sorry guys, I didn't mean to imply I actually thought he was any percentage mulie. He is definitely 100% whitetail just had a few mulie-ish looking characteristics. I didn't even notice the black tip on his tail but I looked at the video and its just a shadow behind him. And, of course this thread is a waste of time, everything is until hunting season.
Muley looking whitetail
- Thread starter kenton
- Start date
Gut Shot
Well-known member
Whitetails with forked G-2 points are common in my area. Also deer with a dark forehead patch are regular occurrences. But they are all whitetail. Maybe I'll dig up some pictures if I can find them.
RUT JUNKEY
Well-known member
this^^^^^ dark leaf behind the tip of the tail. All Whitetail here. . .and a pretty good one too.
dcopas78
Well-known member
I have saw forked G-2s alot on the whitetails where I live.
Muley_Stalker
Well-known member
Hypothetical, because i'm curious. What if the black spot wasn't a plant, but on the tail?
What would you call the deer then?
What would you call the deer then?
LCH
Well-known member
Knowing it's from Ohio? Whitetail.
I will give you this - if it were taken anywhere close to a mule deer population, I'd consider it a possible hybrid.
It's a nice deer, thanks for sharing Kenton.
Edit - Typing same time as pointer...
I will give you this - if it were taken anywhere close to a mule deer population, I'd consider it a possible hybrid.
It's a nice deer, thanks for sharing Kenton.
Edit - Typing same time as pointer...
TRS_Montana
Well-known member
A whitetail with a black spot on its tail...?
There are mulie/whitetail hybrids, but having a black spot on the tail does not make it a mule deer or even a hybrid. This is like asking "what do you call a whitetail with 12 heads?". It is still genetically a whitetail.
TRS_Montana
Well-known member
Like LCH said, if it were near a known mule deer population, maybe you could argue about hybrids, but that just looks like a neat whitetail to me.
Gut Shot
Well-known member
A whitetail that sat in the mud.
Seriously, whitetails have a range of color, mostly in the fall/winter. You'll see deer with muley grey coats to reddish brown coats just a little darker than their summer coats. Also white in the face, little throat patches, double throat patches, dark or light foreheads, white around the eyes. I've even shot whitetails with white hooves. I've never seen one with black in the tail though.
Poke 'Em
Well-known member
Hybridization occurs far less than it appears many on here are assuming.
LCH
Well-known member
Only would have to occur once for a bunch of deer to be running around with mixed DNA, especially if the original offspring was a buck.(assuming it wasn't sterile).
Again, probably not in Ohio
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Muley_Stalker
Well-known member
I mention this, because we have some whitetails in a mule deer area here. They are very generous with the tags, because they don't want any crossbreeding. It happens to be in the area I live, and I might get a tag to see if I can find one.
I asked the DOW what happens if a muley is shot by accident. I wasn't asking for myself, but just in general. I asked what method are you going to use to identify it as a whitetail. He said the best way is the tail.
Being the curious type I asked what if we're talking about a hybrid? After all we are talking about mule deer and whitetails that have lived together for years. I said what if it looks exactly like a whitetail, but has a muley tail?, He said........that would be a problem, but a warden would probably let it pass.
So, my interest was sparked by this thread. I assumed all the time the deer had a muley tail, but the picture was too fuzzy to tell for sure. I was looking for other signs of a muley assuming the OP thought it was a muley too. Otherwise, why did he start the thread?
Anyway, I have a reason to be interested in hybrids. I only hunted for whitetails 5-6 when I was young and living in Mass. Once moving out west it's been nothing but muley's for over 50 years. I'm hoping the whitetails I hunt this year close to home will be pure whitetails, and easy to recognize. I really don't know what a hybrid will look like? I guess if it has a WT tail i'm safe? Sort of.
I asked the DOW what happens if a muley is shot by accident. I wasn't asking for myself, but just in general. I asked what method are you going to use to identify it as a whitetail. He said the best way is the tail.
Being the curious type I asked what if we're talking about a hybrid? After all we are talking about mule deer and whitetails that have lived together for years. I said what if it looks exactly like a whitetail, but has a muley tail?, He said........that would be a problem, but a warden would probably let it pass.
So, my interest was sparked by this thread. I assumed all the time the deer had a muley tail, but the picture was too fuzzy to tell for sure. I was looking for other signs of a muley assuming the OP thought it was a muley too. Otherwise, why did he start the thread?
Anyway, I have a reason to be interested in hybrids. I only hunted for whitetails 5-6 when I was young and living in Mass. Once moving out west it's been nothing but muley's for over 50 years. I'm hoping the whitetails I hunt this year close to home will be pure whitetails, and easy to recognize. I really don't know what a hybrid will look like? I guess if it has a WT tail i'm safe? Sort of.
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RobertR
Member
Cross breeding does happen where both species cross paths. Some of the traits of a mule deer that comes out in the whitetail is the chest has a black strip and the tail is shorter with black highlights, the ears are bigger. The antlers usually stay typical of a whitetail with the exception of split forks.
You will always have naysayers that say it's not possible.
This is best representation I have of a cross. This deer had a short tail with black on the outside of the tail and larger than normal ears for a whitetail and the back of the ears have a. black fringe.to put the ears in perspective this deer is 24" wide.
You will always have naysayers that say it's not possible.
This is best representation I have of a cross. This deer had a short tail with black on the outside of the tail and larger than normal ears for a whitetail and the back of the ears have a. black fringe.to put the ears in perspective this deer is 24" wide.
