Western deer

Deer are very common in Michigan; I see them in my backyard several times a week.  Our local deer are White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus).  Out West, the common deer are Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) who have much shorter tails, often with a black tip.  (Mule Deer are sometimes called Black-tailed Deer.)  Mule Deer tend to be bigger than Whitetails. Mule Deer are named for their long ears.

This post is part of a series on a Road Trip from Kalamazoo to Wyoming.