Post by: fishnfur on February 01, 2016, 11:40:46 PM
Where did the term "benchleg" come from. Anyone know???
Post by: Duckslayer89 on February 02, 2016, 01:02:19 AM
Post by: wadu1 on February 02, 2016, 01:58:39 AM
Post by: RadSav on February 02, 2016, 03:04:24 AM
Post by: Duckslayer89 on February 02, 2016, 04:08:43 AM
The best answer I have received was from a biologist working on muledeer studies in south central Washington back in the eighties. He claimed the term "Benchleg" was easier to say and sounded better than "Short Cannon". This sounds possible as an equestrian conformation flaw for short legs would be "Short Cannon". And since a blacktail/muledeer cross has short cannon bones compared to pure muledeer... :dunno: "Benchleg" then being lost in translation from the equestrian term of benchleg (or offset cannons) which basically means crooked legs.
radsav is this really true? I was just throwing it out there haha sounds like it's possible
Post by: RadSav on February 02, 2016, 04:28:42 AM
The best answer I have received was from a biologist working on muledeer studies in south central Washington back in the eighties. He claimed the term "Benchleg" was easier to say and sounded better than "Short Cannon". This sounds possible as an equestrian conformation flaw for short legs would be "Short Cannon". And since a blacktail/muledeer cross has short cannon bones compared to pure muledeer... :dunno: "Benchleg" then being lost in translation from the equestrian term of benchleg (or offset cannons) which basically means crooked legs.
radsav is this really true? I was just throwing it out there haha sounds like it's possible
Your guess is as good as mine. :dunno: But he seemed like a well educated bio to me. And it's the most logical explanation I have heard yet. So I would say it is an absolutely 100% true speculation possibility! :chuckle:
Post by: link on February 02, 2016, 05:40:04 PM
Sounds better than benchlegs anyway.
Post by: Bill W on February 02, 2016, 05:52:10 PM
Maybe it's just a term for something (or somebody) that's fat enough where their legs look short.
Post by: buckcanyonlodge on February 03, 2016, 09:23:29 AM
Post by: mossy8352 on February 03, 2016, 09:29:24 AM
Shot my first deer around Goldendale back in the 60's and lots in the Yakima area after that . Never heard the term benchleg referring to a cross deer ( mule /blacktail cross ) . They were either a full mulie or a cross deer. Someone came up with that cute term and most of the young deer hunters that don't know better use it to this day. I will never call a cross deer a benchleg...ever. :twocents: Maybe you should be politically correct and call them a trans-specie deer.:yeah:
Post by: RadSav on February 03, 2016, 01:48:46 PM
I heard of it back in the sixties when referring to beagles. Some were stocky (and called benchleg). The others were skinny and rangy.
I had heard that a "Benchleg" beagle was an attempt at a new world breed beagle. Since the Talbot hound had become extinct the new world breed had to be bred with Basset hound instead of the old world Talbot. The Basset breed gave these beagles shorter and crooked front legs compared with the true traditional Great Britain breed.
I remember reading this in an article at the vets office about five years ago. Breeders were causing a big hubbub surrounding this because the AKC was not recognizing the new breed as a separate entry. Of course my memory isn't what it used to be...so I might not be remembering all the details correctly.
Post by: Kittman on February 03, 2016, 02:19:17 PM
Post by: runamuk on February 03, 2016, 02:21:41 PM
There is a thread around here somewhere with a bunch of people claiming the term was coined anywhere from California to Alaska anywhere from the 1940's to yesterday.
Post by: fishnfur on February 03, 2016, 11:29:59 PM
I found an explanation by googling it - similar story about short legs in comparison the the large body. I assume they were comparing the appearance to that of the legs of a bench, which presumably have shorter legs than say,......a chair? :dunno:
I like the Bench Lake story - I could buy that one too.
BTW - did you know that "runamok" is a Malay word meaning to run wild in a violent frenzy?
