Mule deer

Scientific name: Odocoileus hemionus

How weight is recorded: Carcass weight

Field notes

Appearance

Mule deer are identified by their distinctively large, mule-like ears and black-tipped tail. Males are generally larger with branching antlers; females are smaller and lack antlers. Both sexes have grayish-brown coats that lighten in winter and darken in summer.

Size and weight

Males: 55–80 kg, body length 150–180 cm. Females: 40–55 kg, body length 130–160 cm.

Habitat

Mule deer inhabit semi-arid and arid regions across western North America, favoring broken terrain with mixed shrubland, piñon-juniper, and ponderosa pine forests. They range from sea level to alpine meadows above 3,500 m, moving seasonally between summer high country and lower winter ranges.

Distribution

Found throughout the western United States and Mexico from the Great Plains to the Pacific, and from Canada to Baja California. They prefer foothill and mountain habitats with escape terrain and mixed cover.

Diet

Mule deer browse shrubs and forbs year-round, shifting to dried vegetation and twigs in winter; they consume acorns, fruits, and cached plants seasonally depending on regional availability.

Behaviour

Primarily crepuscular, feeding at dawn and dusk and bedding in shade during midday. They are often solitary or in small groups, though does form loose maternal bands; bucks are generally solitary outside the rut.

Hunting tips

Look for tracks (larger, rounder than whitetail), browsed shrubs at 1–2 m height, and dark pellet droppings clustered in beds. Hunt ridgelines, draws, and transition zones between bedding cover and feeding areas early or late in the day. Approach from upwind using terrain to mask your movement, moving slowly through cover and pausing frequently to glass for ears or movement.

Carcass weight

This species is logged by carcass weight — the animal weighed dressed, the way hunting teams normally report it.

Where it is hunted

Listed as huntable in 3 countries in Huntify.

Names in other languages

These field notes are general species knowledge, not legal advice. Always check the current seasons, quotas and firearm rules where you hunt.