Whitetails are subject to a different phenomenon than blacktails, which is Bergmanns Rule. A whitetail is a whitetail, and there is nothing else like it. Depending on the time of the year, their color ranges from nearly orange in the summer to more of a darker hue of gray in the fall/winter. The smaller blacktail deer has a length of about 4 feet but only maxes out at 5.5 feet while standing a few inches shorter than the mule deer at about 3.7 feet. Mule deer are identifiable in the way they move, too. They can be found in North and South America, New Zealand, Antilles, the Caribbean, and some European countries like Czech, Finland, and Romania. Alfalfa bales are another commonly used feed for deer. This white portion of the tail can only be seen when the deer "flags" or . A whitetail is a whitetail, and there is nothing else like it. Coat colors greatly vary in mule deer and whitetail deer species. Any alfalfa farmer will tell you, alfalfa can attract deer as well as any other type of feed. Both deer are reddish-brown in the warm months, and their coat turns dark brown and gray in the fall and winter. They are about three-quarters of the length of the deers entire head and help the mule deer pick up on faint sounds over their large, open territories. Contact the AZ Animals editorial team. When I'm not working, I enjoy playing video games, reading, and writing for fun. In comparison, whitetail deer is in abundance all over the United States, barring some western states. Not unlike Mule deer, there are many subspecies of Whitetail deer. Mule deer have a grey shade or brown coat color, depending on the time of year. Also, black-tailed deer have longer ears than white-tailed deer due to their closeness to the mule deer ancestry. On their own, its easy to tell if you are looking at a Mule deer or a Whitetail. Antlers Whitetail deer have a brown rump and only the underside of its tail is white. OutdoorWorld Reviews is a community-supported website. Q-values of 0-0.12 were created as a pure mule deer zone, while q-values between 0.9-1 were established to . The black-tailed deer eats many of the same things as the white-tailed deer. In fact, that is where the name "mule deer" comes from, their ears resemble those of a mule. Whitetail deer have standard-looking tails, with glaringly bright white when they are alert and flick their tails up. Thanks ITDann. Find a group of does and wait for the buck, he wont be far behind. Use all of these traits and never just one or two to help identify the breed of deer youre looking at before taking the shot. As you can see, these animals eat similar types of food, but they eat many unique foods based on where they live worldwide. Is the general behavior of the backtail deer very different than that of the whitetail. Mule deer have this antler formation that roots up like a fork; it further fragments it into two more forks on each prong stemming from its skull. Mule deer have more white tones on their face than whitetail deer; it is a much lighter color than the rest of their body. The mule deer is known for eating forbs, shrubs, trees, and grass. Email theOregon Fish & Wildlife Commission at [email protected]. Sharper toes typically indicate a younger deer, but this varies . The antlers of Columbia . Main Phone (503) 947-6000 With trophy deer tipping the scale at 130-150 pounds. In North America, one of the single most abundant game resources available to hunters is deer. According to Western states Departments of Natural resources, if a Blacktail deer moves further west, it becomes a Mule deer. Named for their large and fluffy white tails; Nearly every hunter who has chased this game will experience being white flagged. Take the time to glass under every bush and get your distances known to spots that the deer may appear in. 2.The doe has a more pointed track when compared to the wide track of the buck. Many different species and subspecies of deer live across North America. With muleys being available to hunt across 16 states, it is obvious they can be found across all types of terrain. Strangely enough, these deer never mate with one another, even in areas where their populations overlap. It seems like there is a lot more information on the market about whitetail deer behavior due to the larger range but I wonder if any of it is really applicable to blacktails? Size also generally depends on where the deer is located. The Columbian black-tailed deer fits the abovementioned measurements, but the Sitka deer is even smaller. As stated earlier, their antlers are also much different. Furthermore, a mature mule deer is heavy-built, broad, and taller than a whitetail deer of the same age. United States Department of Agriculture, Available here: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs142p2_042116.pdf, State of Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Available here: https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=deer.main, N.C. The mule deer and the black-tailed deer have different ranges. That's why we have theOregon Hunting Mule deer have a white rump and a tail with a black tip at the end of it. Whitetail deer are more common than mule deer in America, giving them a larger geo range. Their range is vastly different as well. Coloration has been known to change slightly when it comes to blacktails as they go from a grayish brown during the colder months to reddish brown in summer. Thanks for the great feedback. WATCH: Sharks biting alligators, the most epic lion battles, and MUCH more. These deer are found within coastal regions, and their size results from living in that