The mule deer can run up to 35 miles an hour, can leap 4 foot fences and is a good swimmer. Some stories indicate that a deer can swim up to 14 miles, therefore able to swim from island to island on the west coast.

In the summer the mule deer grazes on the mountains in the alpine pastures and in the winter it tends to come down to lower elevations and lives off of twigs and woody browse. Winter is tough, as deer do not paw through snow, but look for wind swept areas that are cleared which attracts large numbers of mule deer in one area marking easy prey for wolves, cougars and bears.