More about Mule Deer:
There are 2 major subspecies: the
Mule Deer, with tail white above, tipped with black; and the
Black-tailed Deer, with tail black or brown above.
The Cervidae Family includes deer and their allies, including moose,
elk, and caribou. Member of this family occupy a wide range of
habitats, from arctic tundras to tropical forests, and can be found
over most of the world. All have slender legs. Most are brown or
gray in color, with white spots characterizing the young, and in a
few species, the adults. In all but one genus of cervids, at least
the males have antlers.
Comparisons - The Mule Deer, while closely related to the eastern species-the
white-tailed deer, are remarkably distinct in their biological,
ecological, and behavioral attributes.
The Mule Deer carries its thin, black-tipped tail drooped, unlike
the uplifted, bushy white tail of its cousin. They have a distinctly
different gait from the leisurely, graceful leaps of the white-tail.
When startled, a Mule Deer will move in a series of stiff-legged
jumps with all four feet hitting the ground together.
Mule Deer are usually a dark gray-brown, with a small white rump
patch and a small, black-tipped tail. Their large ears are
distinctive. White-tail deer are tan in color, with a larger tail.
Mule Deer antlers are normally smaller and branch to form 2 equal
forks, while the male White-tailed Deer has forward curving antlers
with a number of points (tines) branching from the main beam.
Description - Mule Deer have large ears that move constantly and independently,
from whence they get their name, "Mule" or "Burro Deer." They do not
run as other deer, but have a peculiar and distinctive bounding leap
(stotting) over distances up to 8 yards, with all 4 feet coming down
together. In this fashion, they can reach a speed of 45 m.p.h. for
short periods.
This stocky deer with sturdy legs is 4 to 6-1/2 feet in length and 3
to 3-1/2 feet high at the shoulder. During the summer, the coat on
its upper body is yellow- or reddish-brown, while in winter more
gray. The throat patch, rump patch, inside ears and inside legs are
white with lower portions running cream to tan. A dark V-shaped
mark, extending from a point between the eyes upward and laterally
is characteristic of all Mule Deer but is more conspicuous in males.
Males are larger than females. The bucks' antlers, which start
growth in spring and are shed around December each year, are high
and branch forward, forking equally into 2 tines with a spread up to
4 feet.
The Mule Deer is slower and less colorful than the White-tailed
Deer, but its pastel, gray-buff color provides a physical adaptation
to the desert environment which disguises it from predators like the
Cougar, the Coyote and the eagle who will swoop down on a fawn.
Mule Deer have no canine teeth and, like the cow, have a multi-part
stomach, the first two chambers of which act as temporary storage
bins. Food stored here can be digested later when the deer chews its
cud.
Vocalization - Deer are not especially vocal, although young fawns bleat on
occasion. Injured deer utter a startlingly loud "blatt" or bawl.
Tail - The tail is usually tipped in black with a white basal portion, and
its under parts are white.
Ears - The Mule Deer large ear is gray on the outside and white on the
inside.
Feet - Another physical adaptation, its larger feet, allows the Mule Deer
to claw out water as much as two feet deep, which it detects with
its keen sense of smell.
Behavior - Seasonal movements involving migrations from higher elevations
(summer ranges) to lower winter ranges are associated, in part, with
decreasing temperatures, severe snowstorms, and snow depths that
reduce mobility and food supply. Deep snows ultimately limit useable
range to a fraction of the total. Mule Deer in the arid southwest
may migrate in response to rainfall patterns.
When startled, a Mule Deer will move in a series of stiff-legged
jumps with all four feet hitting the ground together. This gait
offers two advantages: it allows the deer to out-distance predators
in rough terrain, and to see above the thick brush. If necessary,
they can turn or completely reverse direction in the course of a
single bound.
Mule Deer are active primarily in mornings, evenings and moonlit
nights. This inactivity during the heat of the day is a behavioral
adaptation to the desert environment that conserves water and keeps
the body temperature within livable limits. Sweat glands and panting
also provide evaporative cooling during hot periods.
During the middle of the day, the Mule Deer beds down in a cool,
secluded place. The mature buck seems to prefer rocky ridges for
bedding grounds, while the doe and fawn is more likely to bed down
in the open.
Habitat - Mule Deer moves between various zones from the forest edges at
higher elevations to the desert floor, depending on the season.
While the Mule Deer occupies almost all types of habitat within its
range, it seems to prefer arid, open areas and rocky hillsides.
