The most noticeable differences between white-tailed and mule deer are ear size, tail color, and antler configuration. Some will turn reclusive and may travel great distances in search of solitude. Long-ear sunfish can be seen in some of the springs in the park, as well as in McKittrick Canyon. The gestation period is about 190–200 days, with fawns born in the spring. Mule deer are one of the most common animals seen in the riparian areas. Mature mule deer bucks are quick to sense hunter activity, and their behavior changes. And the list goes on with the various creatures that are nocturnal, and deer are not among them. Because deer aren’t nocturnal. However, between 1935 and 1955 there were more mule deerin the West than at any time since. Antler growth is initiated and controlled by changes in day length acting on several cell types of the anterior pituitary. [9] Despite this, the mtDNA of the white-tailed deer and mule deer is similar, but differs from that of the black-tailed deer. [1][5][6][7][9][34] Mule deer apparently evolved from the black-tailed deer. We only hunt in the late season and this is short so there is very limited availability.  Scientific name: Odocoileus hemionusClassification: Big game mammalSize: Weight: 125-330 lbs., Length with tail: 50-85", Shoulder height: 3-3.5"Life Span: 10-12 years in the wild. Females will reproduce most successfully when they are 2.5 years of age. [21][18] Mule deer are intermediate feeders rather than pure browsers or grazers; they predominantly browse, but also eat forb vegetation, small amounts of grass, and where available, tree or shrub fruits such as beans, pods, nuts (including acorns), and berries. Typically, they will avoid roads and vacate areas pressured with human activity. Editor’s Note: Ronnie Groom of Panama City, Florida, has been one of the foremost deer hunters of our day for the past 30 years. The singular anomaly to this nocturnal pattern is during rut, which occurs from late September and lasts until the middle of October, depending on what weather conditions are at play. [15][17], The size of mule deer groups follows a marked seasonal pattern. In my long hunting years, mule deer is yet one of the most challenging to hunt. Mule deer bucks are usually bachelored up this time of year. [31] Forages consumed in the summer are higher in digestible components (i.e. The Mule Deer has large ears (like those of a mule) and tan to reddish brown fur in summer, grayish brown in winter with a white rump patch and a narrow black-tipped tail. Mule Deer are herbivores and are considered browsers. An exception to this is the Sitka deer subspecies (O. h. sitkensis). Only the underside of the white-tailed deer’s tail is white, while the mule deer’s tail is all-white with a black tip and is much smaller. The antlers have a main trunk that splits into two branches. In addition, mule deer do not flash their tails in alarm. [15], A buck's antlers fall off during the winter, then grow again in preparation for the next season's rut. Triiodothyronine (T3) hormone is directly involved with basal metabolic rate and thermoregulation. Does may mate with more than one buck and go back into estrus within a month if they did not become pregnant. Mule deer diurnal movement rates, when hunters are active on the landscape, were higher during the hunting period versus pre‐hunt or scout periods. Young bucks can either be with the does or with a group of adolescent bucks while the mature bucks seem to hang in their own group or alone. proteins, starches, sugars, and hemicellulose) than those consumed in the winter. What they eat depends on their habitat, however common food includes forbes or weeds and … [27][28] Reported mean group size measurements are three to five and typical group size (i.e. Mule Deer are good swimmers, though they rarely use water as a means of escaping predators. [11], In 99 studies of mule deer diets, some 788 species of plants were eaten by mule deer, and their diets vary greatly depending on the season, geographic region, year, and elevation. Groom, a well-rounded deer hunter, participates in bowhunting, primitive weapon hunting and gun hunting. Active: Diurnal/Nocturnal. I have probably 100 to 150 mulies around my place and except for when there's snow on the ground, they feed early evening, all night and early morning. Typical four point antlers have secondary forks that arise from these branches. Mule deer populations in eastern Washington exhibit a variety of seasonal movement patterns, with migratory herds moving up to 50 straight line miles between summer and winter ranges to resident animals with annual home ranges similar in size to resident white-tail populations. [22][23] In the Sierra Nevada range, mule deer depend on the lichen Bryoria fremontii as a winter food source.[24]. They don’t spend much time in one place and with their constant movement spotting and stocking becomes much easier. You need to be extremely patient, silent and determined among others. When the temperature drops, deer often take shelter sleeping under coniferous trees like pine trees. This was after a three-year-long study of mule deer in South-Central Washington. Deer consuming high-fiber, low-starch diets require less food than those consuming high-starch, low-fiber diets. Males shed antlers every year Mule Deer have a four-chambered stomach and will re-chew partially digested food when resting. Adult bucks normally weigh 55–150 kg (121–331 lb), averaging around 92 kg (203 lb), although trophy specimens may weigh up to 210 kg (460 lb). What they eat depends on their habitat, however common food includes forbes or weeds and woody browse like sagebrush and bitterbrush. [17], Besides humans, the three leading predators of mule deer are coyotes, wolves, and cougars. These deer, which tend to be bucks, are nocturnal creatures. Depending on where you decide to hunt, your deer hunting gear may have to be tweaked. The Nevada Department of Wildlife manages consistently surveys deer populations throughout the state and makes harvest recommendations to the Nevada Wildlife Commission for the yearly seasons and regulations. How to Hunt When Deer Become Nocturnal Day 5: What Hunting Tactics Take Nocturnal Deer. Rumination time also increases when deer consume high-fiber, low-starch diets, which allows for increased nutrient acquisition due to greater length of fermentation. Generally, they summer at higher elevations and winter at lower elevations, following the snow line. Their eyes contain more light-detecting cells than the eyes of diurnal creatures, and this trait enhances their vision in dark or low-light … Areas with bitterbrush and sagebrush provide common habitat. My experience is that mule deer are nocturnal most of the year, winter excepted. Copyright © Nevada Department