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Re: Which is it? Mule or Whitetail. [Re: Mr. T.] #9152803 12/13/24 12:17 AM
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Whitetail no doubt

Re: Which is it? Mule or Whitetail. [Re: Mr. T.] #9152891 12/13/24 02:38 AM
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Whitetail


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Re: Which is it? Mule or Whitetail. [Re: PMK] #9153647 12/14/24 09:26 PM
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Originally Posted by PMK
could it possibly be a hybrid??? I saw a number on the JA

Very doubtful that you saw “a number” of hybrids anywhere. I live in the heart of muledeer/WT country and ive seen ONE that i would have bet anything of significance on being a hybrid. Ask any biologist and they will tell you how incredibly rare it is.

Re: Which is it? Mule or Whitetail. [Re: TexasUplander] #9153765 12/15/24 03:24 AM
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Originally Posted by TexasUplander
Originally Posted by PMK
could it possibly be a hybrid??? I saw a number on the JA

Very doubtful that you saw “a number” of hybrids anywhere. I live in the heart of muledeer/WT country and ive seen ONE that i would have bet anything of significance on being a hybrid. Ask any biologist and they will tell you how incredibly rare it is.


Per TPWD, it's not as rare as one might think. I believe I've seen many on my own property and have killed at least one.

Quote
Where mule deer and white-tailed deer coexist, interbreeding does occur. The long-term effects are unknown, and for most areas, the extent of hybridization is not known. The highest incidence of hybridization in the Trans-Pecos occurs in the eastern part of the region where high populations of mule deer and white-tailed deer coexist. It has been estimated that up to 15 percent of deer may be hybrids where both species occupy the same range (Stubblefield 1985). DNA sequencing techniques were used to determine the extent of hybridization in the Panhandle (Donley County) where the ranges of both species overlap. Results indicated a hybridization frequency of 8 percent (F. Bryant pers. comm.).


https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_bk_w7000_0303.pdf


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Re: Which is it? Mule or Whitetail. [Re: Mr. T.] #9154168 12/16/24 01:36 AM
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It’s a WT based off the glands behind the back knee joint

Re: Which is it? Mule or Whitetail. [Re: Mr. T.] #9154314 12/16/24 02:08 PM
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WT

Re: Which is it? Mule or Whitetail. [Re: Master Plumb] #9155270 12/18/24 06:44 AM
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Originally Posted by Master Plumb
Old WT


This guy looks old AF to me, like 7-8 plus. Based on how large his body is I don't think his antlers will ever do much more. Personally I think he's cool and would ground check him. "Giving him another year" is foolish talk, there's more to a trophy than just number of inches, that's a big mature buck that's probably sired several truckloads of offspring. Besides a big bodied buck with antlers like that can kick some serious [censored] in a fight. Which is why high fence operations have cull and management hunts to get bucks like this out, because they will often breed more does than the test tube giants.

Re: Which is it? Mule or Whitetail. [Re: Mr. T.] #9155862 12/19/24 12:32 PM
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WT is my opinion. up

Re: Which is it? Mule or Whitetail. [Re: Mr. T.] #9155876 12/19/24 01:15 PM
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This doe in the foreground is probably a hybrid. Note the intermediate-sized metatarsals.

[Linked Image]


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Re: Which is it? Mule or Whitetail. [Re: PMK] #9155878 12/19/24 01:24 PM
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Originally Posted by PMK
could it possibly be a hybrid??? I saw a number on the JA


Nothing is impossible, but all traits and glands match WT, he is no more mule deer then this MD is WT

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Re: Which is it? Mule or Whitetail. [Re: kry226] #9155903 12/19/24 02:30 PM
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Originally Posted by kry226
This doe in the foreground is probably a hybrid. Note the intermediate-sized metatarsals.

[Linked Image]



I highly doubt it. We had a very accomplished TPWD biologist hunt sandhills mule deer with us a number of years ago. The only way to positively tell is with hair/tissue/dna samples.

Re: Which is it? Mule or Whitetail. [Re: Mr. T.] #9156114 12/19/24 07:32 PM
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I guess I’m still wondering why anyone would not ID the OPs buck as a whitetail. I saw a buck this year, just North of Amarillo, that had a Muleyish face and ears with WT body and antlers?? And, he was following a mule deer doe everywhere she went for a couple of days. Not sure on him.

