DESCRIPTION 



This subspecies is a small-sized white-tailed 

 deer, with a greyish-brown tail distinguishing it 

 from the race of yellow-tailed deer (O. v. ochrou- 

 rus) of eastern Washington (Cowan 1936). The 

 skull is smaller in all measurements, and there is 

 little possibility of confusion with neighboring 

 subspecies when adult specimens are compared 

 (Cowan 1936). The posterior margin of the palate 

 is even with or extending little farther (2 mm) 

 than the posterior end of the third upper molar. 

 Antlers are exceptionally small for northern races 

 of the white-tailed deer. 



RANGE 



It occurs in three widely separated groups of 

 relict populations. The first is found primarily 

 within the boundaries of the Columbian White- 

 Tailed Deer National Wildlife Refuge, which con- 

 sists of several islands and the adjacent mainland 

 near the mouth of the Columbia River. These 

 deer are also found on private land in the lower 

 Columbia River area: Puget Island, Washington, 

 Wallace Island, Oregon, and near Westport, Ore- 

 gon. 



A search conducted by the Washington De- 

 partment of Game did not locate any Columbian 

 white-tailed deer between these populations and 

 Portland, Oregon, to the east. Recently, Colum- 

 bian white-tailed deer were found at a second 

 Columbia River area near Camas and Washougel, 

 Clark County, Washington (T. A. Gavin, pers. 

 comm.). A third group of populations occur in 

 the foothilUs near Roseburg, Oregon, some 320 

 km (200 mi) to the south. 



RANGE MAP 



Location of known populations is indicated 

 on the accompanying map (after Gavin in press). 



STATES/COUNTIES 



Washington . . .Wahkiakum, Clark 



Oregon Clatsop, Columbia, Douglas, 



Multnomah 



HABITAT 



The Columbia River herd prefers low-lying 

 islands and bottomlands. Much habitat has been 

 converted to pasture and is enclosed within dikes 



or levees. Native trees and shrubs, occuring in 

 patches, are composed mostly of Sitka spruce 

 {Picea sitchensis), dogwood (Cornus stolonifera) , 

 Cottonwood {Populus trichocarpa), red alder 

 (Alnus rubra), and willow (Salix) (Gavin 1979). 

 Common pasture grasses and forbs include 

 Festuca, Dactylus, Trifolium, Ranunculus, and 

 Lolium. Carex and /uncus are found in wet areas. 

 Common shrubs are Rubus, Rosa, Sambucus, and 

 Symphoricarpos (Gavin 1979). Forest cover in 

 the refuge areas has been reduced from 70% in 

 1939 to 17% in 1972 and the pasture lands are 

 heavily used by the Columbian white-tailed deer 

 (Suring 1974). The deer are less abundant on 

 islands (e.g.. Price and Hunting Islands) that are 

 primarily brushy and heavily wooded (Gavin 

 1978). 



The Roseburg herd is found from river bot- 

 toms into rolling hills covered by oak woodland. 

 Major plants include Quercus garryana. Arbutus 

 menziesii, Acer macrophyllum, Fraxinus latifolia, 

 and the shrubs Rosa and Symphoricarpos. 

 Annucd grasses are interspersed among trees 

 (Gavin in press). Much habitat is privately owned 

 and used for sheep ranching. 



FOOD AND FORAGING BEHAVIOR 



The Columbian white-tailed deer is unusual in 

 its tendency to feed almost exclusively on herba- 

 ceous vegetation (grasses and forbs). Scheffer 

 (1940) reported finding only grass in a sample of 

 four stomachs, and Gavin (in press) found only 

 herbaceous material in the contents of 33 stom- 

 achs. Food plants include Ranunculus, Trifolium, 

 Alopecurus, and Phalris. There is some browsing 

 in the spring on twigs of Cornus, Rubus, Sambu- 

 cus, Lonicera, Symphoricarpos, and Fraxinus. Of 

 all the feeding deer observed by Suring (1974) 

 99% were grazing. These deer appear to prefer 

 feeding on pasture where grasses and forbs are 

 kept short and in a palatable stage of growth by 

 cattle grazing (Gavin in press). However, they 

 avoid such areas when cattle are actually present 

 (Suring 1974). Suring (1974) suggests there is 

 more feeding during the night than during day- 

 light hours, and that the percentage of time spent 

 feeding varies seasonally, with the greatest per- 

 centage of active time (90%) in summer devoted 

 to feeding. 



