and such farm crops as alfalfa and
corn.
Eastern
Coyote
Eastern coyotes are so much larger than their western cousins, they
are often mistaken for wolves. For many years they confined their range
to the Adirondacks but in recent years have moved into the lower valley
were they reside in significant numbers. A mature male can weigh 35-50
pounds; females are a few pounds lighter. Shoulder height is around
2 feet. Total length is 4 feet , including a 14-inch black-tipped bushy
tail. Although its head is gray with white bordered lips and
white under the neck, the coyote's variegated coat can be various shades
of brown, black, gray, white or red.
One male breeds with one female, usually in
February. A half dozen pups are born 9 weeks later. Coyotes eat rodents,
ground nesting birds, rabbits, squirrels, deer, frogs, turtles, crayfish,
fish and insects---dead or alive. They also eat berries and other fruits.
Because of its nighttime activities and secretive
habits, few people see coyotes. However, they are sometimes seen
crossing fields early and late in the day. Hikers and hunters that encounter
coyotes in the woods, usually see them for only an instant before they
disappear. An exception to that rule is when a coyote is concentrating
on its prey. Their distinctive howl in the dark of night is their trademark.
Black Bear
Bear were once so abundant they were a primary source of meat and grease. Many were taken as cubs and kept as pets. Today black bear are more abundant in the mountains and northern hills, but are also seen in the lower valley.
A large male (boar) can weigh as much as 600 pounds and stand six feet tall on its hind feet. Females can go up to 200 pounds and stand five feet tall. Except for an occasional white chest patch and some brown around the muzzle, New York black bears are all black. After 3 1/2 years, bears breed in June, and two or more cubs are born between mid-January and early February. Sows have litters every other year.
Black bear eat meat and vegetables; preferring such delicacies as: grubs, insects, rodents, squirrels, rabbits, deer and fish; such veggies as: bulbs, shoots, nuts, apples, berries, grapes and wild cherries. They like corn and seem to love to flatten cornfields. Most hunters and hikers never see a bear in the wild.
Beaver
Once almost extinct in New York, the beaver is now found on most
streams, ponds and lakes in the Mohawk Valley. It's the official
State mammal. It's dark, large body (almost 3-feet long and weighing 40
- 60 pounds), rounded head and broad, flat tail is easy to recognize.
Beaver
breed, eat and live year round on and near the water. They use tree branches
and mud to build large domed houses (lodges) and dams, but will also burrow
into streambanks to make dens. They feed on grasses, cattails and other
water plants early in the summer, but switch to buds and bark of trees
in the fall and winter. In some areas beaver have developed a taste for
corn stalks. Mating occurs during the winter, in the water, and the kits
are born in the family lodge in the late spring (May-June). The gestation
period is about 100 days and an average litter is 3 or 4 kits.
Most observers see more beaver sign than they do
the animal itself. Beaver tracks in the mud, beaver slides down streambanks,
piles of branches and cornstalks at the water's edge, beaver houses, beaver
dams and chewed trees, are all evidence of a healthy beaver population.
However, seeing a beaver out of water is a rare sight, because they disappear
very quickly when anything out of the ordinary moves into the area. Unless
prepared to wait and watch, the closest most people come to seeing and
hearing a beaver is: watching a green leafy branch moving across
a stream, pond or lake with a wake behind it, and hearing the "whack" of
its tale slapping water as it dives out of sight.
(Internet file image)
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