A hypothetical: for a US "Big 3 Deer Slam"

[WCB]

I thought the Turkey Slam was one of the most useless recognitions in the hunting world....the deer subspecies slam might be pulling up fast on it if we start dividing a plains mule seer from a mountain deer...what happens when a mountain deer migrates down to the plains for winter?

In the spirit of the debate though. NO Coues deer do not count as a whitetail in a normal conversation of deer hunting the same as Grizzly and Brown Bears are generally separated. Same with Mule Deer and Blacktails...even though it is similar to the Grizzly/Brown Bear split in some areas where simply walking 2ft they are designated one or the other.

Depending on where you look there are anywhere from like 7 to 27 to 38 subspecies of Whitetailed deer....you better get the check book out and clear the calendar because unless you kill all 38 you may be missing out.

 

[Lou (Louis)]

I thought the Turkey Slam was one of the most useless recognitions in the hunting world....the deer subspecies slam might be pulling up fast on it if we start dividing a plains mule seer from a mountain deer...what happens when a mountain deer migrates down to the plains for winter?

In the spirit of the debate though. NO Coues deer do not count as a whitetail in a normal conversation of deer hunting the same as Grizzly and Brown Bears are generally separated. Same with Mule Deer and Blacktails...even though it is similar to the Grizzly/Brown Bear split in some areas where simply walking 2ft they are designated one or the other.

Depending on where you look there are anywhere from like 7 to 27 to 38 subspecies of Whitetailed deer....you better get the check book out and clear the calendar because unless you kill all 38 you may be missing out.

But I agree that Muleys and BT are different.

I-5 is a fairly arbitrary split, but it has to be split along a line somewhere. And again: if that is where B&C decides to split it, they are the ones keeping the records.

I wouldn't be devastated if we ended up in "let's just call them all 'deer'* world.

Which we never will.

My thoughts?

1. coast=BT
2. muley's in the Sierras (including foothills--and yes, I know, there are few pure muleys in the foothills, if any)--so I choose to trust B&C
3. Sitka blacktail needs a name change to Sitka Whitetail--look at the tine distribution. If the antlers look like a WT.....

Re: 3. Call it whatever you'd like, obviously. And if the genetics say it's a BT, fine by me.

 

[Stalker69]

If your going for a " slam" why in the world do it half ass ( made up by one, you). Do it right or it don't count, I don't get it. It's like somebody asking if the can " take the big five" but only kill two. It just don't work that way.

 

[Lou (Louis)]

If your going for a " slam" why in the world do it half ass ( made up by one, you). Do it right or it don't count, I don't get it. It's like somebody asking if the can " take the big five" but only kill two. It just don't work that way.

Tell you what, to heck with it.
When I think of the big 3 I think BT,Mule,WT.
My bad, I guess.
Thanks for straightening me out.
Although it’s absolutely nothing like taking 2 of the big 5. That’s 40%.
I said 3 of the big 3. That’s 100%.

I guess I could have titled it “Do you consider the Coues a WT?”. Again, my bad.

It won’t happen again.

 

[Stalker69]

Don't mean to sound harsh, I don't a give a crap about any " slam". I just hunt what ever and when ever I can. I guess I don't understand why some get caught up in it that's all.

 

[Lou (Louis)]

Fair enough.

 

[hunterjmj]

You could probably get all 5 unguided if you put in your time for the cost of a couple guided. if that's what you're wanting to do then you better get after it. Tags aren't getting easier to get.

 

[String&stick]

The off season, be off seasoning! You need another hobby or 3 man! Just shoot a dink white tail in any ole state, call it a coues deer, and bam you've got your base covered!

 

[Andrew12gauge]

But I agree that Muleys and BT are different.

I-5 is a fairly arbitrary split, but it has to be split along a line somewhere. And again: if that is where B&C decides to split it, they are the ones keeping the records.

I wouldn't be devastated if we ended up in "let's just call them all 'deer'* world.

Which we never will.

My thoughts?

