Author Topic: Mule deer or whitetail (Read 5261 times)

baldopepper · « **on:** June 29, 2011, 04:26:19 PM »

This guy (guys) showed up on trial cam near my cabin-I think I know what it is, but thought I'd get a second opinion. This is in the new 4 point min. area for whitetail, so don't know if the bigger onoe will be a shooter or not if it's a whitetil

Alan K · « **Reply #1 on:** June 29, 2011, 04:28:03 PM »

Looks like a WT to me!

Woodchuck · « **Reply #2 on:** June 29, 2011, 04:29:01 PM »

baldopepper · « **Reply #3 on:** June 29, 2011, 04:30:21 PM »

Think this is the same buck as in the first post

jackelope · « **Reply #4 on:** June 29, 2011, 04:30:33 PM »

DBHAWTHORNE · « **Reply #5 on:** June 29, 2011, 04:32:25 PM »

100% whitetail

BLKBEARKLR · « **Reply #6 on:** June 29, 2011, 04:33:28 PM »

baldopepper · « **Reply #7 on:** June 29, 2011, 04:36:56 PM »

I think it's a whiteail also, but not sure about the back bigger one in this pic.

rebal69972 · « **Reply #8 on:** June 29, 2011, 04:38:05 PM »

WT, i think he'll be a shoter this year

baldopepper · « **Reply #9 on:** June 29, 2011, 04:43:51 PM »

Going to be tough in my area this year-I think whitey's are 4 point and mulies are 3 point. Tremendous mix in the area right now-in three weeks I got over 128 pic's of deer of both species. One that is not clear enough to post is definitely going to be a very, very big mulie. (I've seen him a couple of times in the early mornig and he's already out past his ears with very nice branches) I'm hoping he'll come in to the salt and give me a good pic.. I don't hunt in the immediate area of the salt lick and in fact remove it about a month before the season so I won't even be tempted.

Alan K · « **Reply #10 on:** June 29, 2011, 04:47:25 PM »

Buck in the third pic is a WT too.

KNOXY · « **Reply #11 on:** June 29, 2011, 05:02:37 PM »

whitetail

DBHAWTHORNE · « **Reply #12 on:** June 29, 2011, 05:17:38 PM »

Quote from: baldopepper on June 29, 2011, 04:43:51 PM

Going to be tough in my area this year-I think whitey's are 4 point and mulies are 3 point. Tremendous mix in the area right now-in three weeks I got over 128 pic's of deer of both species. One that is not clear enough to post is definitely going to be a very, very big mulie. (I've seen him a couple of times in the early mornig and he's already out past his ears with very nice branches) I'm hoping he'll come in to the salt and give me a good pic.. I don't hunt in the immediate area of the salt lick and in fact remove it about a month before the season so I won't even be tempted.

It is legal to hunt over the salt lick. However, they usually start tapering off their use of it around the time they shed their velvet.

baldopepper · « **Reply #13 on:** June 29, 2011, 05:26:11 PM »

I've had the salt out for 4-5 years now, just never put out a camera-they stay on it pretty steady as long as it's out-they just go a lot more nocturnal as the summer wares on-in fact starting about mid August you will rarely see a buck in the daylight (mulies more so than the whiteys). If you wait until about mid night I can walk out of my cabin with a spotlight and they'll be all over the salt as well as in the surrounding field. Seems almost like they can sense the hunting season is drawing near. I really don't hunt deer that much around the cabin, seems like you're chasing pets that you've seen off and on since they were fawns. Incidentally, the last picture of a buck going away has a very black tip on the tail you can't see in that pic-hmmmm, maybe a mulie afterall-kinda why I think you gotta be careful in area 121 when the shotting starts and the light isnt good.

wsucowboy · « **Reply #14 on:** June 29, 2011, 05:38:34 PM »

Hunter Dug · « **Reply #15 on:** June 30, 2011, 08:01:56 AM »

WT

hunter-4-life · « **Reply #16 on:** June 30, 2011, 08:19:58 AM »

That is clearly a WT.

iRem · « **Reply #17 on:** June 30, 2011, 08:34:28 AM »

Whities!

Big P · « **Reply #18 on:** July 02, 2011, 09:59:11 PM »

looks like WT's to me

BOWHUNTER45 · « **Reply #19 on:** July 02, 2011, 10:14:03 PM »

Blacktail ....

............just messin .....WT

huntiholic · « **Reply #20 on:** July 02, 2011, 10:59:51 PM »

yeah def WT

gonehuntin68 · « **Reply #21 on:** July 03, 2011, 08:56:27 AM »

100% whitetail sorry to be a jerk but how can you not tell

daydreamn · « **Reply #22 on:** July 03, 2011, 08:02:15 PM »

Quote from: gonehuntin68 on July 03, 2011, 08:56:27 AM

100% whitetail sorry to be a jerk but how can you not tell

baldopepper · « **Reply #23 on:** July 04, 2011, 07:18:45 AM »

Well gonehuntin68 I take no offense, I was actually pretty confident on the first two, obviously the one taken in the semi daylight and pretty sure about the first one taken in the dark. Last picture of the buck going away I am also very confident about (as i have seen the deer several times) and it is in fact a mule deer. My point is that, at least in my area, there is now almost an equal mix of mule deer and whitetails and in low light situations with the new horn qualifications a hunter would do well to take a second look before shooting (or not shooting) . I can't say for sure that they are inbreeding but this last couple of years I have seen bucks that show characteristics of both species in their antler branching. Pretty much have to see a rear view to say for sure what they are. Earlier this year there would be 100-150 deer on the big field aroudn my cabin with an almost equal mix of both species-they stayed pretty much seperated but occasionally you'd see mulies and whiteys running together. I'm no biologist so I don't know what the long term results of this mix will be (mulies have really only started to make a a big presense in the last 4-5 years ) but could make things interesting if one were to shoot a 3 point crossbreed in a 4 point whitetail area.

Alan K · « **Reply #24 on:** July 04, 2011, 08:44:27 AM »

First picture is of a WT butt, the second a mule deer.

From your trail camera picture there is absolutely nothing in it to indicate it being a mule deer. Whopping eye guards (a rarity on mulies) along with all points coming off a very long forward swooping main beam in combination with color running all the way up the tail into the back. I don't know how anyone by looking at that picture would think for a second it might be a mule deer. Maybe it does have some black in the tail like you say it does when you've seen that deer with your own eyes, but even the WT in the picture below has black in it (and it's from Pennsylvania).

I know I wouldn't be shooting it as a mule deer if it was somehow an area only open to mulies.

baldopepper · « **Reply #25 on:** July 04, 2011, 09:31:59 AM »

I think again the point is, some of the deer (mostly near the lake) in area 121 are crosssbreeding-I spend a lot of time over there and I'm finding myself doing double takes lately to make sure what I'm seeing. (Maybe I'm a rookie, dont know-started deer hunting in 1959 and would'nt even want to try to count how many I've shot over the years, but still don't consider myself an expert by any means) Usually when the whiteail take off the "flag" goes up, but I've seen several lately that certainly appeared to be whitetails not only take off with no raised flag but also "bounce" with the charateristic mule deer bounce. Last nighttime pic is off a deer that hangs around the cabin a lot, and I think if I can get a good daytime shot you'll see immediatley that he's "mostly" mule deer. Guess I"m saying that going by the antlers may not be 100% accurate in that area .

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Author Topic: Mule deer or whitetail (Read 5261 times)

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