whitetail deer vs mule deer

Archery Whitetail: Nov.2-6 . Big bucks, land management, rut reports, and tips for the whitetail obsessed. Because of this we really limit the number of mule deer hunters that we take in per year. White-tailed deer being an older species are much more resistance to various parasites and diseases, especially brain worm disease. 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. In genetic studies of wild deer ranging from West Texas to Alberta, they’ve found that hybrids can make up anywhere between 0% to 14% of a given population where the species overlap, although proportions below 6% seem to be more common. I’ve often wondered whether I’ve seen a hybrid before, but I can’t confidently say I have. Nov.2-6. However, the top of a mule deer’s tail is the same color as the sides and back of the pelt, down to a small, dark or black tip on the tail. The white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, Ecuador, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. Here is a picture of one of my white mule deer hybrids. I think that there is enough source and data to say that the division needs to come up with a plan. The Rump. Advertise With Us. I have heard of whitetail deer in the river bottoms at the mouth of Weber Co. in South Weber and Uintah. Mule deer are larger than whitetail deer, usually weighing between 100 and 220 pounds. Copyright © 2000 - 2020, MuleyMadness.com Mule deer take 7 months to produce a fawn while whitetail deer take only 6.5 months. Bighorn. Whitetail deer are reddish-brown in the summer and more gray in the winter. White-tailed deer populations are rapidly expanding across their range while mule deer populations have declined west wide and are no longer found on the edge of their former historical range. Many Alabamians consider hunting big mule deer vs whitetail deer, in the Rocky Mountains, as the hunts of their lifetimes. White-tailed deer vary more; on average they are smaller than mule deer, but some subspecies are quite bigger. Mule deer are slightly more accepting to hunters and pressure. Rifle Mule Deer: Nov.9-13, Nov.15-19, Nov.21-25. Terms of Use | Thread starter rob86jeep; Start date Sep 14, 2020; Sep 14, 2020 #1 R. rob86jeep Senior Member. It is estimated that this population of white-tailed deer is almost doubling every year. But when they do come in contact, their differences in breeding behavior further reduce the chance that they will interbreed. Adult mule deer usually measure around 105 cm (42 in) tall at the shoulder. Posts: 6,435. While whitetail and mule deer hunting with our experienced guides. However, in winter whitetail transition to more of a greyish-brown colored … In some areas, including northern regions, bucks can be as heavy as 450 pounds: Coloring Mule Deer Vs Whitetail Deer Hunting. I live in South West Colorado and the mule deer often taste as good as elk meat (surprise!). You will also find great waterfowl and prairie dog hunts here. This is mainly due to their more elusive more nocturnal characteristics. Its cousin, the mule deer, resembles the whitetail, and in some … Mule deer are identifiable in the way they move, too. Instead, their run is a combination of galloping and the stotting. In most cases, the mule deer will have significantly longer ears than a whitetail. Black tails also tend to be a little darker than mule dee… In our series Ask a Warden, we interview officers from across the country to learn about their role... Our picks for the week’s best hunting, fishing, wild foods, and conservation content. These different movement tactics reflect the environments that these animals adapted to and help them better escape predators. When hybrids do make it to adulthood, they typically aren’t as well adapted to their environment as either parent species. This is mainly due to the fact that a doe fawn can and do get bred in the fall before they are a year old. A single, springing jump can cover more than twenty-five feet! * It will be a dream come true for me. If hunting it is absolutely essential that one can distinguish between the Whitetail and Mule deer to ensure a mistake is not made and the wrong species is taken without the proper tag. Large ears, white rump, black-tipped tail and forked antlers identify a mule deer. Belly Mule deer have a grayish-brown belly like the rest of the body. Looking at their faces, the whitetail deer has a brown face with white circles around its eyes and nose, whereas the mule deer has a mostly white face. “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.”. 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. The mule deer lives in rough but open country and uses a special kind of pogo stick jumping as its main escape from predators. These include the eastern plains of Montana, Snake River plains in Idaho, Blackfoot Indian Reservation in Idaho, and in many places throughout Canada. * I plan to breed them to 280 inch mule deer semen this fall. Because of these differences in where they live, an individual deer’s chance of encountering and breeding with the other species is already reduced. And with an estimated population of 200 animals here in Utah (expected to double yearly) the whitetails are looking to displace our beloved muley here in Utah as well. But, so far, there are enough differences in their ecology, behavior, genetics, and appearance that they remain designated separately. These hybrids may look and act a little funky, but they can survive into adulthood. About Us | Whitetail deer have a white belly underneath. Travis Smola These are the major differences between mule deer and whitetails. or. This hybridization usually takes place with a white-tailed buck mating with a mule deer doe. The name whitetail deer comes from the use of its tail. With the recent and increased sightings and harvest of White-tailed Deer in Utah, I thought it would be interesting to share a few facts regarding these two species and the challenges which will be faced by the mule deer. At the same time, mule deer that eat sage brush taste terrible! 