1. coast=BT
2. muley's in the Sierras (including foothills--and yes, I know, there are few pure muleys in the foothills, if any)--so I choose to trust B&C
3. Sitka blacktail needs a name change to Sitka Whitetail--look at the tine distribution. If the antlers look like a WT.....

Re: 3. Call it whatever you'd like, obviously. And if the genetics say it's a BT, fine by me.

I’m sorry I don’t know if you’re just here trying to stir up crap but you should probably educate yourself on Sitka blacktails. First you say “it costs like a billion dollars to hunt them” then you say they should just be called whitetails because of their tine distribution, have you ever seen a clean 4 point Sitka BT, antler configuration is exactly the same as a Columbia blacktail or mule deer, but like many Columbia blacktail they just don’t grow a 4th point that often. You seem very set in your ways that you will kill your 3 deer slam and be done, go ahead and do what you want. I hope to one day get a nice representation of each of the 5 main species of deer as I think it would be a cool accomplishment, I have a decent whitetail and several nice mulies, and depending on how some draws treat me this year I may try to take a Columbia blacktail this year.


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[Lou (Louis)]

I wasn’t trying to stir up anything.
If I offended you or anyone, I apologize.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

Just finished the "big 3" slam a couple years ago getting my first BT. Never had hunted them before. They are a bit cagey.

 

[Lou (Louis)]

Just finished the "big 3" slam a couple years ago getting my first BT. Never had hunted them before. They are a bit cagey.

Good eats, though.
Congratulations!

 

[NRA4LIFE]

Thanks. And yes, I had only eaten BT a few times before. He was delicious.

 

[elkyinzer]

Never understood the slam thing. Any of them. Hunting is its own personal measuring stick, what's the point of made up artificial milestones? I guess I just don't get it.

 

[Elkangle]

I really enjoy hunting all the species in all the different terrains and styles...alot of people hunt one style,one deer, one terrain there entire lives and usually scoff at the others...after hunting them all minis sitka deer this is a terrible mind set...they all bring tremendous value to the table when your force yourself into a tree stand or up mountain or behind a decoy or behind the glass or into the sopping wet jungle...hunting them all will make you a better hunter..setting a goal ahead of time is the 1st and easiest step

Make up what ever mile stones you want..start with 3..move to 4...then to 5...mtns are climbed one step at a time

Good luck !

 

[NRA4LIFE]

Being from WI then moving to MO after college, all I had ever hunted were WT's. Mid-late 80's is when I branched out. Got obsessed at first with pronghorns. Then it was mule deer. I still hunt WT and muleys every year. The BT thing may have been a one and done. The weather was miserable.

 

[Drenalin]

I would count the Cous as a whitetail, but I wouldn't have split the blacktails and muleys either so...I guess do it however you want to? But, if you asked me whether I'd want to go on a Cous hunt or a whitetail hunt, I'd look at those as two very different things. In your case, the Cous hut will be more similar to how you've hunted blacktails and muleys than it would be to what most think of as whitetail hunting. In my case, I hunt whitetails a lot (and like it), but I'd probably pick the Cous hunt because it's different country, different animal, different hunting. For whatever all that's worth.

 

[CMP70306]

Idk but all I need is a Jackalope

What about a mantalope or an antle deer

Don't mean to sound harsh, I don't a give a crap about any " slam". I just hunt what ever and when ever I can. I guess I don't understand why some get caught up in it that's all.

The only one I wish I could have done was gotten the Triple Trophy here in PA in 2019. The Triple Trophy is where you get a turkey, bear and buck all in the same year. Unbeknownst to me at the time but in 2019 for our inaugural Saturday rifle opener it would have been the only time since the 1800’s when there were zero game laws that you could get the triple trophy in a 24 hour period.

I ended up shooting a crow that Friday afternoon then killed an 8pt and a 475lb black bear by 10am on Saturday. Had that crow been a turkey I’d have been one of the only people in history to do it. However in 2020 they changed the seasons up and removed the Thanksgiving Turkey season so it is no longer possible to do it in 24 hours.