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This Standing Mule Deer Weather Vane, Odocoileus hemionus, was crafted in copper with brass antlers. The rugged hillside beneath his feet is also brass. Since the directionals below the sculpture piece are made of brass, this helps tie the entire assembly together. We used brown glass taxidermy eyes with black pupils to give this stately animal a distinct lifelike appearance. This deer weather vane can also be made of all copper, or we can add optional gold leaf to the antlers to create a more vivid impression. Our customers select the metal combination that most appeals to them when placing their order.
An unusual and challenging aspect of this particular design was creating the illusion the deer had turned its head to look back over its shoulder. Normally, in a weather vane, the head will face forward into the wind. We made the Mule Deer Weather Vane this way to create the graceful line in its neck and distinguish it from its more traditional deer weathervane brethren. It was commissioned by a couple for a beautiful new barn they built in South Dakota. In addition to the Mule Deer, we also offer White Tail Deer, Fallow Deer, Moose and Elk weathervanes.
The mule deer habitat is the western half of North America. It gets its name from its large mule-like ears. Its closest relative is the black-tailed deer (considered a subspecies of mule deer). Unlike its cousin, the white-tailed deer, mule deer are generally associated with the land west of the Missouri River. The most noticeable differences between whitetails and ‘muleys’ are the color of their tails and configuration of their antlers. The mule deer’s tail is black tipped. Mule deer antlers also ‘fork’ as they grow rather than branching from a single main beam (as with white-tails).
Deer (singular and plural) are the ruminant mammals forming the family, Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, mule deer such as black-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer (caribou), fallow deer, roe deer, pudú and chital deer. Male deer of all species, except the Chinese water deer, and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year. In this way they differ from permanently horned animals such as antelope, which are in the same order as deer and may bear a superficial resemblance.