Last edited by batman; 12/19/24 07:38 PM.
Re: Which is it? Mule or Whitetail. [Re: Jgraider] #9156168 12/19/24 09:26 PM
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Originally Posted by Jgraider
Originally Posted by kry226
This doe in the foreground is probably a hybrid. Note the intermediate-sized metatarsals.

[Linked Image]



I highly doubt it. We had a very accomplished TPWD biologist hunt sandhills mule deer with us a number of years ago. The only way to positively tell is with hair/tissue/dna samples.

Did you read the TPWD study I posted earlier? Cliff's notes is that where WT and MD overlap, West Texas hybridization has been documented as high as 15% and 8% in the Panhandle. Hybrids are not the rare curiosities that most folks would make them out to be.

Also note that I didn't say "positively." I said "probably." While you're correct in that DNA is the only "positive" way to tell, there are several tell-tale signs that enable folks to make pretty accurate "guesses."


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Re: Which is it? Mule or Whitetail. [Re: Mr. T.] #9156476 12/20/24 03:34 PM
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I grew up in W TX where muleys and WT's overlap. Hunted that country for decades. No matter what you read, real life hybrids are very rare. The guy who hunted with us that I was referring to was Horace Gore's sidekick biologist, who helped come up with the "Golden Triangle" terminology, and was one of the father's of modern day whitetail deer mgt in TX, along with Gore. I'll take his word for it over "guessing".

Re: Which is it? Mule or Whitetail. [Re: Mr. T.] #9156502 12/20/24 04:14 PM
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On our whitetail lease it's not uncommon to see 40 mule deer on any given day. They are very territorial and have their own habitat and area they stick to. Our whitetails and mule deer don't occupy the same areas. We did have mule deer this year in an area that for the last 17 years mule deer have never been seen. All of a sudden this season mule deer moved into this area which is about 4-5 miles from the area they have and still occupy. We have good #'s of both. Never seen a hybrid. The best question to me is what are the circumstances that would lead to this occurring.


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Re: Which is it? Mule or Whitetail. [Re: kry226] #9156504 12/20/24 04:16 PM
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Originally Posted by kry226
Originally Posted by Jgraider
Originally Posted by kry226
This doe in the foreground is probably a hybrid. Note the intermediate-sized metatarsals.

[Linked Image]



I highly doubt it. We had a very accomplished TPWD biologist hunt sandhills mule deer with us a number of years ago. The only way to positively tell is with hair/tissue/dna samples.

Did you read the TPWD study I posted earlier? Cliff's notes is that where WT and MD overlap, West Texas hybridization has been documented as high as 15% and 8% in the Panhandle. Hybrids are not the rare curiosities that most folks would make them out to be.

Also note that I didn't say "positively." I said "probably." While you're correct in that DNA is the only "positive" way to tell, there are several tell-tale signs that enable folks to make pretty accurate "guesses."


We have overlapped in panhandle at my ranch since as long as I can remember, I nor the biologist have ever “observed” it, not saying 8%-15% is wrong but have not seen any that would be distinct enough to question via observation. Up until a few years ago, all deer in county where physically checked in and documented, and at that time there hadn’t been one. Think we went to online in 2013. Now with that said check in basically consisted of sex, weight, age and metatarsal observation, not DNA so the hybridization would have had to be enough to question.

If DNA is really the only way, I’m betting that vast majority don’t express enough characteristic to be personally observered so only a very very few will actually express enough to be observable

That’s my thoughts but it’s just hypothis


Bottom line, never trust a man whose uncle was eaten by cannibals.-Sen Joni Ernst
Re: Which is it? Mule or Whitetail. [Re: Mr. T.] #9156515 12/20/24 04:44 PM
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So, if it is a WT/MD hybrid, do you hunt it during whitetail season? Or Mule deer season?


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Originally Posted by Nolanco
current federal policy is clearly irrational, scientifically insupportable and ridiculous.
Re: Which is it? Mule or Whitetail. [Re: onlysmith&wesson] #9156739 12/20/24 11:19 PM
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Originally Posted by Jgraider
I grew up in W TX where muleys and WT's overlap. Hunted that country for decades. No matter what you read, real life hybrids are very rare. The guy who hunted with us that I was referring to was Horace Gore's sidekick biologist, who helped come up with the "Golden Triangle" terminology, and was one of the father's of modern day whitetail deer mgt in TX, along with Gore. I'll take his word for it over "guessing".


