A. The lifespan of a wild whitetail is 11 to 12 years. Most free-roaming deer never actually live that long though. They are hit by cars, succumb to disease, killed by predators or shot by hunters. In heavily hunted areas, many bucks live only 1½ or 2 ½ years. 

Q.  Do deer eat anything they find?  Do they eat meat?  Are there really plants they won't eat?

A. Deer are herbivores. They usually browse and primarily feed on leaves. They have small, unspecialized stomachs, and high nutrition requirements. Rather than attempt to digest vast quantities of low-grade, fibrous food like sheep and cattle, deer select easily digestible shoots, young leaves, fresh grasses, soft twigs, fruit, and fungi.  In the winter they will eat harder to digests food such as acorns and twigs.  They do not eat meat. Check the charts of rarely-eaten plants for lists of plants deer usually avoid.

Q.  How much do deer eat a day?

A.  On average a deer eats two to four percent of its body weight each day. Deer are ruminant animals.They have a four compartment stomach and chew their cud like a cow.

Q.  Are deer everywhere in the US?

A.  White-tailed deer are found in every state in the U. S. except Alaska and in only small parts of Utah, Nevada and California. The mule deer range is primarily in western states. There are several subspecies of both deer.