Blacktail / Whitetail hybrid? Pics added!

[Rbob]

Anybody ever seen or heard of a hybrid like this? I have and have pics to prove it. I've been tracking this monster for the third season now. It is on the west side in the Puget sound area 15 min from my home so I have lots of pics of him and he definitely has a blacktail's tail on him and white tail left antler, the right side is just awesome! I'll let you all drool about that for a bit, I'll post pics later. So, who's seen any hybrids other than blacktail / muley's near the eastern western border?

[sirmissalot]

The puget sound is a long ways from any whitetails I've ever heard of, so that would be pretty interesting.

I've heard people say they think they saw or killed one, because its not uncommon for a blacktail to split off the main beam like a whitetail, especially for a 3 point. I saw a buck a kid killed near port orchard that was a 4 point that split off the main beam just like a whitetail but it was not a whitetail, or a hybrid, just cool genetics. Blacktails also wave the white flag like a whitetail so people often times get crazy ideas.

Would love to see pics of him.

[JPhelps]

 

Most likely just a different horn configuration than normal

[PolarBear]

It is actually more common than you might think in blacktails.  There are a few whitetails in SW WA but the interbreeding is extremely rare.

[Kola16]

It is actually more common than you might think in blacktails.  There are a few whitetails in SW WA but the interbreeding is extremely rare.

 

[Huntbear]

It is actually more common than you might think in blacktails.  There are a few whitetails in SW WA but the interbreeding is extremely rare.

 

[sirmissalot]

It is actually more common than you might think in blacktails.  There are a few whitetails in SW WA but the interbreeding is extremely rare.

That was my thought at first too but the columbia whitetails in the sw are a long ways from the puget sound area.

[PolarBear]

There have been Columbian Blacktails as far North as Grays Harbor, not that far from Puget Sound.

[Rbob]

I couldn't wait to post these

[Boss .300 winmag]

He is a cross dressing whitetail  , nice blackie definatly has a wierd rack. Shoootem.

[RB]

There is a Whitetail doe around the Arlington area I did not take a picture, but if you go to the Kangaroo farm off of highway 530 she hangs around there to eat. I thought I was hallucinating but I have seen and killed all three species that can be hunted and know the difference. The owner stated she comes and goes as she pleases and lives in the area.

[headshot5]

That's a dandy

But strange ones happen example see this thread that is up today.  Look at both sides of his antlers.  One splits more typical blacktails and one more blacktail/whitetail.  Not a great example but it shows you the idea.
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,108324.0.html 

Or for a better example look at Bow4elk's (member here) 3X4 with an interesting extra off the main beam like a whitetail. http://www.outdoorblog.net/pnwbowhunting/2010/07/14/my-2009-columbian-blacktail-mount/

[sirmissalot]

There have been Columbia Blacktails as far North as Grays Harbor, not that far from Puget Sound.

If you say so.

That's a stud of a blacktail, that's for sure.

[Boss .300 winmag]

There have been Columbia Blacktails as far North as Grays Harbor, not that far from Puget Sound.

If you say so.

That's a stud of a blacktail, that's for sure.

I think you mean Columbian Whitetails.

[Jonathan_S]

Blacktail/Whitetail hybrid = mule deer right?  I know it's not a voila equation but dont genetic studies show that the mule deer was created by WT and BT intermingling?  Am I  ?

[washelkhunter]

   You are 100% correct. WT+BT = MD.

[Ripper]

The Black tail I just shot had the same type of antlers as a whitetail. It's not that uncommon for blackies to have this configuration.

[PolarBear]

There have been Columbia Blacktails as far North as Grays Harbor, not that far from Puget Sound.

If you say so.

That's a stud of a blacktail, that's for sure.

Yep, I say so.  I grew up in Shelton, hunted the whole coast most of my life and have personally seen them as far North as the Humptulips area, although it has been 20 years or more.

[hillbillyhunting]

My buck from 2007 has antlers a lot like a whitetail.  I think people mostly get confused when they see the blacktails flag like a whitetail.  Blacktails still have white under the tail! 

[DUCKDUDE]

Yeah my mulie this year had whitetail like antlers also.

[jackelope]

Blacktail...

[hillbillyhunting]

Blacktail...

   a really nice one too! 

[Chappyk16]

I say you shoot it forst, then get it test and find out! Just need to put it on the ground

[Rbob]

The story around the area I hunt is that 100+ years ago, some rich guy owned his own private game reserve only 5 miles from where this bucks home is. The guy had blackies, white tail, and muleys along with alot of other exotic animals and birds. They all died off except for the deer which interbred and now there are a few animals out here with some white tail in them. If you look at his left side main beam, he has 3 vertical tines like a white tail. The smaller buck pics look similar but if they would have made it another year, their rear point would have branched into a true forked 4pt. I don't think they would have grown another vertical tine like white tails do. I still believe in the dream of the hybrid. All nice bucks by the way!

