Muley Whitey Hybrid?

[Spitz]

So, during one of my many wanderings this year, I picked up this skull. It was peculiar enough to bring home and clean up. I found it in an area inhabited mostly by mulies, but whiteys can be found within a mile or so down in the river bottoms.

I've never gotten the official lowdown on whether a mule deer and a whitetail can breed, but I have seen antlers with attributes of both.

I thought I'd share pics of the skull I found and see what you guys have to say about it.

 

[Larry Landgren]

That is a pretty cool find. the main beams sure look like a whitetail but the g-5's dont curve in like one, just stays strait like a carp

 

[mtmiller]

G-5's??? Oh, I shoot those broadheads also.

 

[Larry Landgren]

Sorry the main beams I meant lol

yeah those montec g-5's are a damn good broad head

 

[Calif. Hunter]

According to my brother, who is a biologist with USF&W, mule deer does will breed with whitetail bucks, but whitetail does do not breed with muley bucks - the rut behavior is too different.

 

[Ridge Runner]

always knew they were little hussies Isn't that how we get blacktails by some mixing like that?

 

[IdahoMuleyMan]

They do cross breed on occassion but the antlers are the least accurate indicator, other more accurate indicators would be the color of the tail and/or the size of the metatarsal gland. Which obviously you don't have, but yeah, by just looking at the horns you might have something...

 

[iminrut]

I have pictures of a hybrid I shot a few years back....I'll see if i can dig them up.....

The buck had a typical 5 point whitetail rack, but it was super dark chocolate brown. He also had a short stubby head with the dark forehead patch like a muley.....huge muley ears, but white down the back of his legs and belly like a whitetail.....and the tail was white with the black tip just like a muley......I had the entire hide tanned too....should have actually had it mounted, but i decided to just do a euro and tan the hide instead...

 

[yoteler]

I think this is a hybrid

 

[280rem]

I've seen a few in Montana near the river bottoms. I think they mostly resemble a whitetail but they'll have the forked horn like a mulie.

 

[Bill M]

When I was coming home from a moose hunt in Alberta I saw 14 mule deer does with the biggest 4x4 muley buck Ive ever seen and not twenty yards from him was a 5x5 whitetail.

 

[Spitz]

My guess is that males will chase any tail they can possibly get. Kinda like a few guys around here!

 

[speedgoattaxidermy]

here's one

i got this buck in a few years ago to mount. it was a whitetail body with just a muley tail. and the horns have a fork on both sides. body size was about 180lbs. it came the river bottoms by decker mt.
i think you can see which one he is. back buck with the twisted neck.

 

[mtmiller]

i got this buck in a few years ago to mount. it was a whitetail body with just a muley tail. and the horns have a fork on both sides. body size was about 180lbs. it came the river bottoms by decker mt.
i think you can see which one he is. back buck with the twisted neck.

Sweet buck and interesting form. cool...cool

 

[TheTone]

I've seen a total of one deer in my life I feel confident I can call a hybrid. She was in an area that is very mixed between whiteys and mulies; although they do kind of segregate in the different habitats present. She displayed numerous mixed characteristics, ear size, face, tail, hide, and strange gait. It's been probably 3 years since I've seen her and only on one occasion.

 

[Deadred7o7]

always knew they were little hussies Isn't that how we get blacktails by some mixing like that?

I think it was the other way around a Muley is a cross form a whitetail and a blacktail

Kyle