Named after Dr. Elliot Couse, the naturalist and ornithologist who discovered them, Couse deer are a diminutive subspecies of whitetail deer. Nicknamed the “grey ghost” for their seemingly supernatural ability to appear and vanish like smoke, the elusive little deer is one of the most challenging species of all North American big game animals.

Volumes have been written about Coues deer; however, much of the available Coues whitetail deer information is incomplete or inaccurate. Commonly mispronounced either “cows” or “coos,” Couse is properly spoken “kouse,” as in replacing the “h” in house with a “k.”

Coues Deer Geography
Couse deer have one of the most restricted ranges of all species of whitetail deer. Inhabiting the mountainous regions of the desert southwest of the United States and the mountains of northern Mexico, Couse deer are not found in low-lying valleys like their larger cousins of the northern United States. Living at elevations from 3,000 to 10,000 feet, Couse deer primarily inhabit southwest New Mexico, south and central Arizona, California along the Arizona border and almost all of Sonora, Mexico.

Coues deer do not migrate and have a limited individual home range of less than 1,000 acres. During the morning hours Couse whitetails are found feeding on southern hillsides and then bedded during the day, under trees or in tall grass on north facing hillsides in the summer months and southern facing slopes during the winter.

Coues Deer Biology
Aside from their smaller physical size, Coues whitetails are no different from their larger relatives. Larger only than the key whitetail deer found in the Florida Keys, Coues whitetails stand between 24 and 32 inches high at the shoulder. Male deer weigh an average of 125 pounds with the does averaging approximately 80 pounds.

Coues whitetail antlers have the same configuration as other whitetails, with points typically growing upwards off one long main beam; females do not have antlers. Matching their smaller body sizes, Coues deer antlers are also much smaller than standard size whitetails with the largest antlers on record scoring 144 1/8 points, compared to the overall world record whitetail with an antler score of 213 5/8 points.

Coues deer forage in thickets of acacia, manzanita, mesquite and scrub oak. The deer’s diet also includes the fruit of cacti, Ceanothus, mountain mahogany and various forbs and grasses.

Coues Deer Hunting
In the U.S., only Arizona and New Mexico hold hunting seasons for Couse deer. Because of the terrain they inhabit, a combination of traditional whitetail hunting methods and western hunting techniques used for mule deer and elk work best when pursuing Coues whitetails.

During morning and evening hours, when deer are feeding, setting up at the top of a south facing slope and glassing below can be highly productive. During midday, when deer are bedded, glassing with binoculars or spotting scope and stocking with range is the best option. Because most of the west is so arid, setting up by an active watering hole is highly productive. Unlike other species of whitetails, Coues deer are generally vocal throughout the day, making them susceptible to calling into range with snort and grunt calls. During the rut rattling antlers can be effective.

If seeking further Coues whitetail deer information, consult credible sources such as state fish and game departments.

Blacktail deer inhabit the western reaches of North America from British Columbia into California along the coast and some distance inland.

Dan Gibson, a blacktail deer information expert, says the deer can be found as much as 100 miles from the coast. While they may range further inland, they grow increasingly rare as the distance from the ocean increases.

The most recent genetic studies show the blackmail deer is a subspecies of mule deer.

Most trophy-class blacktails are in the 140-pound range. While 200-pounders have been killed, they are very rare. Males are larger than the females when fully mature. Young deer can be the same size.

Trophies are typically mature deer. Young animals have not had time to get full expression of their antlers. Blacktail bucks shed their antlers every year and grow a new set by fall. While also extremely rare, female blacktail can have antlers.

The blacktail deer is crepuscular, active in the twilight hours of early morning and late evening, but can be found foraging any at time of the day or night. They prefer the edge of open areas and thick woods as this is where their preferred food is commonly found.

The blacktail is a browser. It will feed briefly in one place and move on, unless it has a compelling reason to stay in one spot. They eat a wide variety of plants, preferring tender green plants if at all possible. The can eat Douglas fir, Organ yew and western cedar if necessary. Food plots of native vegetation and domesticated peas, beans and grasses will attract these animals. Baiting these deer can cause them to concentrate in one area and stay at a feeding station for a while.

The deer feed heavily in spring and summer to build up fat reserves for the winter. Starvation is a major cause of death among these animals.

During the rut, breeding season, big males will be active almost constantly, giving little time to feeding and sleeping. The bucks are much less wary during the rut and most trophy-class animals are killed at this time. Bucks will lose weight during the breeding period. The rut is at a maximum in November.

Hunting regulations vary by state and province. In parts of California a bow-only season opens in July. In other
places, the hunt does not begin until September or October. Hunting regulations also vary as to what antler-size and gender animals can be killed.

Successful hunters will find movement patterns for the deer in an area. They will learn where the deer feed and where they bed down. Putting a hunting stand between these two locations allows a hunter to kill a blacktail on the way to bed down in the morning or on the way to feed in the evening. In both cases, the hunter should be in the stand well before he expects to see deer.