This really isn't about guessing. It's about scientific documentation that hybrids occur at a higher rate that most would care to believe, regardless of whether characteristics are observable, or not. I'm not sure why there's such a resistance to WT/MD hybrids on THF, but it's almost up there with HF/LF and .223 for deer. I guess I just don't get why folks are such naysayers about it. "No matter what you read?" Really? You mean like a scientific study that I posted a link to?

How about another study, which quotes additional studies/confirmations? https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/cjz-2023-0082

Quote
In Texas, hybridization between white-tailed deer and mule deer occurs in the Trans-Pecos Region and along the edges of the Llano Estacado in the Panhandle region of Texas (Carr et al. 1986; Stubblefield et al. 1986; Derr 1991; Ballinger et al. 1992; Carr and Hughes 1993; Cathey et al. 1998; Bradley et al. 2003). Stubblefield et al. (1986) determined that introgression on the Iron Mountain Ranch in the Trans-Pecos Region was as high as 24%; however, hybridization averaged 5.6% across the study area using a total sample size of 319 deer. For the Panhandle region, Bradley et al. (2003) detected a hybridization level of 13% using a total sample size of 15 deer.


Or another article by a wildlife biologist: https://www.deeranddeerhunting.com/...-unique-tail-of-whitetails-and-mule-deer

Quote
Metatarsal Glands: The only physical character that can be used to accurately diagnose a hybrid in the field is the metatarsal gland, which is located on the outside of the lower portion of the rear legs. The metatarsal glands on mule deer sit high on the lower leg and are 4 to 6 inches long and always surrounded by brown fur. The whitetail’s metatarsals are below the mid-point of the lower leg, less than 1 inch long, and surrounded by white hairs. A white- tail/mule deer hybrid has metatarsal glands that split the difference in location, appearance and length (between 2 to 4 inches).


Or how about a quote from STX? Will that work? https://texashuntingforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/2087011/Re:_Mule_Deer_and_Hybrid_White

Originally Posted by stxranchman
Originally Posted by Palehorse
This is from a paper from TPWD, "Mule Deer Management in Texas."

"Antler characteristics, tail coloration and ear length are not reliable in recognizing hybrids. Hybrids can be identified by the length of the metatarsal gland that is located on the outside of the rear leg between the hock and the hoof. It typically will measure about 3/4 inch long in whitetails and about 4 inches long in mule deer. The metatarsal gland of hybrids is intermediate in length, measuring about 2 inches long. It has been theorized that occurrences of hybridization are initiated by white-tailed bucks, but interbreeding also can occur between mule deer bucks and white-tailed does. Hybrids appear to have at least a limited degree of fertility (Stubblefield 1985)."

X2 on this one. I hunted in Pecos County in the 1980's and my cousin killed a cross that had this one. I have some old 35mm pics I will see if I can dig up. The buck had deep forks on the back tines to the main beam but had a whitetail rack and body size from what I can remember of him. This ranch had both Mule Deer and whitetail. Mule deer on the western rougher half and mainly whitetail on the eastern half and the cross came in the lap area.



Originally Posted by onlysmith&wesson
On our whitetail lease it's not uncommon to see 40 mule deer on any given day. They are very territorial and have their own habitat and area they stick to. Our whitetails and mule deer don't occupy the same areas. We did have mule deer this year in an area that for the last 17 years mule deer have never been seen. All of a sudden this season mule deer moved into this area which is about 4-5 miles from the area they have and still occupy. We have good #'s of both. Never seen a hybrid. The best question to me is what are the circumstances that would lead to this occurring.


Take a look at this, from the same article above:
Quote
Research has revealed that hybridization occurs in both directions — that is, mule deer bucks mating white-tailed does and white-tailed bucks mating mule deer does. The most common “direction” of hybridization seems to be between a white- tailed buck and mule deer doe. This is because whitetails are much more aggressive in their breeding behavior and any mule deer doe that doesn’t run fast enough is going to be bred pretty quick. The fact that most hybrids seem to be found in mule deer groups supports this.


Also, while each species on my place have their own "habits," they haven't shown to be all that territorial. I have lots of pics over the years with both at the same feeder.

