difference's between Whitetail and Mule/Blacktail Deer

[Nube]

My Fiance got me a couple books about hunting Whitetail Deer but where i'll be hunting there is only going to be Mule/Blacktail Deer. Is there any big differences in behavior i should know about that could mess up my hunting?

[yamadirt 426]

Well I just finished my core and have not even fired a shot out of my new gun yet because I don't own one yet. But from what the core book taught me is Black tails are the smaller species with smaller features but much alike except the tail being all or mostly black where on a mule its just the tip.

[30-378-magnum]

you either need a mule deer tag[ good for blacktail as well] or a whitetail tag and you also should be able to tell the difference between them as well so you dont shoot a white tail when you only have a mule tag or vise versa

[huntwriter]

My Fiance got me a couple books about hunting Whitetail Deer but where i'll be hunting there is only going to be Mule/Blacktail Deer. Is there any big differences i should know about that could mess up my hunting?
If with “different” you mean behavior then the answer is yes. Whitetail deer are very different from mule deer and black tail deer.

Whitetail deer live in small to large (up 40) family herds consisting mainly of does and their buck and doe fawns. Whitetail deer stick to a relatively small core area provided that area fulfills their daily needs. Whitetails also use distinct travel patterns based on the availability of food. Which makes them easy to pattern, provided they are not disturbed by hunters or predators.

Mule deer on the other hand are semi migratory, meaning they can be here today and somewhere else tomorrow. Mule deer do not have such close family ties as whitetail deer. Often they live alone or as a pair of doe and her fawn.

I am not very familiar with black tails but from what I read they are similar to mule deer plus the like to stay in the thick stuff, whereas whitetail deer prefer light brush open to semi open places.

[Nube]

If with “different” you mean behavior then the answer is yes. Whitetail deer are very different from mule deer and black tail deer.

Whitetail deer live in small to large (up 40) family herds consisting mainly of does and their buck and doe fawns. Whitetail deer stick to a relatively small core area provided that area fulfills their daily needs. Whitetails also use distinct travel patterns based on the availability of food. Which makes them easy to pattern, provided they are not disturbed by hunters or predators.

Mule deer on the other hand are semi migratory, meaning they can be here today and somewhere else tomorrow. Mule deer do not have such close family ties as whitetail deer. Often they live alone or as a pair of doe and her fawn.

I am not very familiar with black tails but from what I read they are similar to mule deer plus the like to stay in the thick stuff, whereas whitetail deer prefer light brush open to semi open places.




Damn. I was really hopeing they would be the same. I've been reading all about how to pattern whitetail and there different rutting periods and such. Do you know if the two deers rutting season are the same? What would be the best way to hunt Mule deer?

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[Shooter]

I'm by far no expert on either and I am sure there are more qualified oppinions out there but let me offer you this bit of advice.

If you are going after muley's.... forget what you know about whitetail..it won't help you. I believe they rut at different times as well but have never hunted whiteys before.

[ElkMasterC]

I used to live in Ontario, and hunted whitetails there with a bow.
Not a faggoty crossbow, mind you, a real bow that you have to pull back and aim.

When I came out to BC many years ago, I discovered that Mule deer are huge, in some cases, larger than the Buffalo they replaced.
Few people know that the Buffalo weren't actually wiped out by the settlers, and market hunters.
They were eaten by Mule Deer.
I would only hunt Mule deer with a 50 Cal Barret, or possibly a 50-90 Sharps.
Otherwise, you are taking your life in your hands.

I hope this helps.

[Brambles]

The only similarity between a whitetail and a Mule deer is that they both die when shot with a properly placed bullet.

[huntwriter]

Damn. I was really hopeing they would be the same. I've been reading all about how to pattern whitetail and there different rutting periods and such. Do you know if the two deers rutting season are the same? What would be the best way to hunt Mule deer?

http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/misc/progress.gif


I am no expert on mule deer. So far mule deer have beaten me every time for the last two seasons. (lol) It’s a whole different ball game to whitetail deer and begins to get on my nerves. (lol)

Some folks consider me an expert on whitetail deer because that is what I hunt, write and talk (seminars) about. So far all my whitetail deer hunting has been south of the border. This coming fall will be my first time hunting whitetails here in BC. The rut dates are different from one area to the other. Since I never hunted here I never bothered to find out when the rut starts here, but assume it starts around late October peaking mid November and then slows down into December with a minor flare-up in late December. The best way to figure the rut out is to observe deer and make notes as to when the first buck signs,rubs and in addition to whitetails scrapes, begin to show up.

[Nube]

I used to live in Ontario, and hunted whitetails there with a bow.
Not a faggoty crossbow, mind you, a real bow that you have to pull back and aim.

When I came out to BC many years ago, I discovered that Mule deer are huge, in some cases, larger than the Buffalo they replaced.
Few people know that the Buffalo weren't actually wiped out by the settlers, and market hunters.
They were eaten by Mule Deer.
I would only hunt Mule deer with a 50 Cal Barret, or possibly a 50-90 Sharps.
Otherwise, you are taking your life in your hands.

I hope this helps.


Phew.. Thanks man! I was just going to bring my .22 when i went out, now I know i gotta bring something huge. You just saved my life

[betteroffishing]

white tail = dark face / mule deer = mostly white face

[brian]

From what I've read and the little I have seen they're all very different in habits. I would recommend doing some research on the specific deer you are going after and try to learn as much about the area you are planning on hunting in. In my experience so far knowing as much as you can about the area and the animals is key.