A group of female mule deer walk on top of a ridge. They are in a line, but the leader stares straight at the viewer. There is snow on the ground and a blue sky behind.

Mule deer fact sheet

Name for male, female, and young

Buck, Doe, Fawn

Female adult weight

140 lbs

Male adult weight

200 lbs

Neonate weight

9.5 lbs

Young to adult size ratio

1:20

Male to female size ratio

1.4:1

Age range

15

Geriatric age

12

Weapons

Antlers

Average number of offspring

2

Max number of offspring

3

Length of gestation

200 days

Timing of parturition (i.e., birth)

Early/mid June

Age of first reproduction

2 (occasionally 1)

Timing of rut

Mid – late November

Social or solitary

Hider or follower

Harem holder or tending bond

Browser or grazer

Primary summer food

Geranium spp., Lupinus spp. (lupine), Poa spp. (grass), Artemisia tridentata (big sagebrush)

Image result for sticky geranium Grass Image result for Wyoming wild lupine

Primary winter food

Atremisia tridentata (big sagebrush)

Migration strategy

Mostly migratory; sometimes residents

Primary predator

Mountain lion, black bear

Common disease(s)

Chronic wasting disease (CWD), Adenovirus hemorrhagic disease (AHD)

Winter habitat

Lower elevation sage-steppe

Summer habitat

Varies by individual

Icon credits: DNA by LAFS from the Noun Project, Food Chain by James Keane from the Noun Project
Plant pictures: Geranium by Ed Rich, Lupine by Madam ZOZO, Poa Uploaded by Jacopo Werther, CC BY-SA 2.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25134626

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