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Mule deer are distributed throughout western North America from the coastal islands of Alaska, down the Pacific Coast of California to southern Baja Mexico and from the extreme northern portion of the Mexican state of Zacatecas, northward through the western Great Plains to the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia and the southern Yukon Territory 2. Subtle differences in mule deer occur depending on where they live.

There have been as many as 11 subspecies of mule deer described 1. Black-tailed deer are a subspecies of mule deer found in the coastal regions of northwestern North America from California to Alaska. Black-tailed deer are categorized by two common mule deer subspecies: Columbian black-tailed deer Odocoileus hemionus columbianus and Sitka black-tailed deer Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis 3. Columbian blacktails can be found in the coastal areas of northern California, Oregon, Washington, and southern British Columbia, whereas the Sitka subspecies are found on coastal areas of northern British Columbia and southeastern Alaska.

Black-tailed deer are differentiated by their body and antler size, color, geographical distribution, habitat preference, and even their DNA. Aptly named, the tail of black-tailed deer is black from tip to rump. In many parts of their distribution, mule deer overlap with a closely related species, the white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus. Sometimes mule deer and white-tailed deer will hybridize, but this is a rare phenomenon. Understanding their differences is important for proper identification.

Although similar in many respects, mule deer and white-tailed deer are distinguishable in their behavior, biology, and appearance. For example, the most commonly noted difference between the two species is their antler configuration 1. Mule deer usually have small or missing brow tines with bifurcated antler branching, which means tines that split once off of a main beam, and then again toward the tips.

White-tailed deer antlers usually have prominent brow tines, and tines that split once directly off the main beam. Another distinguishable characteristic between mule deer and whitetails is the appearance and color of their rump. Mule deer have a rope-like tail with a distinctive black tip, while whitetails have a more flat, triangular-shaped tail that is brown on the back surface, and a pure white bottom.

The breeding season rut generally occurs in November or December, but can vary based on location. For example in the Southwest Desert, the rut may occur as late as January-February. Bucks spar during the rut, competing for receptive does. Older bucks with large antlers usually outcompete younger bucks with smaller antlers for mates, but that is not always the case 4.

After being bred, does begin a 7 month gestation period and fawns are dropped in late spring and summer: coinciding with an abundance of nutritious food for lactation 1. Females give birth to usually one or two fawns, with twins being more common among does in prime breeding age whose nutritional needs are met.

Fawn to doe ratios are often used by wildlife managers as an important marker for mule deer population health. Fawns may weigh between pounds, and heavier fawn weights are usually indicative of good maternal nutritional status and a higher probability of fawn survival 5. Mule deer are herbivores with a four chambered stomach similar to cattle, elk, and other ruminants. They digest food by regurgitating partially digested plants, re-chewing, and resting to allow for bacterial breakdown of plant material 1.

Mule deer are not as efficient at digesting fibrous material as cattle and elk, so they feed on plants that provide concentrated and highly digestible nutrients. In order to take advantage of the most nutritious plants throughout the year, mule deer may change their diets seasonally. During the winter when herbaceous plants die off, mule deer switch to the nutritious buds and leaves of woody vegetation browse such as sagebrush, bitterbrush, mountain mahogany, and cliffrose.

In the winter when food resources become scarce, mule deer may burn more calories in a day than what they can consume. During this period, loss of body mass can be substantial 5. Across their distribution, mule deer habitat is broadly categorized in seven ecoregions where mule deer populations share similarities in their ecological associations 1 , those ecoregions are: Intermountain West, Great Plains, Northern Forest, Colorado Plateau Shrubland and Forest, Coastal Rainforest, California Woodland Chaparral, and Southwest Desert.

Within each ecoregion, there are a wide variety of habitat types mule deer associate to. For example, mule deer of the western Great Plains region have a greater component of open grassland habitat than black-tailed deer in the Coastal Rainforest region. In general, areas with occasional disturbance and edge stimulates growth of grasses, forbs, and shrubs that are within reach of the deer. Consequently, wildfire, grazing, and forest management practices can have an enormous impact on habitat quality.

Migration is the seasonal movement between habitats. For mule deer this is typically the biannual movements between high elevation summer range and lower elevation winter range.