Post by: RadSav on February 03, 2016, 11:51:35 PM
BTW - did you know that "runamok" is a Malay word meaning to run wild in a violent frenzy?
That seems fitting! :chuckle: :chuckle: Are you Austronesian Runamuk?
Post by: carpsniperg2 on February 04, 2016, 12:12:36 AM
As far as the term bench leg. Some of these crosses get a weird genetic that makes them have a big body and shorter legs. So that is where I believe the term to have come from.
There is also a term not many people use but around here we call them brown neck bulls. Every so often a guy kills a bull around here that is a nice mature animal and all it is, is a 2 or 3 point bull. My understanding is the trides brought in some rocky mtn elk and those genes crossed with the local elk heard have produced some weird genetics as well. Like these bull that are 5-6 years old and just a rag horn.
Post by: runamuk on February 04, 2016, 10:30:57 AM
No but I am slowly becoming inked all over and I am not real well domesticated. I am viking and British mostly :) And yes I actually looked up all the various meanings of the word when I was naming my farm. I do wish I had a business name I could use benchleg in its a great word. And I have seen deer that fit the term so never could see what the problem is its much more a descriptive term in my mind.BTW - did you know that "runamok" is a Malay word meaning to run wild in a violent frenzy?
That seems fitting! :chuckle: :chuckle: Are you Austronesian Runamuk?
Post by: JDHasty on February 04, 2016, 10:48:52 AM
Well my family has been here in the Goldendale area for over 100 years. My grandfather has used the term as long as I have been alive and my dad as well. We get all kinds of mutts. If you look at the families trophies over the years it use to be mainly blacktail body size and horns. With more mule deer genetics coming in as the years past. In the last 10 to 12 years we have seen some whitetail influence as well.
As far as the term bench leg. Some of these crosses get a weird genetic that makes them have a big body and shorter legs. So that is where I believe the term to have come from.
There is also a term not many people use but around here we call them brown neck bulls. Every so often a guy kills a bull around here that is a nice mature animal and all it is, is a 2 or 3 point bull. My understanding is the trides brought in some rocky mtn elk and those genes crossed with the local elk heard have produced some weird genetics as well. Like these bull that are 5-6 years old and just a rag horn.
The term benchleg has been used around the Tacoma area by sportsmen since 1967. That is when I moved this area and it always meant short heavy bodied and thick legged blacktail/mule deer cross that was taken on the west side up near the Pacific Crest.
Post by: DaveMonti on February 04, 2016, 10:59:22 AM
What is it about the Benchleg that causes so many WA Hunting members to disparage him relative to a pure breed Mule Deer?
Now I'm going to sit back and watch!
Post by: Curly on February 04, 2016, 11:03:31 AM
Post by: Kittman on February 04, 2016, 11:07:49 AM
Perhaps a more interesting question is:
What is it about the Benchleg that causes so many WA Hunting members to disparage him relative to a pure breed Mule Deer?
Now I'm going to sit back and watch!
Post by: Curly on February 04, 2016, 11:15:35 AM
Post by: JDHasty on February 04, 2016, 11:17:51 AM
Perhaps a more interesting question is:
What is it about the Benchleg that causes so many WA Hunting members to disparage him relative to a pure breed Mule Deer?
Now I'm going to sit back and watch!
Most all of the times I have seen disparaging comments comments made it was directed at someone who was deliberately trying to pass off a benchleg as a coastal blactail and in those cases the deer was not viewed in a negative light. Usually the deer was admired as a great example of what it is.
Post by: DaveMonti on February 04, 2016, 11:38:35 AM
Post by: STIKNSTRINGBOW on February 04, 2016, 11:40:09 AM
I was told by an older gentleman that the term came about from an old slang term for a cross-breed.
It was a joke explaining how a smaller male could stand on a bench to "complete the act" with a larger female.
:dunno: But he had a lot of similar stories...