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. Myths, lies and old wives’ tales loom large in the outdoor pursuits. White-tailed deer populations are rapidly expanding across their range while mule deer populations have declined west wide and are no longer found on the edge of their former historical range. There are a few different deer species living here in North America. Again, I think there needs to be some discussion/working group formed where we can discuss the issues, educate the public, and make management decisions which best represent the native wildlife of this state and the interest of the public. I fear the encroachment of the white-tailed deer in Utah will become a real threat to mule deer if we don’t act quickly and develop a aggressive management plan for the white-tailed deer. Sitkas, coues and axis to name a few. 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. Two year-old mule deer are most frequently mistaken for hybrids. It is called "stotting". Not a high fence hunt, free ranging conditions. I've been talking to several Nebraska outfitters about booking a mule deer hunt. 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. Whitetail deer could be … Article by Javert (Mitch Winter) 295. Learn how our TAGS Service can help. The mule deer’s antlers, on the … They in fact, are carriers of many diseases which mule deer are highly susceptible to. Request Info. Those aren’t empty words. Whitetail Vs Mule Deer. Our guided hunts are for free-ranging game under fair chase conditions in Texas. Genetic analyses, of course, are also effective at telling whether an animal is a hybrid—but likely out of reach to the average hunter. Mule deer also have much darker foreheads than whitetails, too. It’s important to properly identify any animal you’re about to hunt. The mule deer’s ears also stand about a 30-degree angle on the head, as opposed to the whitetail’s which are rounded and stand more erect. Whitetail vs. Mule Deer. Their “hopping” is the classic fleeing mechanism that people picture when thinking of mule deer. B. Bighorn OP. Whitetails also have a higher birth rate, their does can often breed their first fall at 6 months of age. However, whitetails have a main beam with individual tines coming up. The first white-tailed buck (a mature buck) was harvested on the cache unit in 2000 and two additional bucks were harvested in the Twin Creeks area in 2001. But, if hybrids can occur so frequently, could they eventually replace whitetail or mule deer? Cervid: mule deer,whitetail,elk,goats,bighorn & stone sheep & Alaskan dahl sheep. All pictures, images, & content are owned by MuleyMadness and cannot be used without permission Hence, this is the main difference between whitetail and mule deer. Fur color Mule deer are grayish-brown in the summer and more gray in the winter. I took an 10 year old rutting mule deer that weighed 322 pounds two years ago and it tasted as good as elk. Mule deer vs. Whitetail- which would you shoot? Whitetails don't do that. OP. I asked Jim Heffelfinger, wildlife science coordinator at the Arizona Game and Fish Department and hybrid ungulate expert, for his thoughts on the matter. Hybrids can also reproduce, which further complicates identification. Whitetails and muleys rut at slightly different times and in different areas. Campfire Tracker. They tend not to spook as easy as whitetails. In general, mule deer are stockier than white-tailed deer. Similar to the mule deer, the whitetail deer also derives its name from the color of its tail. B. Media | White-tailed deer are a much more adaptable deer species and continued to expand their current range every year. Whitetail Deer: Mule Deer: Size: Whitetail deer usually weigh between about 90 to 200 pounds. The underside of the tail of both species is creamy colored to white, so there isn’t much of a comparison there. However, if you’ve seen the diagnostic metatarsal gland, all I can say is that you’re one lucky buck. For starters, whitetails and mule deer are very closely related, belonging to the same taxonomic genus, Odocoileus. In fact the whitetail are starting to displace mule deer in Idaho, Montana, and Canada and the Mule deer ranges are significantly smaller than their historic ranges. Offspring are viable (reproductivly) and usually retain the white-tail characteristics. These different movement tactics reflect the environments that these animals adapted to and help them better escape predators. This Little Whitetail Packs a Serious Punch. Also, mule deer tend to be much more laid back and less jittery. Sometimes male whitetail deer can weigh over 400 pounds. Contact Us | Joined: Jun 2001. Currently, the DWR has not developed a management plan for the white-tail specifically and the white-tail is recognized as just another deer species in Utah. 