davester

In areas were mulies and whitetails live do they inbreed? It seems a mulie always has a split G2. I've seen a couple pics were they say they arewhitetails but has a rack like a mulie(split G2). And then there's those big nontypical racks that look like someone shot steroids into its head. Could these be mulie, whitetail crosses?

recurver67

Yes they do breed to each. A mulie is a cross between a whitetail and a blacktail.They're like any kind of male,they would do a snake if someone held it's head for them.

skeeter 7MM

While hybrids do exist the numbers are actually quite small. Hybrids don't often fair well in nature as they are given recessive genes from both subspecies that don't allow them to evade predators well. Also being a genetic freak if they did survive they wouldn't grow trophy class racks...natures way of producing herd health is not allowing the weak ormutants to thrive!!!!

Split G2's on a whitetail are Non-typical growth but on a mule deer they are typical and actually labelled G1 and G2. Antlers while most seem to follow the line of their subspecies are not a true indicator to the animal classifaction....look to other characteristics that define the subspecies such as face/rear/ears and running style(if your hunting them).


recurve is correct about the theory that the mule deer came out of exsistence in a cross over between the oldest deer subspecies (Whitetail) andtheBlacktail. I just read a article/study that pegs the MuleDeer (the youngest NA deer subspecies)@ 10,000 years old!

Ok that was a "well Normy it's a little known fact?" moment...