Mule Deer
All About the Mule Deer
It's a good time to talk about DEER on the Pajarito Plateau! Today, there are perhaps 300,000 mule deer and the less-common white-tailed deer combined in our state. Food, water, and productive cover govern the numbers of deer. Harsh winters may force deer to lower elevations, while mild summers will place them at timberline.
Suburban areas invite deer in with resources that are more easily accessible than in mature woods. Grassy parks, blooming gardens, and ornamental plants provide good nutrition, leading to excellent physical condition and higher reproductive rates of deer. Safe from hunting and predators, and sometimes fed intentionally, deer become habituated to people and occupy public and private spaces.
For some, the presence of deer is a welcomed wildlife viewing opportunity, while for others it means disturbed garden beds, a threat of disease, and road hazards. Competing attitudes towards deer lead to differing perceptions of severity and frequency of conflicts. Over the next month we will take a look at several issues regarding living with deer on the Pajarito Plateau, and how we can prevent conflicts, as well as support a healthy and safe living for these beautiful creatures.
DEER Fun Facts
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Their sense of smell is 1000 times stronger than a human's. They can smell a person up to half a mile away and can detect water up to 2 feet underground.
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A mule deer's eyes are located on the side of its head, providing 310 degrees of vision. Mule deer have better night vision than humans and can spot predators up to 600 meters away.
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Antlers can grow up to 1/4 inch per day. Antler growth stops in August and then the antlers harden. Bucks will use their antlers to fight each other for a doe when in rut. Antlers are then shed after the mating season and re-grow in the spring.
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Mule deer have no upper teeth, only a hard palate.
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When startled, a mule deer will bounce away by pushing all four hooves off the ground at once. This is called "stotting." Mule deer can jump 2 feet high and up to 15 feet in distance. Mule deer can run up to 45 MPH.
Living with Mule Deer Fawns
Every year, Los Alamos County and NM Game & Fish receive numerous phone calls from the public concerning abandoned newborn fawns. In almost every instance, the fawns have not been abandoned and are waiting for the doe to return to nurse. People who find newborn fawns should never approach or pick them up—doing so dramatically decreases the probability that fawns will survive.
"Hiding" Behavior
Shortly after birth, mule deer fawns exhibit hiding behavior to avoid detection and maximize survival. Newborn fawns are licked clean by the doe to minimize scent and have a spotted coat to help camouflage them. Newborn fawns spend more than 95 percent of their time hiding. Fawns are typically alone, or within a few meters of their twin, during most of the day for the first week of life. They only stand a few times each day when the doe comes to nurse them. Once nursed, the mother nudges the fawn back to the ground and leaves the immediate area— usually remaining just a few hundred meters away. This pattern will continue for up to 3 weeks. By this time the fawns are mature enough to keep up with their mother and able to race out of real or perceived danger.
I’ve found a deer fawn (baby deer). What should I do?
Under most circumstances, the best thing a person can do is to immediately leave the area to avoid creating any additional disturbance near the fawn. Approaching or handling newborn fawns increases their stress level and threatens their survival.
The fawn was alone, with no mother protecting it. It is so small and helpless and it doesn’t even move when I approach it. Does it need help?
No, the fawn does not need your help. The fawn is well camouflaged and has very little odor, which helps it hide from predators. Fawns instinctively lie motionless when approached by a potential predator. A fawn's heart rate will also drop dramatically as another way of protecting itself.
It looks hungry, should I feed it?
People should never feed anything to a fawn. Just like an adult deer, fawns have very specific nutritional requirements and improper nutrition will make the fawn sick and may lead to its death.
My children touched or moved the fawn and I’m afraid the mother won’t take it back - what should I do?
The doe-fawn bond is very strong. A mother deer will not avoid her fawn if there are human or pet odors on it. Fawns are rarely abandoned, except in extreme cases where the fawn has defects that will prevent its survival. If moved, the fawn should be placed in or next to natural vegetation near the location where it was found to provide cover and protection. The doe will avoid the area until the disturbance has passed, after which she will search for the missing fawn. If more than 24 hours have passed, the fawn may need attention from a wildlife rehabilitator. In this case, call NM Game & Fish at 888-248-6866 (toll-free) or 505-476-8000. In an emergency, call 9-1-1.
In August, mule deer bucks exhibit a variety of behaviors, including:
Feeding
Mule deer eat a lot to keep up with the energy needed to grow their antlers. They eat grasses, forbs, and other broad-leafed vegetation, such as bitterbrush, dandelion, mountain bluebell, and clover.
Bedding
Mule deer bed early and feed late. They often bed in the open under a single tree, scanning for danger.
Antler growth
Mule deer antlers are still in velvet in August, and the velvet makes them appear larger than they will be after the velvet is shed. Bucks' antlers begin to harden at the end of August, and they strip their velvet around the 15th.
Group structure
Mule deer bucks are often in bachelor groups with other bucks of the same age. Young bucks may be with does or with a group of adolescent bucks.
Elevation
Mature bucks tend to prefer higher elevations because they are cooler and have fewer bugs.
By September Mule Deer bucks are…
- Rubbing off and Shedding their velvet and summer coats in early September
- Continue to hang out in bachelor groups for a few weeks
- Spend more time in thicker areas, feeding and browsing longer in cover
- Actively trying to gain fat reserves to prepare for winter starvation
- Larger bucks will start to break away from the group and be off on their own or in small groups by early October
- Often bed close to where they feed
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