The beautiful Mule Deer. I first encountered them when I interned at Olympic National Park in 1981. They looked funny to the eastern white-tails I grew up with. Those ears are a hoot!
Wow… those ARE some ears. I never knew there was such a thing. We only have white tail. (at least that I know of). This is your usual beautiful wildlife capture… nice!
We have lots of white-tails too, but the Mule Deer is a western species. About a dozen years ago they had quite low numbers but now have been doing a lot better.
That is a neat capture of the big-eared inquisitive deer. Amazing you got a shot. I’m used to the white tail and I don’t get very close as they run and leap fences. I do like those big ears!
Two days ago I ran into a dozen Mulies and about thirty white-tails. Mostly because I’m outdoors so much I will at times get very close to members of both species. Each time is very special.
This was a lucky opportunity because the area between the deer and me was clear. If they are screened by the brush they are nearly invisible. Many times I have spotted them only because they flicked a fly off on of those huge ears. Their coloring also blends into the brown/gray grasses in the open grassy areas on south-facing slopes where they spend most of the winter.
That size gives them an edge that helps their survival. I’m sure you would enjoy seeing them run, too. They do a four footed bounce as though there were springs on their feet. It’s lovely to see!
What an inquisitive, cute guy!
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Comment by Candace — March 25, 2010 @ 12:58 am
That curiosity doesn’t serve them very well when it comes to people.
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Comment by montucky — March 25, 2010 @ 8:16 am
Thanks for explaining their name,.. i’ve always wondered why. Looks like that deer and you had a eye to eye meeting!
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Comment by Cedar — March 25, 2010 @ 9:07 am
We did at that. Sometimes they are very shy, other times they let me get quite close.
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Comment by montucky — March 25, 2010 @ 6:07 pm
The beautiful Mule Deer. I first encountered them when I interned at Olympic National Park in 1981. They looked funny to the eastern white-tails I grew up with. Those ears are a hoot!
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Comment by Scott Thomas Photography — March 25, 2010 @ 9:31 am
There are more white tails around than mulies, but there are several spots here that have lots of both.
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Comment by montucky — March 25, 2010 @ 6:08 pm
It certainly had the high ground from which to check you out. Nice pose.
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Comment by DaveABirding — March 25, 2010 @ 9:36 am
High ground is right. That hillside is extremely steep, just how they like it.
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Comment by montucky — March 25, 2010 @ 6:09 pm
I didn’t know that! Thanks Terry – looks like s/he was posing just for you!
PS: Thanks for the supportive comments – always appreciated!
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Comment by Stacey Dawn — March 25, 2010 @ 11:12 am
She did pose. The others were not as obliging.
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Comment by montucky — March 25, 2010 @ 6:10 pm
Aren’t there two in the shot? We have the reddish white tailed ones here. I like the big ears!
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Comment by Sandy — March 25, 2010 @ 4:07 pm
Yes, the other is behind the tree. There were six in this group but this gal stayed behind to watch me. Those ears are fantastic at picking up sounds!
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Comment by montucky — March 25, 2010 @ 6:12 pm
Wow… those ARE some ears. I never knew there was such a thing. We only have white tail. (at least that I know of). This is your usual beautiful wildlife capture… nice!
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Comment by kcjewel — March 25, 2010 @ 10:32 pm
We have lots of white-tails too, but the Mule Deer is a western species. About a dozen years ago they had quite low numbers but now have been doing a lot better.
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Comment by montucky — March 26, 2010 @ 8:45 am
That is a neat capture of the big-eared inquisitive deer. Amazing you got a shot. I’m used to the white tail and I don’t get very close as they run and leap fences. I do like those big ears!
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Comment by Anna Surface — March 26, 2010 @ 5:53 am
Two days ago I ran into a dozen Mulies and about thirty white-tails. Mostly because I’m outdoors so much I will at times get very close to members of both species. Each time is very special.
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Comment by montucky — March 26, 2010 @ 8:48 am
With the coloring of both the deer and the background, it’s almost camouflaged here.
Malcolm
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Comment by knightofswords — March 26, 2010 @ 7:33 am
This was a lucky opportunity because the area between the deer and me was clear. If they are screened by the brush they are nearly invisible. Many times I have spotted them only because they flicked a fly off on of those huge ears. Their coloring also blends into the brown/gray grasses in the open grassy areas on south-facing slopes where they spend most of the winter.
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Comment by montucky — March 26, 2010 @ 8:52 am
Look at those ears…
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Comment by Preston — March 31, 2010 @ 5:45 pm
That size gives them an edge that helps their survival. I’m sure you would enjoy seeing them run, too. They do a four footed bounce as though there were springs on their feet. It’s lovely to see!
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Comment by montucky — March 31, 2010 @ 7:57 pm
Lovely shot. You are really lucky one, when capturing it. I like the name history very much.
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Comment by sartenada — March 31, 2010 @ 11:07 pm
I see these often, but cannot always get pictures. This is my favorite deer.
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Comment by montucky — April 1, 2010 @ 9:20 pm