The best thing to do if you encounter a fawn is to leave the area and allow the doe to return and move her fawn to a safe location. Mating occurs in the fall, with bucks setting up territories based on dominance, and busily trying to locate does. In the fall the buck's antlers are hardened and polished, and he uses them to defend his territory and protect his does. Most mating is concluded by the time winter sets in. Many deer in a group are able to break trails in deep snow more efficiently than a single deer can, which allows each individual to conserve needed energy to fight off the cold.
Mule deer are ruminants and digest their food in much the same way as a cow.
This digestive process allows them to utilize a wide range of vegetative food stuffs in their diet. In this same area, buck brush makes up 13 percent of the November diet, and ponderosa Pine comprises 18 Percent. On the Bessey Division of the Nebraska National Forest near Halsey, where no crops are available, woody plants comprise 77 percent of the food. Small samples from the Bessey Division for spring and autumn show grasses make up about 34 percent of the deer's diet and sedges about six percent. In autumn about 34 percent of the diet is wild rose and 21 percent is redroot, the most important foods.