biome. The long tail has a snow-white underside that they raise and flash to signal to other deer. In fact, Whitetail deer can be found down in South and Central America as well. They also live in British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan in Canada. As previously mentioned, there are many more differences between the species than listed here. 2019 -2022Outdoorworld.reviews - Reliable Outdoor Reviews. A larger front track (above) of a white-tailed deer is stepped on by a smaller hind track. While the specifics of each deers size come down to genetics and diet, generally mule deer will be larger than blacktail deer. And solidly in Blacktail country. Deer Meat: 10 Things You Should Know About Venison, Discover The Largest Whitetail Deer Ever Caught in Maine, British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan in Canada. Whitetail tines all grow off a single, primary beam. The blacktail deer is a subspecies of the mule deer. The average mule deer will grow between 95 and 330 pounds in weight, 2.8-3.9 feet in height, and between 4 and 7 feet in length. Its not reliable enough on its own. Habitat: Blacktails are a subspecies of mule deer found in western Oregon from the Coast Range east to the Cascade Mountains. In the Pacific Northwest and into Canada and Alaska, you can find Blacktail deer. Both mule deer and whitetail deer hear extremely well. What to put in water when boiling deer skull. As an avid outdoors person (hunting and fishing mostly)I love to mention and link to various products and gear I use. Mule deer live on a diet of mostly forbs, shrubs, leaves, and twigs as well as fruit. You May Be Surprised. Though both are descendants of whitetail, black-tailed deer are considered a sub-species of mule deer. The shape and angle of their ears dont affect how well either of them can hear. How to distinguish Columbian white-tailed and black-tailed deer The easiest way to tell them apart are by some of their physical characteristics. From a distance, their antlers seem similar, but on close inspection, there is a distinct difference. First there are estrus doe bleats, which they make when they're in heat but there aren't any bucks around. Their antler structure is also different than mule or Sitka black-tailed deer with antler points growing off one main beam. However, the species has a variety of subspecies, including the black-tailed deer. Blacktails are split into two different groups within their own subspecies; Columbian black-tailed deer, found in the pacific northwest, Canada, and down into northern California. Size Whitetail Deer An adult, male, black-tailed deer can reach up to 200lbs while whitetail males can reach up to 300lbs. Required fields are marked *. Just ordered a copy. White-tailed deer grow antlers off a single beam, but the black-tailed deer have antlers that fork off the main beam. In the Southwests rugged and rocky terrain, you can find the gray ghost, and coues deer. When I'm not working, I enjoy playing video games, reading, and writing for fun. This color variation doesnt occur in black-tailed deer. Mule Deer vs Black-tailed Deer: What Are the Differences? Its often said that, despite the mule deers size advantage, a whitetail will win a fight between the two nine times out of 10. That's 30-inches difference in antler material! With Mule deer, you get a much taller and more forky type of rack. I've measured P&Y Blacktails who have won the biennual bowhunting awards in California bigger than any Mule deer I've killed. While the mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) covers a much larger area and varied terrain as it is found across much of the western U.S., Canada, and northern parts of Mexico. Columbian white-tailed and black-tailed deer share the same habitat in some parts of western Oregon. Thanks, Mule Deer vs Whitetail 8 Key Differences To Tell Them Apart, Mule Deer vs. Whitetail Deer Visual Differences, indigenous to the Western North American belt, Mounting And Sighting In A Rifle Scope Updated [2021], Elk vs Moose The 7 Key Differences To Help You Tell The Two Apart, Best Single Stage Reloading Press Top 5 For 2021, Best Rubber Hunting Boots Reviews And Buyers Guide, Best Light For Coyote Hunting Full Buyers Guide, Best Night Vision Scope For Coyote Hunting Full Buyers Guide, Best Coyote Decoy For 2021 Full Buyers Guide. They're usually set at an angle of about 30 degrees from the mule deer's head, whereas a white-tail's ears are usually more vertical. Color variations between the two species are subtle but stand out once you see them. A mule deer will generally be larger than a whitetail. This is not the case with Blacktail deer. The Oregon Disabilities Hunting and Fishing Permit is not a license or tag. So for instance, a buck comes in and you can see a 7" G2, a 6" G3 and a 3" G4. Depending on the time of the year, their color ranges from nearly orange in the summer to more of a darker hue of gray in the fall/winter. Mule deer will hop or bound when they are running. Mule deer will also, usually, have more prongs and points, and be broader, than the antlers of the black tail which are shorter and narrower. . Western north america has more mule deer and black tailed deer. As a result, the only weight many hunters obtain for their deer is a field-dressed weight, leaving the whole weight of their quarry unknown. Their size diversity isnt much diversity at all, with most adult males reaching 200 to 205lbs. Assume those links are affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you click and buy. 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