mule deer

noun

: a long-eared deer (Odocoileus hemionus) of western North America that is larger and more heavily built than the white-tailed deer

Illustration of mule deer

Illustration of mule deer

Examples of mule deer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In 2022, for example, BHA held a raffle for Wyoming’s statewide mule deer tag and raised nearly $47,000, which was three times the amount raised in the previous year’s auction for the same tag. Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 20 Mar. 2024 Animal adventures are just as likely here, with everything from burrows and fairy shrimp to mule deer, tortoise, and sheep. Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 15 Mar. 2024 And how does, say, a whitetail deer’s speed compare to a mule deer’s, and to other North American deer species. Scott Bestul, Field & Stream, 28 Feb. 2024 Invasive animals pose a problem as well and, on Catalina Island, the large population of nonnative mule deer is decimating the local flora — including some of the rarest plants in California. Michael Charboneau, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2024 In addition to the cultural resources, the region serves as critical habitat for desert tortoise and a migration path for wildlife including bighorn sheep and mule deer, according to the BLM. Debra Utacia Krol, The Arizona Republic, 26 Feb. 2024 His brother, who was paralyzed from the waist down, used an early prototype for what would become the sip-and-puff-modified rifle to tag an elk and a mule deer in the same week in 1991. Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 11 Jan. 2024 The deadly neurological disease was found in an adult mule deer buck near the shores of Yellowstone Lake in Yellowstone National Park sometime this fall, and the discovery was made public yesterday. Travis Hall, Field & Stream, 15 Nov. 2023 Instead of using sharpshooters in helicopters to kill the mule deer — which the Catalina Island Conservancy says are gorging themselves on the island’s delicate native vegetation — the conservancy may now consider other options. Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mule deer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1805, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mule deer was in 1805

Dictionary Entries Near mule deer

Cite this Entry

“Mule deer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mule%20deer. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

mule deer

noun
: a long-eared deer of western North America that is larger and more heavily built than the white-tailed deer

More from Merriam-Webster on mule deer

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