Odocoileus hemionus
Western North America, from the Great Plains to the Pacific and into western Canada. Heart-shaped tracks, often a bit longer and more splayed than white-tail.
What does a mule deer look like?
Gray-brown body, oversized ears, black-tipped tail. Often in open western hills and sage.
What do mule deer tracks look like?
Similar heart-shaped hoof to white-tailed deer. Bounding gait leaves prints in pairs. Dewclaws show in soft ground.
- Heart-shaped tracks, often a bit longer and more splayed than white-tail
- Stiff-legged bound leaves paired prints
- Very large ears
- Black-tipped tail, not a broad white flag
- Antlers typically fork, rather than one main beam with tines
What does mule deer poop look like?
Oval pellets in piles, much like white-tailed deer. Habitat and the animal itself separate the two. Do not handle droppings. Several species carry parasites that stay in the soil around a latrine, including the deer tick.
Where you find it
Western North America, from the Great Plains to the Pacific and into western Canada. Typical places: woods, field, desert. Year-round resident. Tracks easiest in mud after rain and in snow.
What to do next
- Watch from a distance
- Do not approach during the fall rut
This page is a field guide, not a permit to approach wildlife. If an animal is injured, aggressive, or inside a house, call a local wildlife officer.
Animals it is confused with
- White-tailed deer identification
- Elk identification
- All animal identification pages
- Identify an animal from a photo, track, or description
A split heart-shaped hoof, often slightly longer than a white-tail print, with paired prints when the deer is bounding.
How do you tell mule deer poop from white-tailed deer poop?
The pellets look the same. Use location, the black-tipped tail, and the large ears if you see the animal.
How to tell a mule deer from similar animals
Use the track, the dropping, and the place together. One print is not enough.
- White-tailed deer. A walking deer places the hind foot nearly in the front track. Reddish-brown in summer, gray-brown in winter.
- Elk. A heavy, rounded heart print. Tall tan body, dark neck on bulls, pale rump.
Mule deer field marks
- Heart-shaped tracks, often a bit longer and more splayed than white-tail
- Stiff-legged bound leaves paired prints
- Very large ears
- Black-tipped tail, not a broad white flag
Where the sign shows up
Western North America, from the Great Plains to the Pacific and into western Canada. Typical places: woods, field, desert. Year-round resident. Tracks easiest in mud after rain and in snow.
Similar heart-shaped hoof to white-tailed deer. Bounding gait leaves prints in pairs. Dewclaws show in soft ground. Oval pellets in piles, much like white-tailed deer. Habitat and the animal itself separate the two.
Common questions
What do mule deer tracks look like?
A split heart-shaped hoof, often slightly longer than a white-tail print, with paired prints when the deer is bounding.
How do you tell mule deer poop from white-tailed deer poop?
The pellets look the same. Use location, the black-tipped tail, and the large ears if you see the animal.