Ears are normally larger than a whitetail but smaller than a mule deer. I’ve often wondered whether I’ve seen a hybrid before, but I can’t confidently say I have. How about a Whitetail-Mule deer hybrid! Some can even produce fertile offspring of their own. Their escape by stotting is not as fast as the whitetail’s, but in rugged terrain it is effective for putting obstacles between the predator and the deer. This system of species segregation has worked remarkably well throughout their evolutionary coexistence. That bio ⦠Everything in that pic you posted shows nothing that its a hybrid, and everything about it screams mule deer. Metatarsal glands on hybrids are intermediate in length and position when compared to the 1-inch-long glands that sit towards the bottom of whitetail deer’s legs, and hand-length glands higher up on mule deer legs. We hunt by spot stalk, stand hunting and driving many bush ⦠At the same time, other researchers were busy analyzing the genetics of whitetails and mule deer on a ranch in west Texas with a different method. Hybrids have always fascinated us throughout the history of mankind. A casual glance and "it's a hybrid" opinion is not proof of interbreeding. Looking at the length and position of the metatarsal glands on the outside of a deer’s hind legs, however, is a best way to identify a first-generation hybrid. Analysis of the rest of the DNA (nuclear DNA) with Polymerase Chain Reaction-based microsatellites or any of the other rapidly developing techniques will add much to our knowledge of the origin of deer. The fawns are hybrids. A whitetail-mule deer hybrid has metatarsal glands that split the difference, usually measuring between 2-4 inches and encircled with white hair. Hybrids between White-Tailed Deer and Mule Deer are quite common where their ranges overlap. So, I wanted to find out how often it actually happens. This buck was taken by Jason Montagna and confirmed as a hybrid by genetic testing in 2007. Much in the same way that hybrids’ appearance is a combination of features from each parent species, hybrids move in a way that is not quite whitetail but not quite mule deer either. However, if you’ve seen the diagnostic metatarsal gland, all I can say is that you’re one lucky buck. I know the white tail here are more aggressive in the rut and will run off a mulie buck but every year coming in to the rut I see some herds mixed and there always seems to be at least one hybrid ⦠In 1939, famous outdoor writer, Jack O’Conner also remarked that a whitetail-mule deer hybrid “more nearly resembles the Columbian blacktail than it does either of its parents.”. Recent advances in DNA analysis technology has allowed us to look at more definitive things than ears and antlers. The low number of interspecies matings and the low survival of hybrid offspring reduce the chance of encountering one in the wild to near zero. Archery harvest data for deer in Arizona from 1952-2000. When hybrids do make it to adulthood, they typically aren’t as well adapted to their environment as either parent species. But sometimes it’s hard to tell whether you’re looking at a strange whitey or muley, or if you’ve actually got a hybrid. This strategy developed in mule deer because they evolved in wide open and rugged country throughout the West. This combined style of movement, however, doesn’t compound effectiveness at escaping predators—it reduces their ability to escape. This theory is based on the different breeding strategies of the two species. Survival in the wild is even more difficult when food doesn’t come from a feed trough and there’s no fence between them and animals with sharp teeth. After a few generations, the results of these matings would look like mule deer but would have pure whitetail mtDNA from their mother and grandmother. This observation is not solely mine, nor is it new. Genetic analyses, of course, are also effective at telling whether an animal is a hybrid—but likely out of reach to the average hunter. But I’ve been researching deer for many years and have yet to see a truly verifiable hybrid. Ken Allen says: July 7, 2017 at 3:44 pm . This is useful because a hybrid that has a whitetail mother and mule deer father, will have only whitetail mtDNA (the rest of the DNA will be from both mother and father). Photo by Gerald Day. Male White-Tailed is more aggressive than the male ⦠Mule deer can sport ears over 10 inches long, while whitetails only measure about 7 inches, maybe 8 if theyâre really pushing it. Also, in many areas where their range overlaps, the rut peaks at slightly different times for the 2 species. In the 1970s, Gerald Day also produced hybrids in captivity in Arizona. Big bucks, land management, rut reports, and tips for the whitetail obsessed. The mule deer was described by John J. Audubon in 1846 as having fur like an elk but hooves like a whitetail. Young mule deer sometimes give the appearance of a very large white-tailed deer, especially if it’s tail has a dark stripe down the back, as sometimes occurs. The whitetails in the Carmen Mountains of northern Mexico have been shown to exhibit a high degree of forked antlers like mule deer. They put their head down, follow established trails, and try to put as much distance between themselves and the predator as possible, as fast as possible. “Although whitetail x mule deer hybrids do occur, they are much rarer than most people think,” he said. Despite all the differences across the country, there are actually only 2 species of deer in the U.S.: white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus). After a million years species evolved