Wild America

The Deer Family is best known for its headgear -- its beautifully shaped antlers. Their kingdom includes the lovely Whitetail, Mule and Key Deer, the nomadic Barren-Ground and Woodland Caribou, the majestic Moose and the elegant Elk. All are exquisitely adapted to escape from predators. We explore their essential roles in a variety of ecosystems from Florida to Alaska.

A band of Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep is observed through the seasons. When springtime splashes the mountain meadows with color, a lamb is born and an old ram, the band's leader, dies. And so the cycle of life is completed. Portrayed are the mating battles of the huge rams, the seasonal migrations of the herd, and the never-ending search for food in the high mountains.

What animal is the fastest in North America? What animal is best known -- inaccurately -- as an Antelope? What animal, less than a week after it is born, can race across the prairie at 40 miles per hour? It is the Pronghorn of our vast western prairies and it is born to run! Of all America's hooved Mammals, this fascinating creature is the only one to originate on this continent.

Montana's Glacier National Park, with its breathtaking scenic vistas and sheer cliffs, is the cloud-scraping home of the Rocky Mountain Goat. Here Marty Stouffer examines the whole life story of this unique snow-white animal. We watch breathlessly as we see how the growing young kids learn to challenge gravity in a vertical world of harsh seasons, rugged crags and sudden avalanches.

Horns are permanent, while antlers are shed annually. The forked horns of the Pronghorn Antelope may prove to be the missing link between these two types of beautiful bony crown. Since prehistoric times, man has displayed these trophies. We'll share this ancient human fascination with horns and antlers as we explore their vital, and often unusual, roles in Nature.

Many thousands of these intelligent creatures roam the woods from Georgia to California. Some, bristling Boars with huge tusks, were imported from Europe and released as formidable hunting adversaries. Others are escaped barnyard swine. Only one is native -- the Peccary of our southwestern deserts. This program explores the funny, bizarre, violent world of the Wild Hog.

Ridiculed for its awkward appearance and homely face, this largest member of the Deer family is actually one of the most graceful. It moves with equal ease in water or on land. Solitary and restless, a bull Moose may weigh half a ton and stand nine feet tall -- a formidable foe during the fall rut. Learn about these mighty animals as we follow them through a year's seasons.

The White-tailed Deer is our most familiar large Mammal -- and our number one big-game animal. In states like Pennsylvania, its popularity makes it one of the most controversial creatures. The abundance of Whitetail here proves that certain wildlife can thrive in man's world. In following this lovely Deer, we learn how it now epitomizes the history of game management.

Bison once grazed America in herds so vast the prairie appeared a moving blanket of deep brown. The native people of the Great Plains molded their culture around the shaggy beast they called "Tatonka." When westward moving Europeans slaughtered the species, they broke a sacred union of people and provider. Yet, Bison are now returning, even to ancient Indian lands.

With their proud bearing and stately crown of antlers, Elk are admired by many as the most elegant member of the Deer family. Years ago, herds of them roamed freely across our land. Today, confined to western mountains, they depend increasingly on management by man. We investigate the controversial situation in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, site of the National Elk Refuge.