#2856 "White-tailed Deer Flags"

#2856 "White-tailed Deer Flags"
14x18 inches oils on canvas
Started April 21st, 2024

These deer were not raising the white flag of surrender but rather a warning that "man was in the forest". The large white tails flop back and forth as the deer bounce away from the intruder. It is a common sight within the Singleton Sanctuary when I am walking. If I happen to be painting, the first thing I hear is the snort of a deer surprised to find me in their territory. They do not typically flag in such circumstances but quietly fade away in the forest. 

There were seven deer in that tangle of hooves. If you can count all of the ears, simply divide by two. If you end up with a fraction, round up that number to the next whole number to get the correct number of deer. You must have missed an "ear" in your counting.  I call this herd of deer the Group of Seven after some guys who I also find very inspirational. 

Ear number 8 is one that you likely missed. I painted it as I saw it... 

This photo by my friend John Verburg captured the fleeting moment of encountering nature. This is the typical back-end view of white-tailed deer when strolling in the forest. This fact also explains why the deer are given that name.  It was his new favourite image and I must say that it was also one of mine. 

White-tailed deer are the most common and widely distributed large mammal in North America. In Ontario, they are the most numerous of the province's four deer (cervid) species which also include moose, woodland caribou and American elk. 

The white-tailed deer is also known commonly as the whitetail and the Virginia deer. It is native to the Americas as far south as Peru and Bolivia where it inhabits high mountain terrains of the Andes. The northern white-tailed deer is the subspecies found from the Ontario-Manitoba border eastward to Cape Breton. The white-tailed deer is the most visible large mammal in southwestern Ontario. The deer's breeding season, or rut, takes place in the fall with young born almost seven months later toward the end of May. 

In the 1700s, animal pelts were forms of currency just as dollar bills are today. The most valuable animal pelt was that of the largest, male white-tailed deer - the "buck." In 1748 a barrel of whiskey held the same value of "five bucks." Another document from 1748 laments a robbery that occurred around present-day Ohio where the traveller was "robbed of the value of 300 bucks."

Even back then, one "buck" didn't necessarily mean one deer pelt. A  single "buck" was reserved for a particularly excellent deer pelt harvested in the winter when the fur was thickest. A summer deer pelt is not as lush and thus not as valuable. It could take several summertime deer pelts to equal a full "buck." 

Multiple pelts of smaller animals, like beavers or rabbits, could also be combined to equal the value of one "buck." This connection of the word "bucks" with currency continued even after coinage of U.S. dollars began in 1792. Dollars have kept the nickname of "bucks" ever since. 

As you can see, I use these art posts to also relearn or discover for the first time, some natural history facts about the world around us. It is more of a challenge to assist and preserve something that one does not understand or appreciate. Thank you for reading this far... Education is a way of life and may it never get old.

For this and much more art, click on Pixels or go straight to the Collections. Here is the new Wet Paint 2024 Collection. 

Warmest regards and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick