Britannica Sources used in this answer

Which deer species has been domesticated by people?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

male white-tailed deer — deer Male white-tailed deer (*Odocoileus virginianus*).

The only deer species that has been domesticated by humans is the reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), which is also known as the caribou in North America.123

Domesticated reindeer have been historically and culturally significant to various Indigenous peoples, such as the Sami of Scandinavia and Russia, the Evenk of China, and the Tsaatan of Mongolia. These groups have utilized reindeer as pack and draft animals, as mounts, and as sources of meat, milk, and hides. The practice of reindeer pastoralism likely originated in the Siberian taiga, where early pastoralists began domesticating the animals, a tradition that later spread to other regions including Lapland.14

While other deer species, such as the fallow deer, are frequently kept in parks, estates, or on deer farms, they are not considered domesticated in the same manner as the reindeer.5