along the west coast as a distinctly separate cousin to the original whitetail. The production of proteins in the body is regulated by genes so by analyzing differences between some proteins, researchers can identify what species a sample of tissue came from. Every now and then, I stumble across an idea that is pretty far outside what I am used to working on (or should be working on) but that captivates me nonetheless. The black-tailed deer was once believed to be a subspecies of the North American mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), however, recent DNA testing has proven this not to be the case.In Valerius Geist's book Mule Deer Country he explains that by testing the mitochondrial DNA of the three species (blacktail, whitetail and mule deer⦠Ten hybrids were born but only 4 lived past 6 months of age. In the case of whitetails and mule deer, courtship and breeding behavior is different enough that body language and scent cues given off by a female mule deer during rut are not “understood” by a male whitetail and vice versa. Hybrid deer measure somewhere in the middle. Many of our monsters are a mixture of man and beast (Wolfman, Dracula, the Fly). Most of these hybrid reports come from hunters who have a whitetail tag on the leg of a mule deer and are trying to convince the Game Warden that they are at least half right. I think its due to the growing mule deer population here. I will have more on the mule deer ⦠The mule deer breeding behavior is much more relaxed with the doe only moving a few steps if she is not ready. This protein produces a band in a different location for whitetails and mule deer. The same result can be had by mixing whitetail burger with mule deer burger and running the test on the mixture. These hybrids may look and act a little funky, but they can survive into adulthood. XBowHtr shot this giant coues with his bow. This theory is interesting since black-tailed deer actually look like a cross between a whitetail and a mule deer. This would explain the similarities between whitetail and mule deer mtDNA. Mule deer in some areas, like southern California, have a dark band running down the back of their tails. The tail of a hybrid looks very much like a typical whitetail, but is frequently much darker. 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. Pretty cool animal right here. However, in rare cases this system breaks down and genetic material slips across the behavioral barrier, resulting in a deer that is half whitetail and half mule deer. Many of our monsters are a mixture of man and beast including werewolves, Dracula and Moth-man. Our mule deer hunting area is about 500,000 acres of farm land, fringe, and the deep woods. But when two Alabama deer breeders created such hybrids via artificial insemination, it raised a legal issue for the stateâs court system. He also said she âcarries her head low like her porcine mother and thus runs with the back apparently much arched. Scientists have been looking into this question since the 1980s. On February 24, 2016 the mounted nontypical mule deer buck was delivered to the WGFD Forensic Laboratory for species and gender identification due to the claims it was a whitetail/mule deer hybrid. Some whitetails have characteristics (tails, forehead) which look like mulies and some mule deer may have whitetail-like features (no antler forks, black line on the back of the tail). This buck has mule deer type forked antlers and big ears, but the rest of its head and face has whitetail characteristics. Some can even produce fertile offspring of their own. For starters, whitetails and mule deer are very closely related, belonging to the same taxonomic genus, Odocoileus. #2058930 01/26/11 03:26 AM: Joined: Dec 2010. (Photo by Russell Graves) Hybrids can not be identified with certainty at a distance, and it is highly unlikely that a hunter will see a hybrid while afield. Throughout history, crossbreeds have fascinated us. also be sure to ask about our new pheasant hunting & fishing packages or add-ons! I spend a lot of my time trying to figure out what makes animals tick and brainstorming ways that wildlife managers might be able to use that information to promote the critters we care about. In other words, depending on the location in question, whitetail and mule deer can hybridize readily. The whitetail buck is accustomed to chasing a whitetail doe relentlessly until she allows him to breed. Most documented hybrids have whitetail-like antlers but you can’t count on antlers alone. Hybrids can also reproduce, which further complicates identification. From being born in the first place to successfully escaping predation, any hybrid you see has overcome a suite of strange, unusual chances to exist. This video shows some deer that I suspect are hybrids between whitetails and mule deer. This mysterious deer looks mostly like a mule deer but has a tail with a dark back-side like a whitetail. Technical hunting apparel and purpose-built gear for the avid hunter. Elk have 68 chromosomes and deer in the Odocoileus genus (White-tailed Deer, Mule Deer and Black-tailed Deer) have 70 chromosomes so it shouldn't be possible, but then donkeys with 62 chromosomes can bred with horses who have 64 to produce mules, which have 63 chromosomes. In an ongoing effort to be fiscally responsible, the Southern Research Station (SRS) will no longer produce and distribute hard copies of our publications. Two year-old mule deer are most frequently mistaken for hybrids. Whitetail-mule deer hybrids have also been reported in the wild from Alberta, British