Mule deer are documented nearly everywhere in Montana, 1,558 records spread across 48 counties, from Flathead and Glacier counties in the northwest to Park County along the Yellowstone River. Glacier National Park anchors the named sites with 389 records, followed by Gallatin National Forest and Yellowstone National Park.
A deer of edges and open slopes
Named for its large mule-like ears, this is the deer of broken country, browsing shrubs, forbs, and new growth along the seams where forest meets meadow and meadow meets sage. The black-tipped tail and the stiff-legged bouncing gait called stotting set it apart from the white-tailed deer at a glance, and where the two overlap in Montana, mule deer tend to take the more open, rugged ground.
Migrants on a seasonal schedule
Many Montana mule deer migrate, summering high and wintering low, and the record follows that rhythm. Counts build through May as herds climb toward summer range, crest from June through August, then ease back as deer drift down to winter range where snow lies shallower and browse stays within reach. The November rut finds bucks at their most visible, heavy-antlered and careless of cover.
Status in Montana
NatureServe ranks the mule deer S4, Apparently Secure, in Montana, and the species is native to the state. USGS NAS does not list it as nonindigenous here.
Full species profile