[Linked Image]


[Linked Image] [Linked Image]
Re: Which is it? Mule or Whitetail. [Re: Mr. T.] #9156764 12/21/24 12:05 AM
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If i was to designate either species as “territorial”, it would certainly be the WT and not the mule deer. When i bought my first farm in this area in 2007, muledeer outnumbered WT by a substantial amount. Today, id say we are at 50/50 or quite probably a majority WT. Muledeer are neither as territorial nor adaptable as a WT and are being displaced at an alarming rate IMHO. As to the 8-15% hybridization rate, dont believe it for a second. Im around both species EVERY DAY. id be seeing a whole lot more interspecies chasing were that the case. If you are a scientist studying a specific occurrence and determine it to be negligible or close to ZERO, your study is done and there is no need to continue in the near term. If you can “show” a measurable or sizable occurrence rate, the “study” continues. How many animals were trapped and DNA tested to arrive at this data point?

Re: Which is it? Mule or Whitetail. [Re: Mr. T.] #9156792 12/21/24 12:44 AM
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bang

The studies provide genetic data, probably mostly taken from harvested deer.

Transparently, and as someone who has conducted original scientific research, I'll be the first to comment on the perversion of science for political gain. You manipulate your variables just enough, you can get them to say what you want them to say. However, these studies aren't cholesterol studies funded by the egg industry, or diabetic studies funded by the sugar industry. A huge number of these studies are simply PhD students working on their dissertation in wildlife management or similar field. There really isn't any funding to speak about, and there really are no variables here. These researchers are simply collecting data and presenting to the community for posterity and a grade or degree.

Genetically, either a deer is a hybrid or it isn't. But there sure seems to be a lot of geneticists on here. Man, and they can even discern genetic code without taking DNA samples and certainly know better than the published studies...


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Re: Which is it? Mule or Whitetail. [Re: Mr. T.] #9156851 12/21/24 02:59 AM
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kry226, you need to find some ignorant soul in Florida to argue with. You're not doing too well here with people who've been around the block on this subject.

Re: Which is it? Mule or Whitetail. [Re: Mr. T.] #9156869 12/21/24 03:25 AM
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My only experience is limited up Aspermont way but, I love studies. Especially like culling can’t take out genetics. This one may be similar.

Re: Which is it? Mule or Whitetail. [Re: Jgraider] #9156876 12/21/24 03:31 AM
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Originally Posted by Jgraider
kry226, you need to find some ignorant soul in Florida to argue with. You're not doing too well here with people who've been around the block on this subject.

And there it is. Ad hominem rears its head...

Ha! What are you talking about? I've done nothing but present studies and articles written by people who actually have credentials in their field and have done research on the topic. Have they not been around the block like the experts posting in this thread? Are they lying? They apparently know nothing about which they speak.

I guess everything else in this thread, which is anecdotal at best, is where the true gospel lies.


Ignorant? roflmao


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Re: Which is it? Mule or Whitetail. [Re: Mr. T.] #9156956 12/21/24 11:59 AM
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They exist for sure, and I think most would agree, I’m just not sure at high 9-15% prevalence, that’s saying for every 100 deer in a field 9-15 are hybridized. That's a substantial sub set that has an even lower probability of reproduction with in its sub set. I could see .5% maybe. If hybridization rate is 9-15% it must not be physical expressed and only found via DNA sampling. That’s would be the only thing that makes observational sense

Who knows, but cool topic though. A lot better the HF/223 smile


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Re: Which is it? Mule or Whitetail. [Re: kry226] #9156980 12/21/24 01:27 PM
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Originally Posted by kry226
Originally Posted by Jgraider
I grew up in W TX where muleys and WT's overlap. Hunted that country for decades. No matter what you read, real life hybrids are very rare. The guy who hunted with us that I was referring to was Horace Gore's sidekick biologist, who helped come up with the "Golden Triangle" terminology, and was one of the father's of modern day whitetail deer mgt in TX, along with Gore. I'll take his word for it over "guessing".


This really isn't about guessing. It's about scientific documentation that hybrids occur at a higher rate that most would care to believe, regardless of whether characteristics are observable, or not. I'm not sure why there's such a resistance to WT/MD hybrids on THF, but it's almost up there with HF/LF and .223 for deer. I guess I just don't get why folks are such naysayers about it. "No matter what you read?" Really? You mean like a scientific study that I posted a link to?