Hunting pressure will turn these animals completely nocturnal, even during the rut.

California produces the most record book bucks, but the very biggest come from the northern reaches of the blacktail’s territory.

Mule deer are widely distributed throughout western North America. They can be found from north central Canada, west to southeast Alaska, all along the Pacific coast, down to Baja, and from Baja west to the Texas panhandle.

Mule deer are named for their large mule-like ears. Even though their ear canals are roughly the same size as that of humans, their ears can be nine inches in length. They can also swivel their ears 360 degrees to listen for predators. The mule deer can hear a much larger range of frequencies than humans can, making this one very nervous animal.

Another feature that differentiates the mule deer from other deer species is that their tail set is downward, unlike the whitetail deer which holds its tail upright. Another characteristic of the mule deer is the bounding gait they exhibit, called stotting. When not walking, stotting or loping, a Mule deer is capable of running 40 mph for several miles before stopping, a good asset to possess when you consider mule deer are the number one prey of mountain lions. Mountain lions depend so heavily on the mule deer for food that the mountain lion’s jaw has evolved over time to fit the throat and windpipe of deer in order to hasten their kill.

The life span of the mule deer in the wild is about ten years. They are susceptible to a host of diseases and parasites such as Chronic Wasting Disease, Hoof and Mouth, plus many bacterial infections. Tough winters can also decimate herd populations in higher elevations. Normally, the first good snowfall will trigger the mule deer migration from the high mountains down to their winter range. Failure to move lower before heavy snow will leave them snowbound and starving.

Mule deer does can birth from one to four fawns in late spring. Both sexes tend to browse and band together as the snow and ice retreat. The deer head back to higher elevations prior to the onset of summer. The bucks’ antlers shed in winter and by spring are quickly growing back as food sources become more available. It is during this time that the antlers are referred to as being “in velvet” due to the soft membranes covering the boney growths.

By late summer, mule deer segregate according to gender. Younger bucks group together in bands called bastards, while the older, more experienced bucks go alone, waiting for the rut to begin.

Cooling weather appears to be the mechanism by which nature tells the mule deer it’s time again to breed. The bucks spar with brush and tree limbs, honing their fighting skills while marking their territories. The larger bucks become stirred by the sounds of rattling antlers and move in from their haunts to do battle for the right to breed.

The whitetail is one of the most common deer to hunt in the United States. It has abundant populations in many different areas.

Distinctive in its appearance, the whitetail deer is the species from which all sub-species originate. Its coat changes with the seasons. During the early spring to late summer their coat is red/brown to deep red. This changes to a coal/gray color from early fall through the winter season. Just like its name, its one unique feature is the whitetail underside. The species raises this as a warning of danger.

Population locations depend primarily on their eating habits. Although they will eat mice and birds, this is rare. Whitetails are primarily herbivorous and feed on clover, mushrooms, grasses and hay. They will eat unprotected animal feed, gardens and agricultural growth as well as personal pet food. Their steady foraging will damage areas if the population is not controlled.

Understanding whitetail deer patterns means remembering they go where an abundance of food supply is available, they move to secure locations, and breeding factors. The seasonal movement of the whitetail deer species begins during the fall with the majority of the species conducting their movement at dusk and early morning. The male (buck) lays low during this time while the female (doe) locates a secure location. The feeding range, where food is available, usually consists of a one-mile radius.

The average size of this species varies depending on its sex and location. Male whitetails can weigh in between 100 lbs. to 350 lbs. Average weight is between 80 and 135 lbs. The female primarily is smaller and weighs in at an average of 125 lbs. The male’s antlers regrow annually with the growth period most predominant from spring through early winter. At this point, the male will then shed the antlers. Depending on the male’s access to an abundant feeding ground, the age of the deer, and time of year, they can potentially grow eight-point antler racks.

The Live Outdoors website (www.liveoutdoors.com) lists whitetail deer rankings for the five optimal hunting areas in the United States. It is important to state that these rankings change from year to year as the deer population changes from region to region. Colorado takes the number one spot with Iowa taking second place. Although it is not in the United States – Alberta, Canada is third, followed by Arizona fourth and Texas taking fifth.

There are over seventeen sub-species of the whitetail deer hunted in the United States. This whitetail deer information may slightly change depending on climate conditions. Out of the seventeen, the largest are the Northern Woodland, the Kansas, the Dakota, the Texas, the Northwest species, and the Avery Island whitetail. Average size sub-species include the South Carolina (Hilton Head and Hunting Island species), the Blackbeard Island, Florida whitetail, and Florida Coastal.

The smallest of the seventeen sub species are the Florida Key-deer with Bull’s Island being small and limited, as well as the Carmen Mountain, the Arizona and Columbian.

The most popular hunted species all other sub-species derive from is the Virginian whitetail deer. Its range covers over ten states and is considered a good size deer with large antler growth.