To recap, the basic idea is that bucks tend to have proportionally larger front versus hind feet than does. 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. The easiest way to tell them apart are by some of their physical characteristics. 2019 -2022Outdoorworld.reviews - Reliable Outdoor Reviews. Theyre also in British Columbia, Canada, and portions of Alaska. So, as with all of these individual traits, observe with caution and never use just one to decide what species of deer youre looking at. The Columbia blacktails have bigger racks.. How do you identify a deer doe? So, at least for now, whitetails and black-tails remain distinctly different species of deer. Whitetails don't do that. Blacktail behavior vs. whitetail behavior? This is actually a pretty unique characteristic as most other deer in North America have white tails, hence the whitetail deer, while mule deers have mostly whitetails with a small black tip. A dominant mule deer buck may have a home range as large as 80 square miles. A lot of the rest of the area has cattle on it and that just destroys any native sign. 20+ Foods, white-tailed deer is known for having a bushy brown tail with a white, The 4 Best Deer Repellents: Reviewed and Ranked, eat forbs and lichens, but they also eat cranberries. Black-tailed females can reach up to 130lbs while whitetail females generally reach 155lbs. Lifespan: Up to 16 years. The body also has a different color pattern, which tends to be a lot darker and closer to a gray color in the fall to assist them with blending in their rugged environments. I've measured P&Y Blacktails who have won the biennual bowhunting awards in California bigger than any Mule deer I've killed. Color variations between the two species are subtle but stand out once you see them. Yes, we get it body size within a species can vary according to diet and habitat but for the most part, the figures below are general sizes. Their legs appear about the right length for their body. Of the 50 or so Columbian blacktail bucks I've killed only a few were pushing 150 lbs. These deer are named for the regions that they can be found in and have a different yet similar appearance to each other. The greatest differences between a white-tailed deer and a black-tailed deer can be found in their morphology and size. 4. Calls have been used with good success at luring bucks out from hiding and into a position where you can get a clean shot. Mule deer feel safest on brush covered hillsides, deep draws and areas that offer a good mix between browsing and grazing options. Moreover, caribou have the largest antlers compared to body size among all the members of the deer family. In the Pacific Northwest and into Canada and Alaska, you can find Blacktail deer. Summary: 1.A buck is a male deer, and a doe is female deer. Though both are descendants of whitetail, black-tailed deer are considered a sub-species of mule deer. Both mule deer and whitetail deer hear extremely well. Here's a closer look at that business model. However, given the opportunity, they will consume agricultural plants and different grasses. Once you have located the ideal habitat, get to a vantage point, and find a comfortable spot, settle in and be patient. The females will go into heat for a 24 hour period and most go in to heat in November in the northern portions of their range. 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. That makes it important for hunters and other wildlife lovers to know the visual difference between the two. ContactODFW's public service representative at odfw.info@odfw.oregon.gov. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. What to put in water when boiling deer skull. Significantly, both deer have white in their neck areas. Deer Population by State: How Many Deer are in the U.S.? Be educated. Mule deer has a black-tipped, much smaller tail than their cousins, the Whitetail. Both mule deer hunting and whitetail hunting are extremely popular, especially in the U.S. To new hunters and people who dont know what to look for, telling a mule deer and a whitetail apart may be difficult. Whitetail are the oldest living species of deer at 3.5 million years old. Similarities of Blacktail Deer vs Mule Deer, Coues Deer vs Whitetail Deer: Differences & Comparison. Do you want to enter your opinion about a specific issue into the public record? Eastern north america is dominated by white tailed deer. They have much larger home ranges and of course winter ranges. You can also find them in the Southwest U.S. and up and down the western coast of North America. Your email address will not be published. Here are eight of them. Whitehead, Jr., C. J. 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. It may not display this or other websites correctly. The similarities make sense as they had common ancestors in western North America when ice sheets covered the land approximately 15,000 years ago. 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. Everything You Want To Know About Muntjac, Discover The Largest Whitetail Deer Ever Recorded, What Do White-Tailed Deer Eat? Updated weekly by fish and wildlife biologists throughout the state. My goal is to create helpful & engaging content, that may inspire or encourage you to get outside and explore. They are mostly browsers and do not spend much time grazing. 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. Blacktail deer, Columbian black-tailed deer. They will shoot up their tail and run at the first sign of danger. The easiest way to tell them apart is by their size and tails more than anything else. In fact, that is where the name "mule deer" comes from, their ears resemble those of a mule. Whitetail deer has a restless tail. Some just hunt one or the other. Seeing a white deer can be a good omen in this regard. The white-tailed deer is known for having a bushy brown tail with a white underside for which it is named, while the black-tailed deer has a shorter, less bushy, black tail. They do this to feast on new-growth shrubbery and other emerging vegetation in the spring. Q-values of 0-0.12 were created as a pure mule deer zone, while q-values between 0.9-1 were established to . Black-tailed deer primarily range in Britain Columbia and Alaska. A whitetail gets its name from its tail. Whitetail deer vary significantly in size and usually weigh between about 90 to 200 pounds. Do you need this information in an alternative format or language? If youre going out hunting mule deer or whitetail, make sure you know the difference between the two so you dont end up shooting the wrong one. Description. You must log in or register to reply here. The rule is pretty straightforwardspecies that live farthest from the equator grow larger than species living closer to the equator. Two of these species are often confused with one another because they share many similarities; the mule and blacktail deer. Bucks love the small saplings, and yes, they're blacktails. White-tailed deer and black-tailed deer differ in many ways. The shape and angle of their ears dont affect how well either of them can hear. Look at the head of the deer. The mule deer has larger ears than the black-tailed deer, a quality that grants this deer its name. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Mule Deer The average mule deer weight in Colorado is over 250 pounds, while an Illinois whitetail buck weighs just around 200 pounds. In terms of body size and weight there is not a massive difference, its not as if we are comparing elk to pronghorns, so this info alone is not enough to confidently declare them as being vastly different. According to Western states Departments of Natural resources, if a Blacktail deer moves further west, it becomes a Mule deer. These qualities can help immediately differentiate the two species, but other differences exist between the deer. Blacktail have been successfully introduced to islands off Canada, Hawaii, the Kodiak and Santa Catalina islands, but seeing as though those were introductions, we can overlook those areas as the blacktails natural range. These deer are found within coastal regions, and their size results from living in that biome. Many of the physical characteristics of black-tailed deer are similar to those of the larger mule deer. However, Northern populations have lighter, and Southern populations are darker comparatively. The black-tailed deer eats many of the same things as the white-tailed deer. The Antlers Most pure mule deer have forks in their antlers. The blacktail deer ( Odocoileus hemionus ) split off from the whitetail at some time in the past, thought to be a million years ago or more. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Mule deer are more tolerant of noisy surroundings. Whitetails have smaller, more streamlined heads with white around the eyes. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'outdoorsmecca_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_10',107,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-outdoorsmecca_com-medrectangle-4-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'outdoorsmecca_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_11',107,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-outdoorsmecca_com-medrectangle-4-0_1');.medrectangle-4-multi-107{border:none!important;display:block!important;float:none!important;line-height:0;margin-bottom:15px!important;margin-left:auto!important;margin-right:auto!important;margin-top:15px!important;max-width:100%!important;min-height:250px;min-width:250px;padding:0;text-align:center!important}. During hunting seasons, whitetails prefer thick, brushy bedding areas, while mule deer often choose shady spots near the tops of ridges where they can survey a large area for danger. 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