How about another study, which quotes additional studies/confirmations? https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/cjz-2023-0082

Quote
In Texas, hybridization between white-tailed deer and mule deer occurs in the Trans-Pecos Region and along the edges of the Llano Estacado in the Panhandle region of Texas (Carr et al. 1986; Stubblefield et al. 1986; Derr 1991; Ballinger et al. 1992; Carr and Hughes 1993; Cathey et al. 1998; Bradley et al. 2003). Stubblefield et al. (1986) determined that introgression on the Iron Mountain Ranch in the Trans-Pecos Region was as high as 24%; however, hybridization averaged 5.6% across the study area using a total sample size of 319 deer. For the Panhandle region, Bradley et al. (2003) detected a hybridization level of 13% using a total sample size of 15 deer.


Or another article by a wildlife biologist: https://www.deeranddeerhunting.com/...-unique-tail-of-whitetails-and-mule-deer

Quote
Metatarsal Glands: The only physical character that can be used to accurately diagnose a hybrid in the field is the metatarsal gland, which is located on the outside of the lower portion of the rear legs. The metatarsal glands on mule deer sit high on the lower leg and are 4 to 6 inches long and always surrounded by brown fur. The whitetail’s metatarsals are below the mid-point of the lower leg, less than 1 inch long, and surrounded by white hairs. A white- tail/mule deer hybrid has metatarsal glands that split the difference in location, appearance and length (between 2 to 4 inches).


Or how about a quote from STX? Will that work? https://texashuntingforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/2087011/Re:_Mule_Deer_and_Hybrid_White

Originally Posted by stxranchman
Originally Posted by Palehorse
This is from a paper from TPWD, "Mule Deer Management in Texas."

"Antler characteristics, tail coloration and ear length are not reliable in recognizing hybrids. Hybrids can be identified by the length of the metatarsal gland that is located on the outside of the rear leg between the hock and the hoof. It typically will measure about 3/4 inch long in whitetails and about 4 inches long in mule deer. The metatarsal gland of hybrids is intermediate in length, measuring about 2 inches long. It has been theorized that occurrences of hybridization are initiated by white-tailed bucks, but interbreeding also can occur between mule deer bucks and white-tailed does. Hybrids appear to have at least a limited degree of fertility (Stubblefield 1985)."

X2 on this one. I hunted in Pecos County in the 1980's and my cousin killed a cross that had this one. I have some old 35mm pics I will see if I can dig up. The buck had deep forks on the back tines to the main beam but had a whitetail rack and body size from what I can remember of him. This ranch had both Mule Deer and whitetail. Mule deer on the western rougher half and mainly whitetail on the eastern half and the cross came in the lap area.



Originally Posted by onlysmith&wesson
On our whitetail lease it's not uncommon to see 40 mule deer on any given day. They are very territorial and have their own habitat and area they stick to. Our whitetails and mule deer don't occupy the same areas. We did have mule deer this year in an area that for the last 17 years mule deer have never been seen. All of a sudden this season mule deer moved into this area which is about 4-5 miles from the area they have and still occupy. We have good #'s of both. Never seen a hybrid. The best question to me is what are the circumstances that would lead to this occurring.


Take a look at this, from the same article above:
Quote
Research has revealed that hybridization occurs in both directions — that is, mule deer bucks mating white-tailed does and white-tailed bucks mating mule deer does. The most common “direction” of hybridization seems to be between a white- tailed buck and mule deer doe. This is because whitetails are much more aggressive in their breeding behavior and any mule deer doe that doesn’t run fast enough is going to be bred pretty quick. The fact that most hybrids seem to be found in mule deer groups supports this.


Also, while each species on my place have their own "habits," they haven't shown to be all that territorial. I have lots of pics over the years with both at the same feeder.

[Linked Image]

My post was my observation. We're in the same hood, and we have also seen on occasion whitetails and mule deer occupy the same space, but it's rare. When I say they are territorial, I mean the masses of them are in specific areas and once in the heart of these areas you only see one species. Kind of like human demographics?

These studies are interesting and are accurate in the area they were taken. I read them and consider the data to keep my mind open to consider their results as a possibility in my hunting strategy. In the end, I go with is happening in my hunting territory because that is what I see and know what is happening where it is relevant to me. As an example, a study has been referenced here stating a whitetail buck has a home range of 1,000 acres. That may be true some places, but not where I hunt.


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