[sirmissalot]

The stories I have read about hybrids was that they were sterile. That was whitetails/muleys though, maybe the genetic make up of whiteys and blacktail is close enough... I don't know. Polar bear is the first person I've heard of that has seen whitetails halfway up the coast, but if that's the case and if hybrids aren't sterile then you'd think we would have a lot more running around... Learn something new every day!

Still looks like 100% blacktail to me. And a giant. Does this happen to be around port orchard? Looks a lot like the buck I saw a kid kill a couple years ago from there.

[Rbob]

Not around port orchard, its near one of the points in south puget sound ( that's as specific that i can get without giving my honey hole away). Besides this buck, I took a long shot at a non-typical 3pt, got a video of a big box framed 4pt at 20 yrds, 3- 2pts and countless does but that was last year. All within a half mile by half mile area.

[sirmissalot]

Well I hope you whack him!

[DUCKDUDE]

Blacktail...

   a really nice one too! 

Nope shot on the east side

[hillbillyhunting]

Blacktail...

   a really nice one too! 

Nope shot on the east side

I think he was talking about the trail cam pics of the buck in question... at least I was

[DUCKDUDE]

I WAS WONDERING.  MY BAD

[BiggLuke]

The Right antler looks almost like its a Moose Black tail cross.....     

[Boss .300 winmag]

I didn't know there is moose on the pennisula?

[Jdc]

A friend of mine is a biologist for fish and game.  He explained to me that mule deer are closely related to black tail and are not a hybrid.  Black tail and white tail hybrids are called bench legs, and are found around the cascade crest on occasion where black tail and white tail ranges overlap.  I imagine that they are also found wherever Columbia whitetail can mix with blacktails.  One reason he says that hybrids are uncommon is that the flight response for the two deer are different and when they interbreed the offspring generally has a hard time avoiding predators due to them having a screwed up flight response.  Some deer "stot" and some run, but they can't try to do both at once and expect to survive.

[fish vacuum]

A friend of mine is a biologist for fish and game.  He explained to me that mule deer are closely related to black tail and are not a hybrid.  Black tail and white tail hybrids are called bench legs, and are found around the cascade crest on occasion where black tail and white tail ranges overlap.

Huh?

[bobcat]

A friend of mine is a biologist for fish and game.  He explained to me that mule deer are closely related to black tail and are not a hybrid.  Black tail and white tail hybrids are called bench legs, and are found around the cascade crest on occasion where black tail and white tail ranges overlap.  I imagine that they are also found wherever Columbia whitetail can mix with blacktails.  One reason he says that hybrids are uncommon is that the flight response for the two deer are different and when they interbreed the offspring generally has a hard time avoiding predators due to them having a screwed up flight response.  Some deer "stot" and some run, but they can't try to do both at once and expect to survive.

No, you got that mixed up. The deer people call benchlegs are a cross between mule deer and blacktail deer. Not whitetail.

[Kola16]

A friend of mine is a biologist for fish and game.  He explained to me that mule deer are closely related to black tail and are not a hybrid.  Black tail and white tail hybrids are called bench legs, and are found around the cascade crest on occasion where black tail and white tail ranges overlap.  I imagine that they are also found wherever Columbia whitetail can mix with blacktails.  One reason he says that hybrids are uncommon is that the flight response for the two deer are different and when they interbreed the offspring generally has a hard time avoiding predators due to them having a screwed up flight response.  Some deer "stot" and some run, but they can't try to do both at once and expect to survive.

No, you got that mixed up. The deer people call benchlegs are a cross between mule deer and blacktail deer. Not whitetail.

  Tongue twisted. Happens to me more than anyone; don't worry 

[madmack76]

could of been an offspring of somebodys pet they brought back from the eastside seen that happen alot when i was in high school.

[Mark B]

About 8 to 9 years ago, Cant exactly remember the exact year. My first trip with the cousins.. My oldest cousin shot a (Blacktail/bench/ Maybe whitetail cross?? Who knows).. It was  5x4 with eye guards, so I guess you could say it was a 6x5.. Every point came off the main beam just like a white tail.. The deer was older though.. had almost no teeth and some of the points looked like broken fingers, none over 5 to 6 inches long, 16 inches wide too.. We were hunting in the Northeastern portion of West Klickitat, Might of actually been in Gray back.. Im thinking it was just an age regression thing but hey, I've heard some stories about them Whitetails moving west faster than people think!!

[hillbillyhunting]

A friend of mine is a biologist for fish and game.  He explained to me that mule deer are closely related to black tail and are not a hybrid.  Black tail and white tail hybrids are called bench legs, and are found around the cascade crest on occasion where black tail and white tail ranges overlap.  I imagine that they are also found wherever Columbia whitetail can mix with blacktails.  One reason he says that hybrids are uncommon is that the flight response for the two deer are different and when they interbreed the offspring generally has a hard time avoiding predators due to them having a screwed up flight response.  Some deer "stot" and some run, but they can't try to do both at once and expect to survive.
[/quote

Jdc are you messin with us?  Or did you translate what your biologist friend said incorrectly?

[BIGMIKE]

Thats a nice animal. A real trophy for sure. Congrats.

[BIGMIKE]

Thats a nice animal. A real trophy for sure. Congrats.