Mule Deer
Animals of the Canadian Badlands
The mule deer is a deer, which is indigenous to western North
America. The Mule Deer gets its name from its large mule-like ears.
Unlike its cousin, the white-tailed deer, mule deer are generally
more associated with the land west of the Missouri River, or more
specifically, with the Rocky Mountain region of North America. The
most noticeable differences between whitetails and mule deer are
the size of their ears, the color of their tails, and the
configuration of their antlers. In many cases, body size is also a
key difference. The mule deer's tail is black-tipped, whereas the
whitetail's is not. Mule deer antlers are bifurcated, or in other
words, they "fork" as they grow rather than branching from a single
main beam (as is the case with whitetails). Each year, after mating
season, a buck's antlers start to grow in spring almost immediately
after they are shed. Although capable of running, mule deer often
prefer to stot, which is moving with a bounding leap (stot), with
all four feet coming down together.
This cache is part of the Legacy Trail produced by the Canadian
Badlands Geocaching Association for the Best of the Bad Mega
Event.
The Legacy Trail
The Legacy Trail is a collection of geocaches that circles its
way over 100 miles on country roads traversing some of the most
scenic and spectacular landscape in this part of the Canadian
Badlands. A large number of caches in a variety of types, sizes and
difficulty are placed on the Trail. Every town, village and hamlet
in the Canadian Badlands has its own cache. Some caches were named
after local historic events and people, as well as celebrities who
grew up in this area. Some caches were sponsored by geocachers who
attended the Best of the Bad Mega Event. The Legacy Trail was
produced by the Canadian Badlands Geocaching Association for the
Best of the Bad Mega Event.
The Canadian Badlands
The Canadian Badlands in Alberta are like no other place on
earth, home to the world's most extensive dinosaur bonebeds,
badlands and hoodoos, and a world-class museum that shelters a 75
million-year-old legacy. The region is rich in culturally and
historically significant sites that tell the story of the First
Nations people and early settlers, and of a complex and diverse
modern society that is still deeply rooted in the spirit of the
frontier.
