Mule Deer in Winter

In the west, the mule deer is found in a great variety of habitats. It may be found in the hot, low deserts or the high, cool mountains. The mule deer is sturdy and adaptable. The name mule deer refers to the ears, which although large are not really very mule-like. They are wider and more out to the side of the head. Listening is very important because they traditionally live in country occupied by cougars, wolves and bears. Since most of these predators compete with man, they have been greatly reduced in numbers or completely wiped out in some areas. The deer now use their large ears to listen for hunters.

For this painting, I have chosen the typical winter habitat on the lower slopes of the mountains. Landslides have removed sections of forest which allows the aspens to grow. Aspens are pioneer trees which cannot even grow in their own shade. They thrive on the edge of the forest. These trees have grown to a fair height, all the same age, all protecting each other. then a subsequent landslide removed part of the grove, opening the slender trees at the centre to wind destruction. This causes them to bend and break, providing ideal winter browse - the tender twigs and buds - for the mule deer.

************
Once on the brink of total extermination, mule deer can be found in a variety of habitats, but they prefer areas with enough vegetation to afford them concealment, while avoiding dense forest areas. Their antlers, which branch into two nearly equal parts, unlike the white-tailed deer, are shed from January to March, with new ones beginning to grow in the spring. These deer are most active at dawn and dusk. During the winter, mule deer of both sexes and all ages may gather together in one spot.

Long hunted in North America, they were exterminated in most of their range by 1900, despite legal protection that was established in some areas as far back as colonial times. Subsequent regulations resulted in an increase in the deer population to an extent that they became more numerous in the Great Lakes region than they had been prior to European colonization.