Which is bigger- whitetail or mule deer?

[Mudman]

Does not matter does it?  One down is what matters.   I dont know answer but i suspect it is relevant to the area hunted.  I would think an Iowa buck is larger than many Muleys.  In Wa. Muleys seem larger to me?

[GUscottie]

Having shot a 4+ year old white tail and mule deer buck in the same area of wyoming, the mule deer was about 40 pounds bigger bar none. An immature mule deer (2-3years old) was the same size asmy white tail buck from the ssame area

[steen]

I would say mule deer definately.  This is comparing region to region, if you compare a whitetail in the Methow comparing to a mule deer in the Methow.  In saying that, we've shot bigger Blacktail body size than any other species....but that is because a lot of the black tail have been mature.  Many in our hunting career have been over 200 lbs.  This year I shot the biggest deer body wise of MY hunting career, a mulie, but last year the whitetail buck was the biggest.  My husband and kids have shot some large Blacktails Where we live the Blacktails get pretty darn big, even some two points have reached the 200 lb. mark. We figure about 1/3 of the Blacktail we've shot in our family, kids and all, have been 200 lbs on the hoof.  One weighed 275 not dressed. The problem is most people are unable to weight their deer before field dressing them.  For us it is easier to weigh the Blacktails before field dressing.  We have figured our larger Blacktails lose roughly 50 lbs. after field dressing.  We've had fun with it!

[MTMule]

Okay, I realize there is variation between individual deer. Let's put it this way- say you're going on a meat hunt to Wyoming. Two people, with four doe tags each. The tags are good for either species.

If you came home with eight deer, would you be likely to have significantly more boned out meat if you killed eight doe mule deer versus eight doe whitetail deer?


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You can keep asking the question in different ways, but that doesn't mean the answer will change. Mule deer on average are bigger then whitetails. It's extremely noticeable IMO. Doe's especially.

[bobcat]

Thanks everyone. And yes, it does matter. If the mulies have 40 pounds more meat on them, that's 320 pounds more meat we're coming home with, if we decide to hunt for mule deer instead of whitetails.

I was pretty sure mule deer were bigger, but I wasn't sure if it was a significant amount or not. Sounds like it is!

[JLS]

Okay, I realize there is variation between individual deer. Let's put it this way- say you're going on a meat hunt to Wyoming. Two people, with four doe tags each. The tags are good for either species.

If you came home with eight deer, would you be likely to have significantly more boned out meat if you killed eight doe mule deer versus eight doe whitetail deer?


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I think on average you can count on getting 50-60 pounds of boneless meat off of mature mule deer does, and about 40-50 on mature whitetail does. 

I personally think the whitetails are a little better eating, but if you are going to make it into burger, pepperoni, etc then I wouldn't worry about it.

[bigmacc]

OH-OH. now your in my wheelhouse ...dont care to much about horn size but i love a well put together muley..I myself look at and notice body size,posture and the way a deer carry,s itself when walking or when they stott(bounce) and can usually tell if its a buck or doe(if the head cant be seen)  and can usually judge its weight pretty darn close.If its got 3points i will determine if i,m squeezing the trigger...  not by its horn size,but by body size(just my thing). We weigh all our deer and i,ll tell ya weve had more than one tip the scale at over 400,many over 300 and the majority in the 200lb range(give or take)They seem to me to be bigger,i have seen some big whiteys also,but never have shot one but i do have friends in Alberta that have put down some flaggers that went in the mid 300,s,but then again they have shot some muleys that were in the 400,s

[bobcat]

Okay, I realize there is variation between individual deer. Let's put it this way- say you're going on a meat hunt to Wyoming. Two people, with four doe tags each. The tags are good for either species.

If you came home with eight deer, would you be likely to have significantly more boned out meat if you killed eight doe mule deer versus eight doe whitetail deer?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think on average you can count on getting 50-60 pounds of boneless meat off of mature mule deer does, and about 40-50 on mature whitetail does. 

I personally think the whitetails are a little better eating, but if you are going to make it into burger, pepperoni, etc then I wouldn't worry about it.

That's actually more what I was thinking. Ten pounds difference between them. I like deer steaks, will cut as many steaks as I can get, off the hind quarters. That and the backstrap. The rest will be ground for burger or I may try my hand for the first time at making my own breakfast sausage.

[NRA4LIFE]

The biggest bodied deer I have taken was an old WT in Missouri in '07.  Gutted, he was 240 lbs (and yes, it was weighed).  And I have seen some real monsters taken in Northern WI, many 250+ gutted.  My SE MT muley this year tipped the Cabelas scale at 225 lbs (with guts still in).  However, just from experience in those states, the Muleys are bigger on average.

[Come Get Some]

I have shot alot of Mule deer. The mule deer I just shot in New Mexico was the smallest mule deer I have ever seen (body size). The world record mule deer (Antlers) was killled there. I had an article years ago about a 560 lb white tail. It was in the mid west. Generaly the white tail are smaller. I got to see some mounts that the locals had in their homes while I was there. HOLY Mule deer Batman. One was over 250 " Many over 200" I will be going back. They eat dry Dry DRY DRY feed all day. Best tasting deer I have ever eaten. I was thinking about eating mesquite and grease wood my self. The deer all looked like they just got back from Jean Juaraze Salon.

[Hangfire]

Jack O'Conner had a article on this years ago. His conclusion as I remember was, deer of both species are larger as you go north. The largest whitetail are in the north east, largest mule deer in the north. The very largest of each species about the same.  Where they both coexist the mule deer average larger. Mt personnel observation is Washington mule deer  body weight is larger than eastern Wyoming or eastern Montana mule deer. and body weight of Pend Oreille county mule deer larger than Ferry county mule deer.

If I wanted to bring back as much meat as possible I wouldn't shoot small deer. Proper bullet placement, key to how much good meat. A very large mule deer shot in the hind quarters will yield less than a white tail shot through the ribs/lungs. Of course the proper bullet is required.

[Hangfire]

It sounds like your counting your chickens before they hatch. Go where you will have the best success and fun. Six tags filled with mule deer may not yield  with 8 tags filled with white tail.  If you are only looking at meat, stay home and buy some beef.

[Hangfire]

We make breakfast sausage every year, very good. We use 21 pounds of lean meat, 4 pounds of meaty pork fat from Eaggers (local butcher shop, Spokane). A package of Eagers sausage seasoning, each seasoning package good for 25 pounds of meat/fat, plus we add additional rubbed sage (my wife does not measure any thing so sage by exoerience). I run the meat through the grinder with the pork fat. I hand mix well and then add the seasoning distributed evenly into the meat as I mix it. I then run all through the grinder one more time. Package into small packages that will make a patty each for me and my wife. Really good.

[Shed Stud]

I have shot alot of Mule deer. The mule deer I just shot in New Mexico was the smallest mule deer I have ever seen (body size). The world record mule deer (Antlers) was killled there. I had an article years ago about a 560 lb white tail. It was in the mid west. Generaly the white tail are smaller. I got to see some mounts that the locals had in their homes while I was there. HOLY Mule deer Batman. One was over 250 " Many over 200" I will be going back. They eat dry Dry DRY DRY feed all day. Best tasting deer I have ever eaten. I was thinking about eating mesquite and grease wood my self. The deer all looked like they just got back from Jean Juaraze Salon.

FYI if your talking about antlers the world record typ Dolres Co CO 1972 226 4/8, non typ Chip Lake AB 1926 355 2/8, not to say that New Mexico doesn't have great bucks.