General Information: Coues White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus couesi) are a subspecies of white-tailed deer that occur in southern Arizona and New Mexico and south into Mexico. These deer are recognized by location, the antlers (similar to other white-tailed deer), and by their small stature.

Taxonomy: Order: Artiodactyla (Even-toed Hoofed Mammals); Family: Cervidae (Deer, Elk, Moose, Caribou).

Breeding: Deer breed in the fall (fall rut) and produce 1-2 young (fawns) in the spring.

Diet: Browse, forbs, and grasses.

Range: White-tailed deer occur from southern Canada south to northern South America, but not in Nevada, Utah, northern Arizona, and adjacent areas. Coues White-tailed Deer occur in southern Arizona and New Mexico and south into Mexico.

Comments: These deer are most numerous in forests at about 4000-6500 feet elevation with Madrean evergreen oaks and areas of mixed oak, juniper, and pinon pine. They also occur in open Sonoran Desert, semi-desert grasslands, and Ponderosa Pine forests.

If you were a tasty leaf on a bush or a little forb, this might be the last face you ever see!