Mule Deer Bucks 2

Wildlife images are from a recent road-trip to The Northwest, Northern Idaho, Southwest Alberta, and Northwestern Montana, including Waterton Park in Alberta and Glacier National Park in Montana.

Location: National Bison Reserve, Montana

Mule Deer: Named for its very large ears, this western deer is commonly found in the brushy draws and hills along Pauline Creek. Deer are browsers, feeding on the tips of bushes as well as various forbs (flowers). Like most ungulates, they are most active during the early morning and again towards evening.

Mule deer have a white rump with a short white tail with a black tip (giving it its other name of Blacktail deer). Another distinguishing trait is the way the antlers branch – they split, then each branch splits again. But this can only be seen on the males as females do not grow antlers.