White-tailed deer live in small groups consisting of one or more females and their young, while males are solitary. They are active at dawn and dusk, resting during the day while ruminating. During the rut, males become aggressive towards each other, fighting to win females. Carefully groomed by their mothers, fawns lose any scent detectable by carnivores. Although able to stand up as soon as they are born, they remain motionless for the first few days of their lives, remarkably camouflaged by their spotted coats in thickets or at the foot of trees while their mothers go off to feed.

The white-tailed deer has reddish-brown fur in summer and grey-brown fur in winter, while its belly remains white. It is distinguished by its habit of raising its white tail when running. This bushy plume, which has earned it the nickname "white-tailed deer", serves as a warning signal to its fellow deer, who then flee quickly in a series of impressive leaps. It can reach a top speed of 60 km/h. Its highly sensitive sense of smell allows it to detect danger or predators from up to 90 m away.

Made famous by Walt Disney, the white-tailed deer served as the model for the film "Bambi".

In Quebec, it is often called "chevreuil", a name perhaps given by the first European settlers who confused it with the deer of their countries.

The white-tailed deer is widespread, even overpopulated in some areas, causing damage to crops and collisions with motorists. In the United States, in just one century, its population has increased 100-fold, from 300,000 to over 30 million!

It has been introduced in several countries, including Finland and New Zealand.