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| Mule Deer |
Results of the survey indicate western North Dakota’s mule deer population is 13% higher than last year and 34% above the long-term average.
Biologists counted 2,923 mule deer in 298.8 square miles during this year’s survey. The overall mule deer density in the badlands was 9.8 deer per square mile.
According to big game management supervisor Bruce Stillings, the 2022 spring survey was the longest on record due to two April blizzards. The blizzards produced approximately 40 inches of snow with high winds and low temperatures.
The spring mule deer survey is used to assess mule deer abundance in the badlands. It is conducted after the snow has melted and before trees begin to leaf out, providing the best conditions for aerial observation of deer. Biologists have completed aerial surveys of the same 24 study areas since the 1950s.
Mule Deer Facts
Mule average about 39 inches at the shoulder.
Bucks weigh from 125 to 330 pounds.
Does weigh 110 to 210 pounds.
Mule deer are reddish-brown in summer and blue-gray in winter, with white throat, belly and rump patch. Their tails are slender and white, with a black tip.
Mule deer bucks have antlers. Main beams divide into nearly equal branches, and may divide again to form four or more tines on each side.
Mule deer tracks are slightly larger in front with a walking stride of 15 to 25 inches.
Preferred habitats include brush plains, shortgrass prairie; they are often associated with buttes, badlands, and rough terrain.
Mule deer feed on a variety of trees, shrubs, and forbs including green ash, aspen, sweetclover, and sagebrush. When available, they also eat grass species, alfalfa, and other agricultural crops.
Their primarily range includes the badlands adjacent to the Little Missouri River. Secondary range extending north and east to the breaks along the Missouri River.
Breeding peaks in mid-November, with bucks tending one doe at a time. No permanent pair bonds.
The gestation period of mule deer is around 204 days.
One to three fawns are born late May to late June and weigh about 8 pounds. Fawns have a reddish-brown coat with white spots on back.
Mule deer are most active at dawn and dusk. Does often socialize in small groups with related females from several generations. Outside of the breeding season, bucks usually alone or in small bachelor groups.
When alarmed, mule deer often flee with a bouncing gait called “stotting.”
Mule deer got their name because of their large ears.
source: North Dakota Game and Fish Department
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