Wildlife identification: big game, game birds and furbearers

Why identification is tested so heavily

Seasons, tags and bag limits are set by species, sex and sometimes age or antler size. Shooting the wrong animal is illegal and can be dangerous (mistaking a person for game). Identification questions are common on all three provincial exams, and BC's CORE has separate Animal and Bird Identification subjects.

Deer

Feature	White-tailed deer	Mule deer
Tail	Long, brown on top, white underneath; raised like a flag when running	Short, narrow, white with a black tip
Rump	Brown	Large white rump patch
Antlers	Main beams curve forward with tines growing up from the main beam	Forked (bifurcated) - each branch splits again
Ears	Medium	Large, mule-like
Running gait	Gallop	Often stotting - bounding on all four legs at once
Range	Across southern Canada (all three provinces)	Western Canada (AB, BC)

BC also has the black-tailed deer (coastal; a mule deer subspecies with a black-topped tail).