Florida swimming deer gathering on Keewaydin Island beach in Collier County for summer
Chad GillisSome deer have it better than others.
Most of them live in the woods, any old woods.
But several dozen whitetail live part-time on a eight-mile stretch of some of the most exclusive real estate in the country.
These swimming deer live on Keewaydin Island in Collier County, and they've been recently seen strolling along the beach just south of Gordon Pass and the ultra-affluent Port Royal community.
"I've seen them in the past but I've never really looked for them," said spearfishing guide Bill D'Antuono of Naples. "But now I'm seeing them (on the beach) every day. My friend said he saw over 50."
These aren't the famous key deer that live on a few dozen spits of land between Surgarloaf and No Name Key.
These are whitetail that swim from island to island, roaming from beach to beach in search of the freshest seaside vegetation growth.
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Deer aren't often seen on Southwest Florida beaches. We asked around.
So the News-Press took a recent trip to the island to find the deer.
Their footprints were strewn along the beach, just a few feet inland and of the high tide beach wrack line, and the deer were located at the north end of the island, just inside the rock jetty.
They grazed and strolled through the yards of the mini-mansions found on the reclusive island.
Chris Burkard of Naples owns Naples Waterways and Wildlife Tours, a business that shuttles people from the Naples area to the island and back, and he's seen the deer many times over the past 25 years.
He's seen the deer for decades but says they are visiting the beach more frequently for some reason.
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"It's getting to be quite common," Burkard said. "They're not super active when it's hot but as you're coming out the pass you'll see them laying in the shade of the trees."
He sees them swimming each year as well, traveling from mainland areas to Keewaydin and back.
"They do swim back and forth to the island," he said. "They do leave the island in the dry season because there's no water. Then they'll swim across to the mainland."
He said the deer can often be seen on the south side of the pass, passing the heat of the day while resting in the shade.
"They're sort of reclusive — if they see a lot of people they will hide in the tree line," Burkard said. "Mostly they're by the pass, although they do walk the island. But they're pretty skittish. They're very leery of people, especially when people pull up on the beach with dogs."
Most active at dusk and dawn, Florida whitetail deer vary in size depending on the habitat, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Adult males average 115 pounds, but deer in northern Florida, where the habitat is more expansive, can grow to nearly 200 pounds. Females range from 90 pounds to more than 120, according to FWC.
By comparison, the key deer tops out at 80 pounds.
If you go to Keewaydin or any other place where deer live, avoid fawns, says the FWC.
"It is important to avoid contact with fawns," the FWC website reads. "Although fawns are able to run and follow their mothers shortly after birth, they protect themselves from predators by hiding in tall vegetation. The fawns have no scent and during this time the female limits contact with her fawn, except to nurse, so that her scent will not attract predators and mark the fawn's hiding place."
Connect with this reporter: @ChadEugene on Twitter.