Its range has been expanded by transplants, and established populations now also exist near Yakutat, in Prince William Sound, and on Kodiak and Afognak islands. The summer coat of reddish-brown is replaced by dark brownish gray in winter.
Antlers are dark brown with typical black-tailed branching.
Antlers are relatively small, with very few scoring more than 110 points by the Boone and Crockett system. Their average life span is about 10 years, but a few are known to have attained an age of at least 15. Summer and early fall are periods of active foraging as deer accumulate fat reserves which will help them through the winter and early spring. With the first heavy frost, deer in the higher alpine and subalpine descend to the upper forest. Breeding bucks spend little time foraging and by late November have used up much of their fat reserve.