Quick question about muley/white tail cross

[Big Bucks Tim]

My buddy and I were talking today and the area we're hunting this year is a 3 point min. for mulies and any buck for white tail...there are a few crosses out there and we are trying to figure out if we treat them as mule deer or white tail. He contacted WDFW and didn't really get a strait answer..

[Jonathan_S]

Since antlers are not always the way they describe them in the rule books.  I'd say go by the tail.  How many crossbreed bucks can there be?

[jackelope]

Tail.

[norsepeak]

did a research paper in college and the odds of a white tail and muley crossing are like .02%, so it doesn't happen very often.

[HornHoarder]

Yeah, probably doesnt happen very often, but I'd go by the tail to distinguish. I've seen only one before.

[huntnnw]

Shot a cross doe years ago.. Mule deer ears and chest a tail like a whitetail but black and with a herd of Muley does

[TriggerHappy]

Just shoot a 3 point or better buck and you'll have nothing to worry about...

[270Shooter]

If just make sure it had three points. I'm not going to lose sleep over a passing on a spike or two point that might be a cross.

[sfrenger]

did a research paper in college and the odds of a white tail and muley crossing are like .02%, so it doesn't happen very often.

If that's true, then there are a hell of a lot of blacktails in northeastern washington between addy and colville and east of 395. I had a game warden tell me they are non-classified wildlife and to kill them onsite. However, in the same breath he told me that they would still prosecute me if I made a mistake. Better to aire on the side of caution and stick to a 3 point.

[buckfvr]

The studies Ive read over the years suggest its generally the more aggressive whitetail bucks that breed the mule does.  But given the whitetail buck to doe ratio in an area like this, (ne wa.),  it becomes less likely.

Id be curious as to the name of the warden who said a deer of any kind is unclassified in this state.  May be a cross, but its still a deer. 

sfrenger, where are all the crosses you see ?

[bear hunter]

Since antlers are not always the way they describe them in the rule books.  I'd say go by the tail.  How many crossbreed bucks can there be?

I see one with Mule deer ears, rack and hide color,but had a whitetail tail. So rule book says whitetail. I always look at the tail if I am having trouble I.D'ing. 

[buckfvr]

tough call when they resort to counting points.............that being said, I doubt its much to worry about anyway...

[SemperFidelis97]

One of my kids shot a mule deer/whitetail doe cross as well a few years back it made a really cool cape the tanner said it was one of only a couple he had ever seen.

[Elkstuffer]

In 12 years doing taxidermy I've only taken in one cross. One side of his antlers looked like a 4 pt muley and the other looked like a 4 point w/t. I saw a spike cross over in the Connell area with the long white tail, bulbus nose and long ears. And I killed a big 5 pt whitetail in MT that was bedded with 7 muledeer does and not another muley buck in the area. A bio I talked to also said that it was more likely that the w/t bucks would breed a muley doe and not the other way around.

[huntnnw]

I watched a 2x3 muley chase a whitetail doe in nov one year