Not every mule deer is migratory, as some remain on their range year-round 7. Migration is typically prompted by changes in food availability and weather 8. Migration routes can be well over miles in length, and function not only as travel corridors, but also as important foraging habitats 9. The longest documented mule deer migration is over miles from winter range in the Red Desert of Wyoming to summer range near Island Park, Idaho.

It is believed that mule deer learn migration routes from their mothers, and typically follow that same route for the rest of their lives Mule deer populations have a history of fluctuating through time 1. Because of this, mule deer have more specific forage requirements than cattle or elk that share their habitat. Between November and February depending on the locality , bucks that are evenly matched in size and strength engage in battles for the right to mate with females.

They lock antlers and fight until the point of exhaustion, when one will back down and flee from the victor. These victorious bucks attract females to them and attempt to defend them against the attention of other often younger bucks. Sexual maturity is attained at the age of about 18 months in does, but young bucks are not allowed to participate in the rut until they are three to four years old. The gestation period is approximately to days, and the fawning period extends over several weeks in the summer.

The female sequesters herself and drops her fawn in a protected spot, where it remains for a period of a week or 10 days before it is strong enough to follow her. At birth, fawns are spotted and weigh approximately 5. The young ones are weaned at about the age of 60 or 75 days, at which time they begin to lose their spots.

Mule deer usually live 9 to 11 years in the wild. Now declining deer populations have people wondering if the factory is running down. Mule deer populations have been dropping across the West for several years. The renowned White River herd in northwest Colorado has plummeted from more than , in the early s to the current estimate of 32, deer. The Mammals of Texas. A groundbreaking bipartisan bill aims to address the looming wildlife crisis before it’s too late, while creating sorely needed jobs.

More than one-third of U. We’re on the ground in seven regions across the country, collaborating with 52 state and territory affiliates to reverse the crisis and ensure wildlife thrive. Uniting all Americans to ensure wildlife thrive in a rapidly changing world. Inspire a lifelong connection with wildlife and wild places through our children’s publications, products, and activities. In 4 seconds , you will be redirected to nwfactionfund. The National Wildlife Federation.

Mule Deer. Classification: Mammal. Range Mule deer are among the most beloved and iconic wildlife of the American West. Diet Mule deer are browsers, feeding on herbaceous plants and the leaves and twigs of woody shrubs. Life History Between November and February depending on the locality , bucks that are evenly matched in size and strength engage in battles for the right to mate with females. Fun Fact Mule deer get their name from their big, mule-like ears.

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Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) – Photos with Mule Deer

Bucks spar during the rut, competing for receptive does. Older bucks with large antlers usually outcompete younger bucks with smaller antlers for mates, but that is not always the case 4. After being bred, does begin a 7 month gestation period and fawns are dropped in late spring and summer: coinciding with an abundance of nutritious food for lactation 1.

Females give birth to usually one or two fawns, with twins being more common among does in prime breeding age whose nutritional needs are met. Fawn to doe ratios are often used by wildlife managers as an important marker for mule deer population health. Fawns may weigh between pounds, and heavier fawn weights are usually indicative of good maternal nutritional status and a higher probability of fawn survival 5.

Mule deer are herbivores with a four chambered stomach similar to cattle, elk, and other ruminants. They digest food by regurgitating partially digested plants, re-chewing, and resting to allow for bacterial breakdown of plant material 1. Mule deer are not as efficient at digesting fibrous material as cattle and elk, so they feed on plants that provide concentrated and highly digestible nutrients. In order to take advantage of the most nutritious plants throughout the year, mule deer may change their diets seasonally.

During the winter when herbaceous plants die off, mule deer switch to the nutritious buds and leaves of woody vegetation browse such as sagebrush, bitterbrush, mountain mahogany, and cliffrose. In the winter when food resources become scarce, mule deer may burn more calories in a day than what they can consume.

During this period, loss of body mass can be substantial 5. Across their distribution, mule deer habitat is broadly categorized in seven ecoregions where mule deer populations share similarities in their ecological associations 1 , those ecoregions are: Intermountain West, Great Plains, Northern Forest, Colorado Plateau Shrubland and Forest, Coastal Rainforest, California Woodland Chaparral, and Southwest Desert.

