Mule Deer
Deer
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Mule deer are so-named for named for their large mule-like ears.
They have a white patch on their rump, with a small tail that is white with a black tip.
They shed their hair twice a year, leaving a fine reddish brown coat in the
summer months, and a coarse, grayish coat in the winter. Bucks (males) have a darkened v-shaped area on their forehead and dark chest coloring during winter.
Fawns have reddish brown summer coat with white spots on their back and sides. The spots disappear within three to four months.
Male mule deer antlers grow with a "velvet" skin covering, until August when the antlers harden. The velvet dries and bucks remove it
by rubbing their antlers on small trees and shrubs. Antlers are shed in late winter. Antler growth is renewed each spring throughout the adult buck's life.
Mule deer bucks produces their largest set of antlers when they are about six years old.
Large male mule deer can weigh as much as 250 pounds or more.
The mule deer's breeding season begins in October and ends in early February, with the peak occurring in mid to late November. This is also referred to as the
"rut", a time when the buck's neck swells and he fights other bucks for dominance. A single buck is capable of breeding several does.
Most mating is concluded by the time winter sets in. During severe
winter weather with low temperatures and deep snow, mulke deer gather together, in areas that provide food. In a group, they are
better able to break trails in deep snow, and save energy.
Fawns are born after a 202 day gestation period, with about half of the young
being born between late May and late June. The mule deer's reproductive rate is 94 fawns per 100 does (females).
About 65 percent of pregnant mule deer carry twins.
Mule deer like rough, steep canyons, sparsely vegetated with brushy pockets, and they work their way down through open grasslands.
They often bed in shrubby areas. Mule
deer are less likely to use mature timber areas, but may frequent timber along the upper portions of streams and creeks.
Mule deer are fond wheat and clover, and consume small grain and alfalfa crops within their occupied range.
Mule deer are most active during dawn and dusk, when they venture from protective cover when it is time to feed.
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