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. They are more difficult to control in agriculture depredation conflicts and present a bigger more costly challenge to wildlife managers. Although hybrids do occur, we don’t need to be worried that these ungainly ungulates will take over. The Ears. If they can breed, aren’t they just one animal? There is an obvious physical distinction between mule deer vs. whitetail deer, but how do you properly scout and hunt each species? Gestation for mule deer is seven months, versus … Mule deer mate from mid- to late-November; white-tailed deer breed from late-November to early December. The mule deer are iconic in the west and a prized animal by many hunters. They just tuck tail (or, raise tail, rather) and run for the hills. Recently I’ve been shirking my normal work responsibilities of studying mule deer behavior to wade through nearly impenetrable genetics research, trying to figure out how often whitetail deer and mule deer hybridize. (Photo by Russell Graves) By Gordon Whittington. Finally, I would like to point out that white-tailed deer are not native to Utah, they are an invasive, aggressive species, which has the potential to displace mule deer throughout the west. Mule deer does weigh in between 100 and 220 pounds, whereas white-tailed does come in anywhere from 90-200 lbs. Privacy Notice | Lastly, whitetail does need to be 6 to 8 months old in order to breed, but mule deer does have to be 18 months old to reach sexual maturity. Both black tails and mule deer have pelts that vary from brown to golden brown in the summer and grayish in the winter. 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 most numerous and widespread deer species is the highly adaptable white-tailed deer, which lives across much of North America, from urban environments to remote wilderness areas. Mule deer have a coat that is more greyish-brown, while whitetails are more of a reddish-brown color. Here are a few facts we (my ghost writer) would like to share. 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. But those that do often find themselves witnessing sights like this one. Reversing a lower court’s decision, the Alabama Supreme Court has ruled that the fact a fawn is born of a whitetail doe doesn’t necessarily … Whitetail vs. Mule Deer By Josh Honeycutt author of Brow Tines and Backstrap March 14, 2016. Draw Required. However, two species stand alone as the undeniable favorites of both nature enthusiasts and hunters. But I’ve been researching deer for many years and have yet to see a truly verifiable hybrid. Most hunters don’t live in places where they can see both whitetails and mule deer run in the same circles. Here is what a mule deer looks like: And here is what a whitetail deer looks like: First, notice the faces. Whitetails and muleys hybridize often enough that some scientists have actually questioned whether these two deer should even be considered distinct species. Southern Kolorado. Scientists have been looking into this question since the 1980s. A mule deer has much more white on their face than a whitetail. This is in CO just east of Colorado Springs (plains area but I'm the border with mountains) so I assumed it was a whitetail. This close evolutionary relationship sets the stage for these two species to interbreed, a process known as hybridization. Mule deer does not. Mule deer does take longer to mature. White-tailed deer present a bigger management challenge to wildlife managers. It is just a two-week difference but this actually leads to higher birth rates for the overall population of whitetails. Hybridization has shown to favor the white-tailed deer where mule deer populations are low and where mule deer buck to doe ratios are low. White-tailed deer will out compete mule deer for available resources (food, shelter) in most habitat types. We offer Texas trophy whitetail deer hunts and mule deer hunts, bobwhite quail, and Rio Grande turkey hunting in the panhandle. Since some states have an overlap of whitetail and mule deer, and different rules for each, telling them apart can sometimes be critical. White-tailed deer have been around at least 4 million years as opposed to the mule deer, which has only been in existence for approximately 15,000 years. As I’m a Utahan born and raised and I’ve noticed the recent influx on Whitetail deer in a Mule Deer range so I thought I’d compare the two cousins for everyone. With the first sighting in 1996, the estimated population now is between 50-100 animals. In other words, depending on the location in question, whitetail and mule deer can hybridize readily. Reverse mating (mule deer buck to a white-tail doe) is rare and usually results in death of the offspring. From an economic stand point mule deer, as a dwindling species are a much more sought after trophy and are more valuable from a hunting and ecological viewpoints. Campfire Tracker. This is unlikely, primarily because the habitat and behavioral differences between the species prevent hybrids from becoming more prevalent. Our South Dakota rifle mule deer hunting is nothing short of world class. Some can even produce fertile offspring of their own. Hybrids, as you would expect, often look like a combination of whitetail and mule deer. MULE DEER HUNTS . “These hybrids have been documented everywhere mule deer and whitetails are together, but it is nearly impossible to identify one with certainty through a rifle scope,” Heffelfinger said. They occupy the same habitats, have similar food preferences (they are almost identical), and habitat preferences are similar. Is this a mule deer or whitetail? Although whitetail and mule deer often share landscapes, each species has their own preferences when it comes to choosing habitat patches. Posts: 6,435. Mule deer were named for their mule-like ears, which are larger than those of whitetail. * It's been a few years sinse I saw a*white mule deer in Montana. I don’t think white-tailed deer should be managed under the same umbrella that mule deer are managed. The Mule and Whitetail deer also have similar brown coats making it even that much more difficult for a new hunter. * Any luck at all I will have 75% white mule deer on the ground in 2015. So, I wanted to find out how often it actually happens. Joined Dec 19, 2017 Messages 483 Location Colorado. The mule deer also has a white tail yet with a speck of black at the tail-end, which is hardly noticeable. 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. White-tailed deer have a higher reproductive rate. 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