Some years ago I read about a farmer in KS IIRC who made a pet out of a whitetail buck. When it was about 4 YO, he went outside one day and it took him. It just kept coming at him and all he could do was to hang on tight to the antlers. He had a farm pond nearby and over the next half hour, he was able to work the deer into the pond and get on top of it's head and drown it. When they got the guy to the hospital, they had to sew up over 70 holes.
A whitetail is far smaller than an elk and smaller than many mulies. I wouldn't want to tangle with any of them.
