Please help keep wildlife wild by not feeding or approaching animals. Let them be themselves.
Mule deer live here, but are not seen as often as the elk. They are much smaller than elk, but fairly large for deer. They have a white patch on their neck just under the head, a black tip on their tail (another name for them is black tailed deer) and very large ears (the source of their name). Deer will be seen at meadow edges, or in the forest near meadows, or in the sagebrush flats.
You may also see the white tailed deer. They can be distinguished from mule deer by several features -- their tails are longer, white all the way to the tip, and when they are disturbed, they raise the tail like a flag to signal to others that they are running from danger. Their antlers are like the antlers on the "deer crossing" signs on the highway - their antlers branch from the main fork only (mulies branch and rebranch).
Unfortunately, more deer are seen dead along the highway than in a healthy condition. When you drive in the mountains, be alert. Watch for wildlife along the road. If you see a deer cross the road ahead of you, assume there is another coming behind it and be ready. At night watch for highway reflectors that look "funny" or move - those are eyes.
We humans are often tempted to feed animals that look hungry or look like they might want something. Unfortunately, there are many reasons why we should not "help" our animal friends. The most important -- if they become used to getting handouts they stop looking for the foods that keep them healthy. They don't teach their young how to gather the right foods. When the crowds go home, they lose their "meal ticket" and go hungry. Most wild animals' digestive systems are not able to handle human foods well. We cook, season, process, and otherwise change our foods into something far different from grass, bark, leaves and raw meat. An animal may enjoy our foods, but in the long run our foods might as well be poison for them. And our packaging and wrappers can block their digestive systems when they seek out human food from garbage cans or unattended picnic hampers.
Wild animals need to keep their fear of unknown things. When they are fed, or when garbage is available to them, they lose their fear of the human scent. Being too close to an animal puts you in greater danger if something goes wrong -- you're too close to get away from a frightened or angry animal. Some even start association the smell of humans with food and begin to approach people looking for food. Some even become aggresive in their quest for food.
Last updated 01/30/2000. (c)1998-2000 by Deborah Mason