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The California mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus californicus) is a subspecies of mule deer whose range covers much of the state of California. The Inland Deserts Region has four of the six mule deer subspecies: the Rocky Mountain and Inyo subspecies in the north, and the California, Southern, and Burro.
 
 

– California Mule Deer – OVLC : OVLC

 
The California mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus californicus) is a subspecies of mule deer whose range covers much of the state of California. The Inland Deserts Region has four of the six mule deer subspecies: the Rocky Mountain and Inyo subspecies in the north, and the California, Southern, and Burro.

– Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus)

Technically, there are 58 subspecies of the family in North America, but really only 6 species of true deer. The state that homes the most Whitetail Deer is Texas, with over four million deer. The Whitetail Deer is the most common to interact with around human activity. The Whitetail Deer gets its trademark name from the distinctive white underside of their tail.

Their coat changes from a reddish-brown in the spring to a gray-brown in the winter as a mild form of camouflage. The Mule Deer is also known as the Black-tailed Deer, and it gets its name from its large ears that resemble that of a mule. The breeding cycle of the Mule Deer is an important part of understanding their behavior.

Their mating season begins in the fall and lasts for a period of a few days with males becoming more aggressive and competing for mates. The Caribou, also known as the Reindeer, is native to the northern parts of North America. Their habitat consists of the tundra and the boreal woodlands, depending on the time of year. Caribou are seasonally migratory, going from their birthing grounds to their winter feeding grounds in the tundra and taiga.

Both male and female Caribou can grow antlers, although the antlers are typically larger on males. Even though Reindeer and Caribou are essentially interchangeable terms, in technicality, a Reindeer is the European name while Caribou is the name for the species in North America.

The moose is the largest and heaviest species in the deer family and is a member of the New World deer subfamily. Inactivity during the heat of day has helped the deer adapt to warmer Southern California environments. Rutting mating season is in autumn, at which time antlered males compete for mates. Fawns arrive. As prey for mountain lions, coyote and even bobcats, Mule Deer play an important role in the Southern California food chain.

Run-ins with cars, however, throw off that balance. Although the Mule Deer like the Burro Deer might not be that colorful, its gray-buff color helps blend in with the desert environment, to disguise itself from predators. For Mule Deer in the mountains, winter temperatures force migrations from higher elevations to lower ones. Summer range is typically high elevation and utilized for its nutritious green forage and fawning areas. These high elevation areas are covered in snow during the winter, so prior to deep snow, deer migrate to lower elevations.

At low elevations, deer are confined to relatively small winter ranges, which support deer for a short period of time because forage is limited.

In fact, some migrating deer will hold up in the snow until there is springtime green-up to feed on at the lower elevations. In the San Bernardino Mountains, deer make a seasonal shift to lower elevations, but not the long distance migration seen in the north.

In the Colorado Desert, the desert mule deer will migrate to different seasonal ranges based on the distribution of water and location of key forage. Because deer don’t recognize county or state line boundaries, CDFW staff coordinate deer management efforts with adjacent Regions in California and adjacent states, Nevada and Arizona. CDFW and the Nevada Department of Wildlife have an Interagency Agreement regarding particular goals and objectives for management of the East Walker and West Walker deer herds Mono County , which spend summers in California and migrate throughout the area and into Nevada during the fall and winter.

The Inland Deserts Region has four of the six mule deer subspecies: the Rocky Mountain and Inyo subspecies in the north, and the California, Southern, and Burro subspecies in the south. Desert mule deer buck running photo by Tim Glenner.

Newborn mule deer fawn photo by Kevin Monteith. Two young mule deer photo by Tim Glenner. Mule deer herd in desert habitat photo by Tim Glenner.

Home Regions 6 Deer Natural History. Natural History Overview CDFW’s mission is “to manage California’s diverse fish, wildlife, and plant resources, and the habitats upon which they depend, for their ecological values and for their use and enjoyment by the public.