Strange looking buck - hybrid?

[J.B.]

Snapped these pics at our shop the other day in Lethbridge AB where we have a good population of both muleys and whitetails. At first glance I thought it was a muley, but his butt and tail looked off. I believe hybrids are rare, and most bucks people think are hybrids are not…curious on RS thoughts?

 

[92xj]

The only thing that looks weird to me is his hairdo, kids these days…

 

[CC11]

I'd say so.

 

[92xj]

The tail does have more hair and missing the white/lightness at the top half of the tail than what I’m used to seeing.

 

[S-3 ranch]

We see lots of hybrid deer out near the pecoes river in Texas
Some white tail with mulie horns and vice versa

 

[bigmoose]

Sure looks like a hybrid to me.

 

[RockAndSage]

Sure does look hybrid.

Muleys themselves are a hybrid between Blacktail and Whitetail, btw - only about 12,000 years old as a species, IIRC.

 

[RockAndSage]

The only thing that looks weird to me is his hairdo, kids these days…

Lol, looks like someone's kid got into their mom's makeup kit:

 

[Montucky]

I remember reading that Whitetail does will NOT let a muley mount them but a mule doe will let a Whitetail buck breed her…..either way their offspring is sterile. That buck is hard horned. My guess is if it were a true hybrid it wouldn’t have Nutz therefore it would be a Stag Buck & carry velvet all year…….I dunno

 

[J.B.]

Kinda does hey lol

Lol, looks like someone's kid got into their mom's makeup kit:

 

[highcountrymuley]

Looks like a muley to me but whatever u think.

 

[LongWayAround]

How Often do Whitetail and Mule Deer Hybridize?

As a scientist, it’s my job to be curious. I spend a lot of my time trying to figure out what makes animals tick and brainstorming ways that wildlife managers might be able to use that information to promote the critters we care about. Every now and then, I stumble across an idea that is pretty...

www.themeateater.com

There is a good picture of a supposed hybrid buck in this article.

 

[LongWayAround]

I remember reading that Whitetail does will NOT let a muley mount them but a mule doe will let a Whitetail buck breed her…..either way their offspring is sterile. That buck is hard horned. My guess is if it were a true hybrid it wouldn’t have Nutz therefore it would be a Stag Buck & carry velvet all year…….I dunno

I'm pretty sure that isn't really how it works.

 

[J.B.]

Looks like a muley to me but whatever u think.

Well it is or isn’t. Not whatever I think. Lets leave that shit in the universities lol.

Like I said at first glance it looked like a muley, but it lacks the prominent white rump, though there is some of that present. The tail also is much larger than the average mule deer, and while black tipped, the rest of it looks like a whitetail tail. Maybe it is indeed a plain old muley.

 

[E.Shell]

I'd name him 'Groucho'.

 

[Beagle001]

I saw one in SD a few years back that was similar with the goofy “hair-do” look and the tail was strange. Whitetail-esque rack but he winded or heard us and it was like he couldn’t figure out whether to run and jump or stot.
My vote is hybrid

 

[Montucky]

I'm pretty sure that isn't really how it works.

I'm pretty sure that isn't really how it works.

Pretty sure what isn’t how it works……?

 

[LongWayAround]

"My guess is if it were a true hybrid it wouldn’t have Nutz therefore it would be a Stag Buck & carry velvet all year."

They still get all of the normal parts.

 

[Montucky]

"My guess is if it were a true hybrid it wouldn’t have Nutz therefore it would be a Stag Buck & carry velvet all year."

They still get all of the normal parts.

If they even so ever have a chance to make it past fawnhood…..statiscally for a hybrid to mature to breeding age is highly unlikely. OP has a valid observation….but it’s in a suburban atmosphere where a fawn is most likely to mature & grow a pair of Nutz…..maybe this is a rare glimpse of Nature that OP shared with us

 

[taxidermybycam]

Has mule deer ears for sure .
Has a half whitetail half mule deer tail
Has a white tail deer rump.
Has mule deer colored and shaped face.
Has mule deer colored hair.
If i'm a gambling man I'm saying hybrid ,this is a tough one