Where did the term "benchleg" come from?

[fishnfur]

OK - I'm bored.  Somebody make me laugh or impress me with your knowledge - Outright lies are fine too.

Where did the term "benchleg" come from.  Anyone know???

[Duckslayer89]

Benchleg is a deer with short legs

[wadu1]

Hmm, I thought it referred to deer that live on steep slopes and only travel in one direction, thus they have legs longer on one side than the other. 

[RadSav]

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...   "Benchleg" then being lost in translation from the equestrian term of benchleg (or offset cannons) which basically means crooked legs.

[Duckslayer89]

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...   "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

[RadSav]

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...   "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.   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! 

[link]

Short Cannons it is! I'm going to be referring to a lot of the blacktails posted on here from now on as short cannons! Just kidding...don't anyone get butt hurt. If theres a pine or oak tree in the pic, its a short cannon.
Sounds better than benchlegs anyway.

[Bill W]

I heard of it back in the sixties when referring to beagles.  Some were stocky (and called benchleg).  The others were skinny and rangy.

Maybe it's just a term for something (or somebody) that's fat enough where their legs look short.

[buckcanyonlodge]

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.      Maybe you should be politically correct and call them a trans-specie deer.

[mossy8352]

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.      Maybe you should be politically correct and call them a trans-specie deer.

[RadSav]

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.

[Kittman]

Tossing my yarn version in the ring for  ”Benchleg” theory:  It could be plausible that Cascade Blacktail deer that have adapted to life on the East side by interbreeding at areas East the PCT.  Any BT deer wandering from the West side do not know where the WDFW GMU unit boundaries lie, so they also do not know they are not supposed to breed with MD.  Some believe that these hybrids may comprise of roughly 70% BT mixed with 30% MD genes.  Considered MD by WDFW GMU for unit boundary classification purposes.  Their tails have the dominate appearance of a BT,  with some that may display a solid Black stipe down the middle of the tail.  Also many bucks have long forks on wider spread heavy beams and most importantly, the body of these deer is much heavier and more robust, making their legs look shorter, with larger hoofs.  Bench Leg name was probably formed because of many mispronunciations involving deer descriptions of Bench Lake area deer and subsequently coined over many undocumented campfire (circa: think earlier Bigfoot like, or Mel Waters Hole type stories) stories told long ago originating in the areas surrounding Bench Lake, located SE of Mt. Adams.  Appearance attributes are likely as result of a many generations of BT developing unique characteristics in a different geography along with maybe some nutritional advantages.

[runamuk]

I have no idea but I love the amount of hatred there is for the term  so I sport it in glorious rainbow colors because rainbows also draw so much hatred its sort of a double win for me.


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.

[fishnfur]

Thanks Runamuk.  That made me smile and giggle.

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?    

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?

[RadSav]

BTW - did you know that "runamok" is a Malay word meaning to run wild in a violent frenzy?

That seems fitting!      Are you Austronesian Runamuk?

[carpsniperg2]

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.

[runamuk]

BTW - did you know that "runamok" is a Malay word meaning to run wild in a violent frenzy?

That seems fitting!      Are you Austronesian Runamuk?

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.

[JDHasty]

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. 

[DaveMonti]

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!

[Curly]

I question why a bench is assumed to have short legs?  I build my workbenches (or reloading bench) with rather tall legs. 

[Kittman]

Not sure if you read it completely but if I am not mistaken I think OP question really stated he only wanted to know where the term "Benchleg" originated.

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!

[Curly]

I do like that Bench Lake theory.  That sounds plausible. 

[JDHasty]

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.   

[DaveMonti]

I'm just having some fun!

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

As I posted in a different thread.
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.
  But he had a lot of similar stories...

[carpsniperg2]

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 My grandpa is 80. He would have been like 40 by the time the Tacoma guys started using it then

[LDennis24]

First time I heard the term I was up by Chambers Lake backpacking into the Goat Rocks and a guy with a few pack horses was camped out there and he seemed like he knew the area like the back of his hand. He had been hunting there for years and invited us over for coffee and we proceeded to tell him we had just jumped 2 big heavy bodied bucks in the dark timber on the ridge and he said they were benchleg's. We gave him a strange look and he said they were crosses that got heavy bodies and resembled a blacktail in color with a mule deer's rack and body structure.

[fishnfur]

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. 

 

[JDHasty]

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.   

[buckcanyonlodge]

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 ?

[Boss .300 winmag]

That map is pure bs, it says my area is benchlegs. All the deer in my area are pure blacktails, have the small antlers to prove it. 

[DaveMonti]

I've never seen a benchleg cross I5.  I've seen them in the shoulder of the northbound lane, but they wouldn't cross.

[bhawley76]

My great great  great uncle in the 60's Jebedia benchleg.

[270Shooter]

We get a lot of cross deer in western yakima county. Some have more mule deer traits than others but most of them have a lot of blacktail genes in them. I heard the term "benchleg" on this website haha.

[coachcw]

I heard that back 8 the day Roosevelt  had some mollies released on Whidbey  island ... does that mean they are benches ?

[boneaddict]

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.

[coachcw]

That makes sense ............ bone been drinking !

[boneaddict]

I wish. Lol

[fishnfur]

My map is BS???  Hell, I thought it looked pretty good.  I made it all up myself with MS Paint while it was raining today!   

Not many angry fish took the bait. 

[NOCK NOCK]

My Shop.........

[dontgetcrabs]

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   

[buckcanyonlodge]

 did some research.. Here is where the term came from

[mossy8352]

did some research.. Here is where the term came from

[JakeLand]

I'm waiting for Bobcat to chime in!!! He likes the term BENCHLEG !