Table of Contents
What is the biggest mule deer?
The Colorado buck that Kenneth Plank shot in 1987 currently holds the world record for non-typical mule deer at 274-7/8 inches.
Which is bigger whitetail or mule deer?
While it’s hard to determine size and weight in the field, in Colorado, mule deer tend to be a bit bigger and weigh in a little heavier than white-tailed deer. The mule deer stands three to three and a half feet tall at the shoulder, with bucks weighing 125-250 pounds.
How big is a full grown mule deer?
Mule deer range from 3 to 3.5 feet (0.9 to 1 meter) tall at the shoulder, 4.5 to 7 feet (1.4 to 2.1 meters) long, and have a tail that is five to eight inches (13 to 20 centimeters) long. They can weigh between 130 and 280 pounds (59 and 127 kilograms). The female deer are smaller than the male.
Where are the largest mule deer found?
Colorado: Colorado is king no matter how you slice the data. It puts out the most and biggest record mule deer bucks of any state in the country.
What makes a trophy mule deer?
Scores above 145 points would indicate a trophy mule deer buck. The Pope and Young Club accepts typical scores greater than 145 points and non-typical scores greater than 170 points. The Long Hunters accepts typical scores greater than 146 points and non-typical scores greater than 175 points.
Are mule deer more aggressive?
Whitetails are much more aggressive than mule deer. It’s often said that, despite the mule deer’s size advantage, a whitetail will win a fight between the two nine times out of 10.
Are mule deer aggressive?
They have a very strong instinct to aggressively defend their fawns when people, especially those walking their dogs, come anywhere near. Although deer may look cute and harmless, they can become very aggressive to people and dogs, according to Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW).
Can mule deer and whitetail breed?
Whitetail bucks will breed with mule deer does, and the offspring usually retain the whitetail characteristics. Reverse mating — mule deer bucks to whitetail does — is rarer. So where the two species share a common range, the whitetail tends to dominate.
What is mule deer favorite food?
Grasses and grain crops are choice foods for mule deer. The green forage of bluegrass, cheatgrass, needlegrass and other grasses, oats, rye, and wheat are attractive wherever available in late fall, winter, and early spring.
What state has the largest mule deer population?
Colorado is widely regarded as the nation’s top mule deer destination. Due to extremely good mule deer habitat with plenty of food and sound management practices by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the state has the largest mule deer population in the country.
How far can mule deer see?
Mule deer have great eyesight, especially at night. They can see as a far as 1968 ft (600 m) and detect the smallest motions which is how they detect predators. However, they are unable to see motionless objects and their eyesight is not as good during the day.
How many mule deer are in the US?
Combined, the West’s mule deer number over 4 million, with blacktails accounting for over 500,000 of the estimate.
What states do mule deer live in?
Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) are a common deer species of the western United States. They are typically found west of the Missouri River in the Great Plains, into the Rocky Mountains, and along the Pacific Coast as far north as the coastal islands of Alaska and as far south as southern Baja California.
How big is the average mule deer buck?
Mule deer are the largest of the five types of deer (mule, whitetail, Columbia blacktail, Sitka blacktail, and Couses’) in North America. An extremely large buck can stand 42 inches at the shoulder, measure 7 feet long and weigh up to 330 pounds, with the average mature buck usually weighing between 200-250 pounds.
How long are mule deer ears?
On the average mature mule deer buck, with its ears in an alert position, he will have an ear span of 20 to 22 inches tip-to-tip. But I have measured large specimens with ear tip to tip spans up to 26 inches.
What is a good mule deer spread?
Spread: This is the age-old way to read a big buck—30 inches wide was the benchmark all mule deer hunters strived for. It’s still a good benchmark, but a true monster buck may or may not be over 30. Look for width at the main beam—that is where score is measured.
Do brow tines count on a mule deer?
A typical mule deer is four points on one side with brow tines. Whitetails, on the other hand, are typically counted using all the points on the antlers.
What makes a 160 mule deer?
If a Colorado buck has a 20″+ inside spread, heavy main beams, and symmetric brow tines he will almost certainly score 160″ or better.
How big is a 160 class buck?
For this buck, a very symmetrical buck, we can total the antler measurements to be roughly 51-52 inches.
