I graduated from Rowan University in 2014 with degrees in English and Education. They can be found in meadows, forest edges, and fields. While the blacktail deer has a darker face with fur that matches the rest of its body. Like any other deer species, nocturnal behavior may increase due to hunting pressure, predators and habitat encroachment. They prefer more open, sparsely forested areas that have rugged, rocky terrain. They cannot mix with other species of deer. Meanwhile, the black-tailed deer weighs up to 225 lbs, grows 3.7 ft tall, and measures between 4 and 5.5 ft long! Axis Deer vs Whitetail Deer: You Should Know These Differences! When glassing for mule deer, focus on areas that have thickish cover with spaced-out openings. HYBRIDIZATION HAPPENS. Of course, Bergmanns Rule makes plenty of sense when you think about colder climates versus warmer climates. Cooperative Extension, Available here: https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/white-tailed-deer, The University of Chicago Press, Available here: https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/284096, Forest and Wildlife Research Center, Available here: https://www.msudeer.msstate.edu/deer-diet.php. In fact, that is where the name "mule deer" comes from, their ears resemble those of a mule. Mule deer do not have this. Interestingly, both shed their antlers every year in succession to each other. Deer hunting is a great way to spend quality time with the ones you love. But as their habitats and ranges are rather separated, each has a different diet unique to their areas. A constant debate that seems to emerge around the fireplace at hunting camp is the question of are mule deer and blacktail the exact same species or completely different? Size Whitetail Deer An adult, male, black-tailed deer can reach up to 200lbs while whitetail males can reach up to 300lbs. All in all, the white-tailed deer and the black-tailed deer are very different creatures. That's why we have theOregon Hunting Mule deer are more tolerant of noisy surroundings. The further north you go the bigger in body they get, as per Bergman's law. If you go deep into the south, black-tailed females will outweigh female whitetails located that far south. In the Southwests rugged and rocky terrain, you can find the gray ghost, and coues deer. The similarities make sense as they had common ancestors in western North America when ice sheets covered the land approximately 15,000 years ago. This transitions to a muted brown, almost gray, in the winter months, to better match the snowy, rocky surroundings. 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. http://www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/hunting/deer/publications.html, ISO Replacement Forearm Pads for a Beretta Extrema. Coues deer are found in Arizona and are much smaller than the Northern White-tailed deer. Blacktails, on the other hand, have all black tails. A white- tail/mule deer hybrid has metatarsal glands that split the difference in location, appearance and length (between 2 to 4 inches). They also live in British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan in Canada. Whitetail are the oldest living species of deer at 3.5 million years old. WATCH: Sharks biting alligators, the most epic lion battles, and MUCH more. Blacktail deer, Columbian black-tailed deer. Many plant and animal species exhibit albinism (including humans). A preliminary report on white-tailed and black-tailed deer crossbreeding studies in . Whitetail and Mule deer share a pretty common DNA; however, with Blacktail, there are many more differences found within. The most obvious one is the fur on the rump of each deer. These deer vary in size based on the location where they are found. Meaning that they fork as they grow. Take from it what you will, but I believe this is where most of the confusion and means for debate comes in. They are a much better option than corn or hay. Whitetail deer's ears are still large but not as large as a mule deer's. The most obvious difference between these two species is their tails. They will shoot up their tail and run at the first sign of danger. Salem, OR 97302 Or as difficult as finding them. Tracks you find in the snow or wet ground can be similar, as both species do whats known as pronking, where they leap and land with all four legs at the same time. Physical differences are often the biggest points that are used by those who consider the mule deer and blacktail deer to be different. The mule deer is most common throughout the western half of the United States. Mule deer have smaller stomachs than whitetail deer, meaning that they also must be more selective in their diet and choose foods with a higher nutritional value. Deer Tracks. The Antlers Most pure mule deer have forks in their antlers. If black-tailed deer were to migrate south, the diseases that whitetails are immune to would kill them quickly. At first glance, mule deer and whitetail deer look the same. Deer in the north have to have thicker hiders and fat layers to resist the chill. 4034 Fairview Industrial Drive SE The further north you go the bigger in body they get, as per Bergman's law. This is their number one defense against predators. These are two subspecies of the mule deer, sharing some but not all qualities with the main stem of the species. 