Mule Deer Habitat

The Mule Deer is a very adaptable animal in terms of where it will live. They live almost anywhere, in almost any habitat that is within their distribution areas. They do prefer more open areas with a drier climate when compared to their species cousin the white-tailed deer. Mule deer are even found in some desert climate areas. Rather than living in woody or swamplands, they will live in hilly or mountainous regions. They live all over the western parts of North America, in areas where white-tail deer do not thrive. It lives in the Canadian Rocky Mountains and as south as Mexico. They usually live about 10 years but can live up to be 25 years old.

Most mule deer live in a dedicated home area where they stay for most of the year. Some mule deer will migrate in a patter for certain times of the year, moving their home area. A good example would be moving to higher elevations for summer months and lower areas with more shelter for colder months. For the mule deer that live in desert locations, they may migrate based on rainfall to follow fresh growing plants for food.

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