Food & Hunting - Food of the Mule Deer is quite varied. In Spring and Summer it feeds
on green leaves, herbs, weeds and grasses more than on browse
species. The reverse is true in Fall and Winter.
Mule Deer are browsers and eat a great variety of vegetable matter,
including fresh green leaves, twigs, lower branches of trees, and
various grasses. They are particularly fond of blackberry and
raspberry vines, grapes, mistletoe, mushrooms and ferns. They eat so
carefully they can even consume the fruit of cactus.
Breeding - The mating season for Mule Deer reaches its peak in November and
December, as antlered stags round up females and fight for their
possession. Antlers are shed after the breeding season, from
mid-January to about mid-April. Most mature bucks in good condition
have lost theirs by the end of February; immature bucks generally
lose them a little later. Males and females mix freely while
traveling together in groups during winter months, often down to the
desert floor.
Dominance is largely a function of size, with the largest males,
which possess the largest antlers, performing most of the
copulations
Mule Deer breed in late November and early December. A buck will
find a suitable doe and they will often play chase games at
breakneck speeds before mating. They will remain together for
several days.
When antlers start growing again in the spring, the group breaks up.
The females go off by themselves and eventually give birth and nurse
their young; the males wander in friendly twosomes or small bands
throughout the summer months as antlers grow.
From April through June, after about a 200-day gestation period, the
doe delivers 1 to 4 young (normally 2). Fawns are born in late May
or early June. A doe will usually produce a single fawn the first
year she gives birth and then produce twins in following years. The
fawn, colored reddish with white spots, weighs about 6 pounds at
birth. It must nurse within the first hour and stand within the
first 12 hours. During early weeks of life, the fawn sees its mother
only at mealtimes for feeding. Spots begin to fade by the end of the
first month.. They have white camouflage spots and are further
protected by having little or no scent. Fawns usually stay with the
doe for the first full year.
Conservation - Life span in the wild is 10 years, but Mule Deer have lived up to 25
years in captivity .
All federal, state, and provincial land and wildlife management
agencies recognize the fundamental need to maintain Mule Deer ranges
and keep them habitable. To counter the trend of agricultural
development, rangeland conversion, mining, road and highway
construction, and the development of housing tracts, many states and
provinces have purchased critical areas, especially winter ranges,
to maintain the various habitats of Mule Deer. But, due to political
opposition to government acquisition of privately owned lands, plus
a scarcity of funds for this purpose, only a small fraction of Mule
Deer ranges has been acquired by the government.
Another view on conservation.
I am a farmer in Eastern Oregon and I can say that the farms
in this region are VERY BENEFICIAL to the mule deer
populations in the area. The abundant alfalfa fields supply
them year round with a constant available food supply. Also,
during tough winters this helps them to survive. In 1993 the
desert populations took a huge hit. 65% of the herds died-off
in what was a horribly tough winter but the deer close to
"agricultural development" had a much higher survival rate! -
R.A.J.
Cautions - There is some competition between the Mule Deer and the livestock on
the range, especially in Spring and early Summer. Also, Hoof and
Mouth Disease and other diseases can be transmitted from the Deer to
the livestock and vice versa..
Douglas fir and Ponderosa pine are of major economic importance for
commercial timber. However, these trees are browsed heavily by O.
hemionus. Browsing of other trees is seldom considered an economic
problem. This situation invites browsing of sufficient intensity to
influence forest regeneration in many areas
Mule Deer is a target for various viral, bacterial, and parasitic
diseases. For example, heavy amounts of gastrointestinal nematodes
may cause death in Mule Deer. This parasitic disease is usually
indicative of such predisposing factors as high Mule Deer density
and malnutrition.
See top of page for mule deer hunting outfitters.
HOME
TROPHY ROOMS
HUNTING
GUIDE SCHOOLS
ADVERTISE FISHING TRIPS
Site hosted and developed by:
World Class Outdoors
901 Fox Wood
Brandon, MS 39047
(601) 829-3203
Email World Class Outdoors
Disclaimer
Please visit our
special partner sites:
Fishingtrip.ws - Fishing Trips, Vacations, Lodges &
Guides
Learn-Taxidermy.com
- Learn the Art of Taxidermy on Video
Taxidermy101.com - Taxidermy for Beginners on Video
Archery-Hunting-Fishing.com - Archery, Hunting and
Fishing Info
|
