According to Texas Parks & Wildlife, the state likely harbors between 150,000 and 250,000 mule deer. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: Deer of Texas, Urban Wildlife Management; Kieran J. Lindsey, Clark E. Adams, Biology and Management of White-tailed Deer; David G. Hewitt (ed. A sub-species of the white-tailed deer, the Del Carmen deer, is found in small numbers. They’re larger than white-tailed deer, and have large ears that look much like a mule’s. White-tailed deer are found throughout the state and prefer brushy or wooded habitats. Peak breeding for white-tailed deer is usually in mid-November through early December. The Kansas whitetail (O. v. macrourus), typical of North America’s Osage Plains, ranges into northeastern Texas. Exotic deer from around the world have been introduced to Texas to bolster hunting. Mule deer are located in the western part of the state, and most of the population is found in the Trans-Pecos area, the Panhandle and the western Edwards Plateau. The ears of mule deer are proportionately much larger than those of whitetails. The Texas “Hill Country” (Edwards Plateau) is per- haps the most densely populated area of white-tailed deer in the country. Is the Coronavirus Crisis Increasing America's Drug Overdoses? The two main types of native deer in Texas are white-tailed deer and mule deer. Breeding season varies slightly depending on where in Texas a deer herd is located. What Are the Different Types of Deer in Texas. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. in Wildlife Ecology and a graduate certificate in G.I.S. The desert mule deer (O. h. eremicus) of the Southwest and northern Mexico roams the Trans-Pecos and Edwards Plateau. We'll go over each of these species and more in this article. He’s written for a variety of outlets, including Earth Touch News, RootsRated, Backpacker, Terrain.org, and Atlas Obscura, and is presently working on a field guide. While whitetail taxonomy is an unsettled business, four subspecies are historically described in Texas. Where do sika deer live? The antlers of mule deer bucks generally fork, while whitetail antler tines grow from a main beam; this characteristic, though, isn't a foolproof measure of identification. Mule deer inhabit every state west of a line from North Dakota to Texas. Range: Texas has the most white-tailed deer of any state at over four million. Blackbuck and fallow deer are located in nearly 100 Texas counties. Let's get started! White-tailed deer, the most widely distributed and evolutionarily ancient deer in North America, get their common name from the snowy underside of their tails, which they prominently flash when alarmed. This buck also would have skin that appears tighter than an older one and also would … We provide reasonable expectations and help hunters harvest FREE-RANGE deer on an extremely consistent basis! The Texas deer whitetail (O. v. texanus) occupies the broadest range, found across most of the central and western portions of the state. Some 6,000 feral axis deer (Axis axis), a spotted species native to South Asia, inhabit Texas. The white-tailed deer’s tail, meanwhile, is bigger and longer-haired than the mule deer’s, which is small and black-tipped. Their numbers are very limited, but they are native to Texas. Fawning for both species takes place in the summer, usually June/ July, depending on when the doe was bred. The males of some red deer subspecies have a sort of mane around their neck. Will 5G Impact Our Cell Phone Plans (or Our Health?! Fact Check: What Power Does the President Really Have Over State Governors? There are two species of Texas deer native to the state's vast and varied countryside: the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and the mule deer (O. heminous). There are four sub-types in this species, each having different kind of coat pattern: the common, menil, melanistic and leucistic variant. The most common species of deer native to Texas is the white-tailed deer. Festival of Sacrifice: The Past and Present of the Islamic Holiday of Eid al-Adha. Their coats are brown and change to a darker shade in the colder months. They reach about 130 cm (51 in) tall at the shoulder; the red deer of the Carpathian Mountains are the largest of all. Whitetail hunters around the world come to experience Texas deer hunting with Prone Outfitters every year. A sub-species of the white-tailed deer, the Del Carmen deer, is found in small numbers. Non-native species of deer include axis deer, Blackbuck, fallow deer, nilgai and sika deer. The Rocky Mountain mule deer (O. h. hemionus), the biggest and most widespread of all mule deer, inhabits the Texas Panhandle, possibly in a hybrid form with the desert mule deer. Along with many other kinds of hoofed mammals, several exotic types of deer now reside in Texas, initially imported to private ranches for hunting purposes and to varying degrees now established in free-roaming populations. When inspecting a whitetail buck, the first aspect to examine is the overall body type. In addition to the two native types of deer, which can usually be easily distinguished based on physical appearance and ecology, several exotic species of deer have been introduced into the state for hunting purposes. The Lone Star State claims one of the largest populations of whitetails in the country: close to four million. ), The Secret Science of Solving Crossword Puzzles, Racist Phrases to Remove From Your Mental Lexicon. Compared to whitetails, mule deer -- named for their outsized ears -- have a small deep species range in Texas. These habitat preferences are starkest where the two deer overlap: On the High Plains of the Texas Panhandle, for example, mule deer forage on the open grasslands, while whitetails stick to the tangled draws and gallery forests. West Texas and the Panhandle are the only areas which are spotty with whitetails. Mule deer breeding season starts in mid-November, peaks in mid/late December, and ends mid-February. Copyright 2020 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. Over 3 million white-tailed deer are estimated to make their home Texas. Although their coat is lighter than the whitetail’s, and their tail resembles a short black rope, the … There are two species of Texas deer native to the state's vast and varied countryside: the white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus) and the mule deer ( O. heminous ). Non-native species of deer include axis deer, Blackbuck, fallow deer, nilgai and sika deer. In the country: close to four million Texas is the white-tailed deer is... 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