Mule Deer
Locations near Fort Collins:
During winter months concentrated in lower foothills, open spaces and natural areas such as Coyote Ridge, Bobcat Ridge and Red Mountain. Along Horsetooth Reservoir and Horsetooth Mountain Park, Lory State Park, lower reaches of Rocky Mountain National Park. During summer many disperse to higher elevations.
When in the Fort Collins area:
Mule deer stay in the Fort Collins area year round, see locations section for specifics.
Notes:
Best times to see mule deer are the half hour before sunrise to an hour after sunrise and again an hour before sunset to dusk. During these periods the deer are typically moving between their feeding areas to bedding areas. Mule deer are edge creatures. Look for them on the edges of open spaces and forested areas. They are browsers rather than grazers like elk and cattle. They primarily eat broadleaf plants (forbs or weeds) rather than grass and they like to brows on new growth twigs and leaves. In winter, wind-swept slopes exposed to the morning sun are good locations for the deer to find feed. In summer look for mule deer to bed in shady spots that are exposed to a breeze to keep the bugs down, with a good view of approaching danger. During winter look for them to bed in more sheltered locations out of the wind. Because of their tan colored coats mule deer can be difficult to spot on a sage brush covered hill side or a in a shadowy forest edge. Look for their lighter colored rumps.
Mule deer are more active during daylight in their mating season or rut period which here in Colorado takes place from mid-November into December. During this period the usually nocturnal deer are more active during daylight hours while looking for mates. During February or March most bucks shed their antler and soon begin growing a new set. The new growth is covered in a nutrition rich sheath called velvet. In late May or June pregnant females typically give birth to two spotted fawns. After a week or so the fawns easily follow their mothers as they begin to move higher into their summer ranges. By September the bucks’ new antlers will be fully developed and they will begin rubbing off the velvet covering and the fawns will have lost most of their spots. Since mule deer are not as efficient at digesting their food as are the grazers, they must seek higher quality food. Such plants are often found on the edges of forests or where new growth is occurring following a disturbance such as a fire.
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