Blacktail+Whitetail=Muley?

[grundy53]

I stole this exerpt, but i've seen it a few times in several places and believe it is the one cited by Scott Haugen. This is the latest theory. Atleast according to Valerious Geist. Makes sense though.

For years many people believed (and many websites still say) that blacktails are a subspecies of mule deer, a species found from the Northwest to the deserts of the Southwest and as far east as the Dakotas. DNA tests, however, have now found mule deer to be a hybrid of female whitetail deer and blacktail bucks. Or so says author Valerius Geist in Mule Deer Country.

Whitetails first appeared on the East Coast about 3.5 million years ago, as this blog previously noted. DNA evidence suggests they spread south and then west, arriving in California about 1.5 million years ago.

In moving up the coast, whitetails evolved into blacktails, which resemble them in appearance and temperament. Blacktails eventually extended their range eastward, meeting up with more whitetails coming from the east. Apparently the blacktail bucks were able to horn in on the harems of their parent species. The result: mule deer.

[Maverick]

Explains why they call them a MULE deer. Never put that together.

[sako85]

I know someone that had meat from there freezer dna tested by dfw and it came back blacktail, they told them that they did not hunt on the west side and dfw told them that dna comes back the same for muledeer.  It was muledeer from the eastside!

[boneaddict]

I am no expert but I do know the University of Pittsburg has done countless hours studying whitetail and they swear whitetail do not interbreed with other deer like Mulies & blacktail ...

THey really should get out from behind a desk.   

[Bigshooter]

Im reading "Idaho's Greatest Mule Deer" right now.  And it quotes Valerious Geist's theroy of BT bucks breeding with WT does over time produced Mule deer.

[PolarBear]

I posted on here (or MM, I can't remember it was a couple of years back) the link to the DNA study that suggested that mule deer are a result of evolution of coastal whitetails and blacktails cross breeding.  I'll see if I can find it again.  It was a pretty interesting study.

[bobcat]

Explains why they call them a MULE deer. Never put that together.

I think the name mule deer comes from their large ears.

[Bigshooter]

Explains why they call them a MULE deer. Never put that together.

I think the name mule deer comes from their large ears.

I know you are right bobcat.

[Maximus4252626]

I did read something about this in I THINK, the Iverson Blacktail Tactics book.  If it wasnt that then maybe it was one of the north american hunting books.  It also went on to talk about why mule deer have such large antlers and why blacktails dont.

I was told by the WSDFW Biologist that central and eastern WA have more calcium in the ground compared to Western WA. From what he told me; calcium is the main ingredient in whether or not a deer develops large antlers. Deer that live off alfalfa and wheat, compared to brush are likely to develop a larger antler mass. BUT I contest his theory, because South East Montana has some of the largest Mule Deer in the country, and many are living off the desert. I'm not expert, but you would think the desert feed compared to alfalfa and wheat would have less calcium. So I challenge his explanation a bit.

I am more intrested in figuring out why all Mexican woman have huge racks? Why is it, that once you get them pregnant they get fat PERMANENTLY?

And why do all Asian woman have TRUE SPIKES and nothing more?

[3dsheetmetal]

Was wondering, in the midwest states where there are mule deer and whitetails there are no blacktails for a thousand miles.

[huntnnw]

I did read something about this in I THINK, the Iverson Blacktail Tactics book.  If it wasnt that then maybe it was one of the north american hunting books.  It also went on to talk about why mule deer have such large antlers and why blacktails dont.

I was told by the WSDFW Biologist that central and eastern WA have more calcium in the ground compared to Western WA. From what he told me; calcium is the main ingredient in whether or not a deer develops large antlers. Deer that live off alfalfa and wheat, compared to brush are likely to develop a larger antler mass. BUT I contest his theory, because South East Montana has some of the largest Mule Deer in the country, and many are living off the desert. I'm not expert, but you would think the desert feed compared to alfalfa and wheat would have less calcium. So I challenge his explanation a bit.

I am more intrested in figuring out why all Mexican woman have huge racks? Why is it, that once you get them pregnant they get fat PERMANENTLY?

And why do all Asian woman have TRUE SPIKES and nothing more?

The biggest whiteatails Ive ever seen lived no where AG areas..Mountain deer

[robescc]

[/quote]


I am more intrested in figuring out why all Mexican woman have huge racks? Why is it, that once you get them pregnant they get fat PERMANENTLY?
[/quote]

Lol. My wife is Mexican, doesn't have a huge rack and didn't get permanently fat after getting pregnant.  Sounds like you need to do some more field research.
By the way, she is the best woman I could have ever married. 8 years now and not a hiccup.

[grundy53]

Was wondering, in the midwest states where there are mule deer and whitetails there are no blacktails for a thousand miles.

It took thousands of years for this to accure. Pretty sure they migrated/spread out over that period of time.

[Clark33]

I questioned my father about his some time ago, you always hear about the muley/blacktail hybrid, but you never hear about a blacktail/whitetail hybrid.  He explained it to me like this, it's like a cat getting a dog pregnant... two totally different species.. he's a veterinarian.  But he could be wrong, who knows, but I take his word for it.

[robescc]

I questioned my father about his some time ago, you always hear about the muley/blacktail hybrid, but you never hear about a blacktail/whitetail hybrid.  He explained it to me like this, it's like a cat getting a dog pregnant... two totally different species.. he's a veterinarian.  But he could be wrong, who knows, but I take his word for it.

I disagree with that statement. They are deer. Same family, same general DNA makeup. If your dads statement would be true, you couldn't breed a *censored*zu with a bull dog.