of Wildlife, James Lathrop and Wayne Capurro Memorial Internship, Wayne E Kirch Nevada Wildlife Conservation Award. Seasonal movements from higher elevations to lower winter ranges are affected by food supply and ability to move due to temperature and rain or snow conditions. Mule deer prefer desert regions, mountain forests, and wooded hills so long as they contain plenty of vegetation to eat, hide, and sleep in. Each branch or tine (point) is approximately the same length. Mule deer (crepuscular) reduced activity throughout our entire study area during weekends and avoided campgrounds. Can leap distances up to 8 yards. [34], The 10 valid subspecies, based on the third edition of Mammal Species of the World, are:[5], Game animals and shooting in North America, "Tails with a Dark Side: The truth about whitetail–mule deer hybrids", "North American Deer: Mule, Whitetail and Coastal Blacktail Deer", "Mule Deer Odocoileus hemionus (Rafinesque)", "Sitka Black-tailed Deer Hunting Information", "DWR Biologists Use Helicopter Rides, Ultrasound, To Check on Deer Pregnancies", "Infectious Disease and Grouping Patterns in Mule Deer", "Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) Fact Sheet", "Lichens in relation to management issues in the Sierra Nevada national parks", Mule Deer: Changing Landscapes, Changing Perspectives: Supplemental Feeding—Just Say No, "Causes and consequences of sociality in mule deer", "Comparing radio-tracking and visual detection methods to quantify group size measures", "Herbivore Body Condition Response in Altered Environments: Mule Deer and Habitat Management", "Status of the name Odocoileus hemionus crooki (Mammalia: Cervidae)", Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, Encyclopedia of Life page on the mule deer, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mule_deer&oldid=1005329818, Fauna of the California chaparral and woodlands, Taxa named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 7 February 2021, at 03:37. It holds its tail down when it runs, unlike its cousin the white-tailed deer. [14], In addition to movements related to available shelter and food, the breeding cycle is important in understanding deer behavior. Mule deer females usually give birth to two fawns, although if it is their first time having a fawn, they often have just one. Mule deer are nocturnal, and they sleep in tall grass and thicket during the day and forage at night, making the first and last 2 hours of daylight the best times to hunt them. Take A Vantage Point. This allows deer to digest fiborous leaves and twigs. Antlers, found only on bucks, are bones that begin growing in late winter and will reach full growth by late summer. [25] Where available, mule deer also eat a variety of wild mushrooms, which are most abundant in late summer and fall in the southern Rocky Mountains; mushrooms provide moisture, protein, phosphorus, and potassium. [5][35] Additionally, the validity of O. h. inyoensis has been questioned, and the two insular O. h. cerrosensis and O. h. sheldoni may be synonyms of O. h. eremicus or O. h. Their home range size may be 36 to 243 ha or more; size is directly correlated with availability of food, water, and cover. [18][25], Humans sometimes engage in supplemental feeding efforts in severe winters in an attempt to avoid mule deer starvation. Mule deer will not coexist with domestic sheep, however. The velvet is shed by early fall and the antlers harden and get somewhat shiny. Shedding typically takes place in mid-February, with variations occurring by locale. Mule Deer occupy almost all types of habitat within thier range, yet they seem to prefer arid, open areas and rocky hillsides. NOCTURNAL ACTIVITY OF MULE DEER1 JOHN D. HARDER, Colorado Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Fort Collins2 Abstract: A system of photoelectric cells was used in the winter of 1967 to record the nocturnal move-ment of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) near Paonia, Colorado. Mature bucks tend to prefer rocky ridges for bedding grounds, while the doe and fawn is more likely to bed down in the open. The ideal time to catch a mature Sitka deer is during the final 20 minutes to half hour of daylight as the deer migrates from his bedding region to get food or water. The first step in hunting mule deer is figuring out where to find some of them, of course. 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, up through the great plains to the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Colombia and the southern Yukon territory. ABSTRACT Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) are widely hunted throughout western North America and are experiencing population declines across much of their range. The first group includes all subspecies, except O. h. columbianus and O. h. sitkensis, which are in the black-tailed deer group. Light beams focused on the photo- Commonly observed species include yellow-bellied marmots, mule deer, pika, and several species of squirrels, such as California ground squirrels, Douglas squirrels, golden-mantled ground squirrels, and western gray squirrels. The tail has a black tip. [15] The survival rate of the fawns during labor is about 50%. [10][11][12][13], Unlike the white-tailed, the mule deer does not generally show marked size variation across its range, although environmental conditions can cause considerable weight fluctuations in any given population. As evidenced in recent research by Erik P Ensing and others, deer may have a nocturnal or diurnal tendency on top of the crepuscular nature. Loss of winter range to housing development or losses due to disease are also common. Behavior of the Mule Deer This species is relatively calm outside of the breeding season, which is called “rut.” When rut begins, the females become receptive to … The annual cycle of antler growth is regulated by changes in the length of the day. [8][9] Many claims of observations of wild hybrids are not legitimate, as identification based on external features is complicated. While unable to detect motionless objects, mule deer are very sensitive to moving objects and their sense of hearing is very acute. Although they are occasionally seen during the daylight hours, deer are primarily nocturnal creatures. Breeding season, or the rut, occurs in November to December. A buck will find a suitable doe and they will often play chase games at breakneck speeds before mating. Most mammals are secretive and nocturnal, and … Developing antlers are covered with a skin-like “velvet” which supplies blood and nutrients to the developing bone. Get set up to spot before dawn and watch for them to return to their bedding spots around mid-morning; they will likely stay there all day.
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