Country Living Wildlife - Mule Deer

Mule deer and blacktail are the common types of deer species in Modoc County. They are also the prevalent types found in northeastern California and most of the states in the western U.S. Their habitat ranges from the Yukon to the Mexican border and as far east as parts of Oklahoma. They are also one of the most favored game animals in the U.S.

Mule Deer Habitat Range

Mule deer have large mule-like ears. They are also slightly larger than their blacktail cousins, and have a similar black-tipped tail. The blacktail however, has a mostly black tail on a white butt. All deer common to North America are various shades of a brown color. Young deer, or fawns are generally born a lighter reddish brown with white spots on their sides. They lose the spots once they get older.

Male deer are commonly called bucks and grow to 40-42 inches tall and weigh 150-300 pounds. Prize bucks sometimes weigh as much as 450 pounds. Bucks often grow to over six feet long from nose to tail. Females, or does are slightly smaller, weighing 100-175 pounds. Generally, only bucks grow antlers, and although extremely rare, does have been known to have small antlers or stubs. The antlers start growing each spring and are shed after mating season, during January-April. Antlers grow as tissue, and turn into a hard bone substance. The antlers are covered in a velvet skin at first, which is rubbed off just prior to mating season.

Mule deer and blacktail deer mate in the fall, and one or two fawns are born approximately six months later, in the spring. The young fawns are are weaned by the fall mating season and often go off on their own. Although bucks tend to travel alone, most does and fawns stay together and forage in family herds of from 3-4 to 15 or more.

Bucks During Rutting-Fighting Over a Doe

Deer feed on grass, plants and berries during the summer, and lower tree branches in the winter. They prefer fir, willow, juniper and similar trees and sage brush. They generally forage at dusk and dawn, and sometimes at night. Mule deer tend to bed down during day and they don't stray too far from their water or food source. They also seem to follow cycles, moving to higher altitudes during the heat of summer days and feeding lower in the morning and evening hours.

Deer are very agile animals and tend to hop instead of run. They are extremely good jumpers, and can clear 4-8 foot fences easily, making it a challenge to control where they eat and roam. Partly because of their jumping abilities, they are involved in many collisions with cars. If you live in the country where deer are common, it's really not a matter of if you'll hit an animal with your car; rather it's when you'll hit one. Mule deer and blacktail deer usually travel set paths. Those paths are routinely crossed by man-made roads with vehicles traveling on them. The deer are very slow to adapt, and if startled, they tend to jump to avoid the car or truck. There are approximately 1.5 million vehicle-deer collisions in the U.S. annually. These collisions cost over $1.1 billion in property damage, and cause numerous deaths, both human and animal. There are devises available that can mitigate occasions of collisions or damage such as deer whistles (devices mounted on the front of vehicles that emit a high pitched noise) or heavy protective grills. However, the best defense remains using extreme caution while driving, especially during dawn and dusk hours and at night.

In our area of country living, Modoc County, California, blacktail deer can also be real pests. You select a nice rose and plant it only to wake up the next morning to find that the deer have completely devoured it! Visit our page on country landscaping for ways to control mule deer and other critters.

Deer Bucks

Deer hunting is one of the most popular outdoor activities in America, and mule deer are one of the favorite prey. Today, mule deer hunting is pursued as much for sport as for the venison meat. As one of the most plentiful, cagiest and cautious of wild animals, deer offer a unique challenge to any hunter. In addition to providing diversion and outdoor sporting activity for modern America, licensed deer hunting helps control herd size. This contributes greatly to the animal's conservation and overall health, and creates a good balance of human population growth and wildlife preservation.

By living in the country, we have found that man can indeed live comfortably with these majestic animals. Whether you hunt them, photograph them or just put up with them, mule deer and blacktail deer are enjoyable country critters. We hope that the information on this page will help you better enjoy your own country living experience.

More of Modoc's Country Critters

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