Of the three main species of deer found in North America (the whitetail, mule deer and the blacktail) the whitetail is the most common with the largest range. It also happens to be the most often pursued by hunters nationwide. Whitetails can be identified by these unique characteristics.

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Antlers
One of the easiest ways to identify a whitetail is by his antlers. Unlike a mule deer's antlers that are bifurcated (antlers fork at each joint) a whitetail's antlers all stem off a main beam. The total number of tines or points may range from one to literally dozens, but a typical whitetail will have a main beam with three to five points per side.

Size
An average whitetail stands between 36 and 40 inches at the shoulder and ranges between 60 to 75 inches long. While whitetails average around 150 pounds on the hoof, small specimens of Florida Key deer weigh around 80 pounds while their northern brethren can tip the scales at over 400 pounds!

Face
A whitetail can also be recognized by its unique facial markings, most notably the white circles around the eyes, around the nose, inside the ears and the large white throat patch. A whitetail's ears are much smaller than a mule deer or blacktail and generally look more in proportion with its head.

Tail
The tail is one of the most recognizable traits of the white-tailed deer and not coincidently where it derives its name. Whitetails have a wide tail that is brown on the top with a white tip. The underside, which the whitetail prominently displays when in flight, is bright white long hair and can be seen flagging for quite some distance.

Tracks
Whitetail tracks look very similar to any other member of the deer family but sometimes may be distinguished by size. An average whitetail track will be 2.5 to 3.5 inches long and roughly 2 inches wide when not splayed.