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. Do you want to enter your opinion about a specific issue into the public record? They tend to be higher up and in rocky areas. Thats because their coats change color depending on the season. A whitetail gets its name from its tail. 7+6+3=16. Deer Meat: 10 Things You Should Know About Venison, Discover The Largest Whitetail Deer Ever Caught in Maine, Possesses a reddish-brown coat that fades to gray in the fall and winter, Across almost the entire southern portion of Canada, except coastal areas on the west, Grass, nuts, forbs, mushrooms, and fruits. The black-tailed deer has a distinct range too. In mating season and other times of the year, however, mule deer appear to form larger herds of females who all share the same mother and males from different families. Those big old ears are there for a reason and a muley knows how to use them. Its not reliable enough on its own. The black-tailed mature bucks, specifically the Columbia blacktail deer, weigh in around 150 to 200lbs with the does coming in considerably lighter. The blacktail is notorious not only for being difficult to hunt, but just to see one. The black-tailed deer has very similar ears. Depending on the location, the climate, and the time of the year, it should be fairly easy to tell the difference between the two. Visit the ODFW's agency site. The predominant successful breeding among hybrids is between white-tailed bucks and mule deer does (Carr and Hughes 1993, Cathey et al. 2019 -2022Outdoorworld.reviews - Reliable Outdoor Reviews. Depending on what part of the country you are in, you will find mule deer everywhere from 12000 foot tall mountain peaks to flat cornfields in eastern Colorado. Black-tailed deer primarily range in Britain Columbia and Alaska. Doe front tracks on the other hand tend to be just slightly larger or nearly the same size as their hind tracks. Western north america has more mule deer and black tailed deer. Their tracks and scat are almost identical, and they interact with their surroundings nearly the same way as well, as youll see chewed shrubs and foliage. Assume those links are affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you click and buy. As an avid outdoors person (hunting and fishing mostly)I love to mention and link to various products and gear I use. Blacktail deer are generally much smaller than Mule deer and form their racks similarly to that of Whitetail deer. Here are just a few other examples of Mule deer subspecies: California Mule deer, Cedros/Cerros Island Mule, deer desert/burro Mule deer, Rocky Mountain Mule deer, and Tiburon Island Mule deer, just to name a few. Their antler pattern is very similar, but there is a big difference in the length of the metatarsal gland a gland that produces breeding season scents, located above the mid-point of the shank on their hind legs. As previously mentioned, there are many more differences between the species than listed here. Whitetail and mule deer are two related deer . Deer vs Reindeer: What Are 8 Key Differences? Not all do, though. Mule deer do not have this. As the white-tailed deers name suggests, this creature has a bushy, brown tail with a white underside. Whitetail deer gets its name due to its whitetail. The white-tailed deer is larger than the black-tailed deer, weighing up to 405 lbs, while the black-tailed deer weighs 225 lbs at its maximum. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'outdoorsmecca_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_16',118,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-outdoorsmecca_com-medrectangle-3-0'); Blacktail deer can be found along the west coast, from southern Alaska, to British Columbia, to northern Mexico, and even to islands off the coast of Vancouver. Antler Shape . Many of the physical characteristics of black-tailed deer are similar to those of the larger mule deer. Cost Breakdown of a Deer Shoulder Mount . Adult buck mule deers can range from 4 to 7 feet long and can stand up to 4 feet tall before their antlers. Ribbon snakes love water, but are excellent climbers too. They occur from the crest of the Cascades west to the ocean, preferring brushy, logged lands and coniferous forests. I'll try to post some pics, I've got quite a few scrapes. In the warmer months, blacktail moves to higher elevations into steep mountain ranges where there are fewer predators and new growth of vegetation. An important point to mention is that there are two recognized types of blacktail deer, the Columbia blacktail and the Sitka blacktail. Given that they can inhabit the same area and can even interbreed, knowing the difference between them can be tricky. Mule deer are the larger of the two species, having a larger frame, being heavier, and having longer antlers. To recap, the basic idea is that bucks tend to have proportionally larger front versus hind feet than does. However, the black-tailed deer has a black non-bushy tail. Most deer hunters field dress their game prior to bringing it in from the field. 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. 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