Hybrid Whitetail Mulies?
 

OK I'm not sure if this has been discussed before but has anyone had any experiences with hybrid deer? Also what are the rules on hunting these animals? If any? I never have thought about it before but my friend said they have seen quite a few in the wmu 300a. What would you do if you had one in your sights? Are they legal to shoot?

Most so called hybrids are not actually hybrids. Some people see a whitetailed deer with forked antlers, or a mule deer with antlers that aren't forked, and they assume that they must be a hybrid. If you kill a deer with a white rump, and a narrow tail with a black tip, you had better have a valid mule deer tag. If the deer doesn't have a white rump, but it has a bushy tail with a white underside, you need to use your whitetailed deer tag. Whether it is actually a hybrid or not, will often be determined by the metatarsal glands.

Yeah. The location and size of the glands tell the true story. We shot one last year South of Taber last year. Thought about reporting it, but the decided it wasn't worth having the fish cops give me a headache with whatever they felt like doing that day.

You must have some pictures ??? yes??

IIRC the rule is you can use either tag. But you better have a mule deer tag, as most often this is the usual animal mistaken for a hybrid, and the more limited of the two tags.

That being said, 300a is definitely the kind of place you could see one. Not sure about "quite a few" as they are pretty rare even where they are known to be found.

Pics?

Yes this is my understanding of the rule also...you use the tag the questionable deer resembles the most...which more often then not is the mule deer.
Hybrid deer are usually the result of Whitetail bucks running down Mule deer does to breed with, in areas where they are expanding their range and not enough whitetail does have called yet to call it home.


Jim

Like this one ? Taken in 2011 in WMU 212 . Metatarsal glands measured about half way between mule and whitetail @ 2 1/2 " . Horns have a goofy right side and fork on left . Tail was shorter than a whitey with lots of black .

This is quite the common occurrence in 314/214. We have a buck running a whitetail rear end, and a mule set of horns and ears. Got my tag for both this year so hoping to take this neat animal.

My Dad shot one about 30yrs ago by Marianna Lakes. Looked like a whitetail while it was standing looking at us, when we walked up to him laying from behind it looked like a muley tail but not such a big white butt. He had a really grey coat, black hair on the skull cap, the antlers curled around like a whitetail, but no brow tines at all.

Good reading here
http://www.coueswhitetail.com/2012/0...-deer-hybrids/

ticdoc