Taking A Break - Wood Print

A great photo of a Colorado native, a large mule deer buck. The photo was taken near Bear Creek in Colorado Springs. Mule deer originally received their name because of their large ears, which resemble that of a mule. Large mule deer bucks are very crafty and are a rare sight these days. Only males (bucks) grow antlers, which shed and re-grow annually and increase in size as the animals mature. In the spring and summer, a mule deer’s antler is covered in velvet. Antler's growth will continue until around mid-to-late August. As the antlers harden and the velvet dries up, bucks will begin to rub their antlers. Rubbing of antlers is often done on small trees or bushes. Mule deer bucks begin to strip off their velvet in mid-September with all the velvet usually off by the first of October. Mule deer bucks in full velvet are an awesome sight and the velvet greatly enhances the size of the bucks. Because of western Colorado’s topographic diversity, many mule deer populations migrate from high-elevation summer ranges to low-elevation winter ranges.