The mule deer and blacktail are the principal game mammals of the state of Washington. Thousands of hunters enter the woods each year in search of a buck. Eastern Washington is the favored hunting grounds for that is the home of the mule deer, the larger size of which makes it a more desirable trophy. Also the open country which it inhabits makes hunting more productive. Sums spent on equipment, gasoline and hunting licenses are tremendous but the feeling is that the return in recreational value and venison are worth the cost. A few casualties result each year among the army of deer hunters.
Odocoileus hemionus hemionus (Rafinesque)
Cervus hemionus Rafinesque, Amer. Month. Mag., 1:436, October, 1817.
Cariacus macrotis True, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 7:592, 1885.
Odocoileus hemionus [Merriam], Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 12:100, April 30, 1898.
Odocoileus hemionus macrotis [Bailey], National Geographic, 20:64, 1932.
Type locality.—Vicinity of Big Sioux River, South Dakota.
Racial characters.—Large size, pale color.
Measurements.—Two adult males from Stay-a-while Spring, Columbia County, measure respectively: total length 1,751, 1,559; length of tail 172, 205; hind foot 515, 485; ear 210, 211; length of metatarsal gland 150, 135.