Within each ecoregion, there are a wide variety of habitat types mule deer associate to. For example, mule deer of the western Great Plains region have a greater component of open grassland habitat than black-tailed deer in the Coastal Rainforest region.

In general, areas with occasional disturbance and edge stimulates growth of grasses, forbs, and shrubs that are within reach of the deer. Consequently, wildfire, grazing, and forest management practices can have an enormous impact on habitat quality. Now declining deer populations have people wondering if the factory is running down. Mule deer populations have been dropping across the West for several years.

The renowned White River herd in northwest Colorado has plummeted from more than , in the early s to the current estimate of 32, deer. The Mammals of Texas. A groundbreaking bipartisan bill aims to address the looming wildlife crisis before it’s too late, while creating sorely needed jobs.

More than one-third of U. We’re on the ground in seven regions across the country, collaborating with 52 state and territory affiliates to reverse the crisis and ensure wildlife thrive.

Uniting all Americans to ensure wildlife thrive in a rapidly changing world. Inspire a lifelong connection with wildlife and wild places through our children’s publications, products, and activities. In 4 seconds , you will be redirected to nwfactionfund. The National Wildlife Federation. They usually stay with their mothers for their first full year.

Does are sexually mature at about 18 months old but young bucks are not permitted to mate until the age of 3 or 4 years. This has been diagnosed in deer in the United States Rocky Mountains region, as well as other mid-western states. Further threats include great numbers in predator populations e. Their habitat in many regions is being lost, and in others dramatically fragmented, due to the human population growth, development, and natural events.

Road construction, urban expansion, catastrophic wildfire, and the spread of invasive plant species also have led to habitat loss. The total number of the Mule deer population is unknown today, but according to the Gohunt resource, specific populations were estimated in these regions: Colorado – , deers; Nevada – , deers; Utah — 80, deers.

Mule Deer. Population size. Cr Crepuscular Crepuscular. Altitudinal Migrant. Photos with Mule Deer. View 32 more photos of Mule Deer. Distribution Geography Continents. North America, South America.

Canada, Mexico, United States. Introduced Countries. Biogeographical realms. WWF Biomes. Desert and Xeric Shrublands, Flooded grasslands and savannas , Mangrove, Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub, Montane grasslands and shrublands, Taiga, Temperate broadleaf and mixed forest, Temperate coniferous forest, Temperate grasslands, Tropical dry forest, Show More Tropical moist forests Show Less.

Biome Chaparral. Rocky areas. Montane forest. Diet Mule deer eat a variety of vegetation. Predators Humans, coyote, mountain lion, eagles, bear, wolves, and bobcats. Home Mule deer will make temporary ‘beds’ which are usually nothing more than flattened areas of grass or leaves.

Life Span Mule deer usually live years in the wild and can live to be much older when in captivity. Size These deer range from 3. Quick Facts The annual cycle of antler growth is regulated by changes in the length of the day.

Mule deer females usually give birth to two fawns, although if it is their first time having a baby they often only have one fawn. Mule deer have no upper teeth, only a hard palate. September Journal of Wildlife Management.

ISSN X. June Wildlife Society Bulletin. John In The Wild. Journal of Applied Ecology. Casper Star-Tribune Online. Retrieved 7 April May Landscape Ecology. July Mule Deer Working Group. The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on 29 March Retrieved 29 March New York Times. Archived from the original on 2 November Retrieved 5 November Woodman, Neal On the authorship of the fraudulent journal of Charles Le Raye”.

Archives of Natural History. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Odocoileus hemionus. Wikispecies has information related to Odocoileus hemionus. Extant Artiodactyla species. Suborder Ruminantia. Pronghorn A. Okapi O. Northern giraffe G. Anhui musk deer M. Water chevrotain H. Indian spotted chevrotain M. Java mouse-deer T. Family Cervidae. Indian muntjac M. Tufted deer E.

European fallow deer D. Chital A. Barasingha R. Visayan spotted deer R. Thorold’s deer C. Moose A. Water deer H. European roe deer C. Reindeer R. Taruca H. Red brocket M. Pampas deer O. Marsh deer B. Northern pudu P. Mule deer O. Family Bovidae. Roan antelope H. East African oryx O. Addax A. Waterbuck K. Southern reedbuck R.