Post by: carpsniperg2 on February 04, 2016, 11:51:32 AM
Well my family has been here in the Goldendale area for over 100 years. My grandfather has used the term as long as I have been alive and my dad as well. We get all kinds of mutts. If you look at the families trophies over the years it use to be mainly blacktail body size and horns. With more mule deer genetics coming in as the years past. In the last 10 to 12 years we have seen some whitetail influence as well.
As far as the term bench leg. Some of these crosses get a weird genetic that makes them have a big body and shorter legs. So that is where I believe the term to have come from.
There is also a term not many people use but around here we call them brown neck bulls. Every so often a guy kills a bull around here that is a nice mature animal and all it is, is a 2 or 3 point bull. My understanding is the trides brought in some rocky mtn elk and those genes crossed with the local elk heard have produced some weird genetics as well. Like these bull that are 5-6 years old and just a rag horn.
The term benchleg has been used around the Tacoma area by sportsmen since 1967. That is when I moved this area and it always meant short heavy bodied and thick legged blacktail/mule deer cross that was taken on the west side up near the Pacific Crest.
They must have come to hunt Goldendale :chuckle: My grandpa is 80. He would have been like 40 by the time the Tacoma guys started using it then :chuckle:
Post by: LDennis24 on February 04, 2016, 12:31:45 PM
Post by: fishnfur on February 04, 2016, 02:42:34 PM
Weird - Cowlitz County doesn't have any benchlegs at all.
;)
Post by: JDHasty on February 04, 2016, 02:47:58 PM
I found this map of the range of Benchleg Blacktails on the internet. I didn't realize they're found all the way west to I-5! The Seattle area seems to be all hybrids too.
Weird - Cowlitz County doesn't have any benchlegs at all.
;)
There is a claim that there was a high-fence operation down in Nisqually back in the day. When the owner passed away, or for some reason, mule deer were freed and interbred with local blacktails. Pay attention to this part of what I am saying, I am not sure if this is true, but I heard it from many of the older people who lived around there when I was a kid... so there may be some truth to it.
Post by: buckcanyonlodge on February 04, 2016, 06:11:56 PM
I found this map of the range of Benchleg Blacktails on the internet. I didn't realize they're found all the way west to I-5! The Seattle area seems to be all hybrids too.
Weird - Cowlitz County doesn't have any benchlegs at all.
;)
Why are they "benchleg" blacktails and not "benchleg" mule deer ?? I'll stick with my " Trans-Species" deer . That map does not include areas where I killed " trans-species" deer years ago.
AND , what do you call a whitetail deer --mule deer cross ?
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on February 04, 2016, 06:31:22 PM
Post by: DaveMonti on February 04, 2016, 07:10:39 PM
Post by: bhawley76 on February 04, 2016, 07:17:42 PM
Post by: 270Shooter on February 04, 2016, 07:28:04 PM
Post by: coachcw on February 04, 2016, 07:44:32 PM
Post by: boneaddict on February 04, 2016, 07:54:54 PM
Post by: coachcw on February 04, 2016, 07:56:06 PM
Post by: boneaddict on February 04, 2016, 07:59:21 PM
Post by: fishnfur on February 04, 2016, 10:32:14 PM
Not many angry fish took the bait. >:(
Post by: NOCK NOCK on February 05, 2016, 07:54:35 PM
Post by: dontgetcrabs on February 05, 2016, 07:58:58 PM
Blacktails antlers are too minuscule to hold up a bench, mule deer antlers are big enough but too thinned beamed. However, when the two interbreed, their antlers are the correct dimensions and massive enough to be a benchleg.
I like it. haha :tup:
Post by: buckcanyonlodge on March 26, 2016, 05:20:11 PM
Post by: mossy8352 on March 26, 2016, 05:53:29 PM
did some research.. Here is where the term came from:IBCOOL: :IBCOOL: :yeah:
Post by: JakeLand on March 26, 2016, 09:58:06 PM