Most of our White-Tailed Deer seem to have already acquired their winter coats. Their waterproof winter “guard” (top) hair is longer, thicker, and grayer than their brownish summer hair. They also apparently have already grown their thicker undercoats.
The winter coats not only provide better camouflage when the woods became mostly gray, they provide extraordinary insulation from the cold and protection from snow and rain. They absorb more sunlight and capture more body heat than the summer coats.
(Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on October 1, 2021.)