Whitetail and Mule Deer Hunting

At the turn of the century, there were only about 50 deer in the entire state. Today, the Nebraska deer herd stands at 300,000 to 350,000. Over the past 10 years the deer season has been open for an average of 117 days every fall and winter.

Nebraska has significant populations of two species of deer, the white-tailed deer of the wooded river valleys and farmlands and the mule deer of the open plains and ranchlands.

The two species are of similar build and proportions, but whitetails average about 10 percent heavier. Other more obvious physical characteristics set them apart, most conspicuously the feature that gives each species its name — the large white tail or “flag” waved by the whitetail when it is alarmed and the mule deer’s large mule-like ears.

Other physical differences include the structure of the antlers of mature bucks. Typical whitetail antlers consist of a main beam on each side rising upward and sweeping forward. Individual points extend upward from each main beam. Antlers of a large mule deer usually rise more vertically than a whitetail’s. Each antler branches to form two beams that branch again to produce four points per side. Antlers of both species usually bear prominent brow tines as well.

Behavior and habitat preferences also distinguish the species. Whitetails are wary and secretive, traveling and feeding primarily at sundown and during the hours immediately afterward, and again in the hours before dawn. They usually stay in or close to timber, creeks and shelterbelts, and they bolt for cover at any hint of danger. At home in farm country, whitetails are the predominant species in eastern Nebraska, but they have extended their range, moving westward along rivers and streams.

Mule deer are creatures of the open plains, relying on rough terrain to provide cover. When alarmed, they bound off with a stiff-legged, bouncing gait and, after a few hundred yards, seem to feel secure enough to stop and look back. That behavior has become a decided disadvantage in the age of high-powered rifles.