Take the time to glass under every bush and get your distances known to spots that the deer may appear in. Whitetail deer get spooked easily. 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. 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. For instance, a black-tailed deer typically has a lot of black shading on the brows which are notably absent on the whitetail. The Columbia blacktail (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) ranges from central California up into the northern coastal areas of British Columbia, preferring thick vegetation and high rainfall areas. 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. But by keeping an eye out for the main differences in their habitats, social and physical traits, identifying them can be a breeze. Coat colors greatly vary in mule deer and whitetail deer species. Your email address will not be published. Their ranges occasionally intercept, where you would be able to find both species in the same area. Enter your email in the box below to get the most mind-blowing animal stories and videos delivered directly to your inbox every day. Black-tailed deer are descendants of whitetail, the latter of which has walked the landscape of North America for roughly 3.5 million years. Summary: 1.A buck is a male deer, and a doe is female deer. Its not reliable enough on its own. This color variation doesnt occur in black-tailed deer. 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. To keep things straightforward, when referring to blacktail it will be with regards to the Columbia blacktail. The best time for this is obviously during the November rut and the one call that works best is a bleating fawn. 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? 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 have a white rump and a tail with a black tip at the end of it. They have a distinct white patch that covers a fairly large area on their rear. The print of a deer's cloven hoof is a split heart shape. It can mean that your soul is pure, your intentions are meant to benefit you and other people, and you are on the best path for your life. Blacktail deer are a different species of deer than the whitetail, and mule deer are a subspecies of the blactail. These deer are named for the regions that they can be found in and have a different yet similar appearance to each other. Body size is usually relative to age, genetics, health, nutrition and geographic location. Their range is vastly different as well. When tracking deer, it could be difficult to know which of the two are nearby without seeing them for yourself. Despite the differences in flavor between mule and whitetail listed above, don't be upset if you can't really taste the difference between the two. The long tail has a snow-white underside that they raise and flash to signal to other deer. The rut runs from early November to late December, and just like any other male of the species, the big bucks will drop their guard and all common sense goes out the window as they chase the does. Ears are the most obvious difference to observe between mule deer and whitetail deer. A whitetail gets its name from its tail. 4 min read. Big game hunting and deer hunting especially have been around for thousands of years. JavaScript is disabled. Contact the AZ Animals editorial team. Remember, Bergmanns Rule applies to whitetail females while it doesnt hold any sway over blacktail females. Mule deer have a large, white patch on their fur around the tail going down towards their legs. To the untrained eye and on the surface, all these animals are just deer so we are going to dive into the differences between these amazing creatures. Mule deer usually have small or missing brow tines with bifurcated antler branching, which means tines that split once off of a main beam, and then again toward the tips. For the rifle hunters, a flat shooting caliber such as .270, .243 or .30-06 would be ideal for blacktail and achieve the desired result. Others have hunted and continue to hunt both. However, Northern populations have lighter, and Southern populations are darker comparatively. Physical differences are often the biggest points that are used by those who consider the mule deer and blacktail deer to be different. I've written in a variety of niches such as video games, animals, and managed service providers. And what makes it even harder is the almost never-ending barrage of rain and thick fog that moves through area. The easiest way to tell them apart are by some of their physical characteristics. WATCH: Sharks biting alligators, the most epic lion battles, and MUCH more. Deer vs Reindeer: What Are 8 Key Differences? 2) are our most common deer subspecies. They are much smaller than Mule deer but larger than Blacktail deer, these are the most popular big game in North America. Patterning is as simple as finding the migration trails. While deer can be albinos, it's exceedingly rare. Mule deer have a white rump and a tail with a black tip at the end of it. This process usually involves removing the entrails, reproductive tract, heart, lungs, diaphragm and part of the esophagus. These deer are found along the Pacific Coast of North America. The main difference between whitetail and mule deer is that the whitetail deer has a dark coloured face whereas the mule deer has a white coloured face. Have more success. The fur of the mule deer is brown with a reddish tone in the summer months. You can also find them in the Southwest U.S. and up and down the western coast of North America. Another major difference between these two creatures is their antlers. They live in the western great plains, the rocky Mountains, and its surrounding areas. A mule deer will generally be larger than a whitetail. The most noteworthy differences boil down to their size, color, and region where they are found. The predominant successful breeding among hybrids is between white-tailed bucks and mule deer does (Carr and Hughes 1993, Cathey et al. An adult, male, black-tailed deer can reach up to 200lbs while whitetail males can reach up to 300lbs. Visit the OutdoorWorld Reviews homepage for more expert information and guides! They are edge-adapted species using the region's dense forest cover . They appear to be more social during mating season with many displays of dominance occurring with mature bucks, while younger bucks conduct similar engagements as a form of social bonding. Mule deer do not have this. Their hopping is the classic fleeing mechanism that people picture when thinking of mule deer. 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. Plus a few laughs. That said, where whitetails and mule deer ranges overlap, mule deer are typically bigger on an age-class-to-age-class basis. Yet, the obvious difference between the two deer is that the blacktail has less white on the rump and a blacker, thicker tail than the mule deer. Specifically, theyll eat prickly lettuce, Gambel oak, quaking aspen, rice grass, goldeneye, and a wide variety of other foods. Visit the ODFW's agency site. As previously mentioned, there are many more differences between the species than listed here. 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. Folks that are really good at hunting whitetail and then hunt blacktail, are usually found standing in the field with their mouth hanging open, wide eyed, and wondering what just happened. Any alfalfa farmer will tell you, alfalfa can attract deer as well as any other type of feed. After all, that is where mule deer get their name. White-tailed deer are found throughout most of North America. They eat grass, nuts, forbs, mushrooms, and fruits. Antler Shape . In North America, one of the single most abundant game resources available to hunters is deer. Weight: Up to 94kg (females up to 56kg). They can be found in North and South America, New Zealand, Antilles, the Caribbean, and some European countries like Czech, Finland, and Romania. Spot and stalk are always the best option, with a large amount of time meticulously spent glassing the area. Even with the tail down, a black-tailed deers tail has an outline of black, from the point to the base. Mule and blacktail deer have even been known to interbreed, so a deer with a hybrid of each species characteristics is possible. Blacktails, on the other hand, have all black tails. This site also participates in other affiliate programs and is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies. White-tailed deer and mule deer have slightly different reproduction and mating cycles. 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. 32+95=127. Research shows that at this age, most bucks have achieved 50 to 75 percent of their antler-growth potential. Though both are descendants of whitetail, black-tailed deer are considered a sub-species of mule deer. They rarely branch off anywhere besides the main tine. Do you need this information in an alternative format or language? Email theOregon Fish & Wildlife Commission at odfw.commission@odfw.oregon.gov. 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