The smallest, and most plentiful animal in the deer/elk/moose family. Deer usually come in two forms. Either as the mule deer, or the white-tail; the latter of which is rather distinctive when scampering away as it has a large, white-bottomed, foot-long tail that waves back and forth much like a warning flag.
Mule deer get their name from their large ears. They wear a gray coat in the winter that turns brownish during the summer; The Chin, throat and rump patch are all white, and the tail is short and round with a black tip. A mule deer's antlers fork, and then fork again, leaving it with four tines on each side, unless brow tines are present, then the count is five on each side. Weighing around 260 pounds, the mule deer is more gregarious and migratory than white-tailed deer.
White-tailed deer wear a grayish-brown coat in the winter, and a reddish-brown coat in the summer. The name comes from their foot-long, white tail which stand up and wag from side-to-side when alarmed or running. The antlers consist of main beams, generally carrying three to five tines projecting upwards; brow tines are long. The bucks weigh around 260 pounds, and occupy a small home range without migrating far. The white-tailed deer is mostly nocturnal and secretive, and often solitary much of the time except when groups form in favored feeding areas.