Columbia, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Washington, Texas, and Arizona. These matings resulted in 9 hybrid fawns, of which only 4 survived the first few months. This hybridization between the two different deer species is extremely rare but does occur throughout the West where their ranges overlap. These different movement tactics reflect the environments that these animals adapted to and help them better escape predators. The whitetail’s metatarsals are at or below the mid-point of the lower leg, usually less than 1 inch, and surrounded by white hairs. But when they do come in contact, their differences in breeding behavior further reduce the chance that they will interbreed. Interestingly, like the west Texas study, whitetails and mule deer were found to be more closely related to each other than blacktails and mule deer which are the same species (different subspecies). But, so far, there are enough differences in their ecology, behavior, genetics, and appearance that they remain designated separately. Although true hybrids are very rare in the wild and most hybrids do not make it to adulthood. Even more surprising, a different type of analysis showed that the mtDNA of mule deer on this ranch was more closely related to whitetails from South Carolina than to blacktails (a type of mule deer) from northern California! I have 3 sets of antlers in my livingroom: 2 are whitetails with forked primary tines (G2) and the third is a desert mule deer with 8 long points, all arising from the mainbeam. I had expressed an idea a few years back that people back East should us mule deer semen to their best whitetail does to make mule deer hybrids and thus diversify their herd into also raising mule deer looking stock to increase their*sales to harvest facilities. Also Know, what does a mule deer look like? When a buck whitetail comes across a mule deer doe in heat, if the buck is big enough he can drive off the mule deer bucks and breed the mule deer doe. For example, if you see a whitetail deer with an unexpected fork in their antlers, it’s mighty hard to tell based on antler characteristics alone whether you’re just looking at a whitetail with a nontypical rack or a hybrid. We have been providing mule deer hunts in Alberta for over 22 years. I have NEVER seen any specimen that I even remotely thought was a hybrid. Hybrids tails look like whitetails, but are darker, a bit longer than the normal mule deer tail and they have a slight black tip. If the hybrid was a female, it would continue to pass whitetail mtDNA through it’s daughters and their daughters even if bred by mule deer bucks. Even though the species have very different tails, antlers, ears, and coats, there’s so much natural variation at play that many of these characteristics aren’t useful for identifying crossbreeds. Whitetail/Muley hybrid. Stay up to date on new products and offerings. The relative scarcity of confirmed hybrids among the hundreds of thousands of deer that have been seen throughout the area of range overlap illustrates how rare they are. So where the two species share a common range, the whitetail tends to dominate. Hybrids appear to have at least a limited degree of fertility. They concluded hybridization was common on this ranch. Likewise, consider our heros: Spiderman, Batman, and Cat Woman. The research ended abruptly and the deer had to be released before any meaningful data could be collected. Serum albumin is a protein that has proven particularly useful. “Usually we just see a whitetail wearing a mule deer tag with the hunter trying to convince the warden he’s at least half right.”. He was over 6 yrs old. Every year numerous reports are received of “hybrid” deer from hunters. When a hybrid is tested, both the whitetail and the mule deer bands are present. Even a 1/8 whitetail X 7/8 mule deer fails miserably. On his mule deer hunt this yr he was seeing a few hundred deer each day. Hybrids, as you would expect, often look like a combination of whitetail and mule deer. What's going to happen now When these hybrids do make it to adulthood, they tend to have the tail of a whitetail but with a black or dark brown top, but can also have a regular mule ⦠Looks like the 200.20x is a shortened version of the 215 hybrid which Iâve read so much about for its effectiveness on elk one shot kills. This is because of their smaller antler development and the fact that the dichotomous branching, producing the big “forks”, usually does not occur until the buck is 3 years old. If the animals coexist in the same habitat then they generally have different courtship and breeding behavior to prevent interbreeding. The metatarsals on mule deer sit high on the lower leg and are 3 to 6 inches long and surrounded by light brown fur. This relatively close relationship between whitetail and mule deer and their genetic differences from blacktails has spawned a new theory that the mule deer itself is actually a hybrid form; the result of a mixing of genes from coastal blacktail bucks mating with whitetails does when the glaciers of the last Ice Age receded, bringing the two species together. When you draw a tag in our area it is good for either a Mule Deer or a Whitetail Hunt. It is not uncommon to see a group containing both whitetails and mule deer in these areas of overlap. Survival appears to be very low in hybrids even when pampered in a captive facility. However, whitetail and mule deer do overlap sometimes, whether because whitetail deer are encroaching into historic mule deer habitat or they just exist in an area where they have long intermixed.
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