I don't see anything whitetail in this head. I'd like to see the rump and tail.
Other than the antlers, it looks like a typical whitetail head to me. White circles around the eyes. White at the muzzle. No MD ears. Not a MD head, but the antlers branched as they are, and brow tines say MD.
rockinbbar; Good afternoon to you my cyber friend, I trust the Friday was a good end of the week for you.
While I know that folks like JGRaider has put up photos of Texas mulies, they've had such lovely wide antlers that I wasn't able to wrap my head around how wide the ears were.
That's the rationale behind my putting up the photo of the Okanagan mulie with the 26" ear spread and comparing it to GW's Texas buck. I'd personally have guessed that Texas mulies "should" have ears at least as big as ours - again because of the heat - but I'm not really seeing that in the photo of GW's mystery buck.
We're headed up shortly to see what we can see for California Bighorn rams as a good buddy was drawn for one of two almost unobtanium ram tags for the mountain behind our house. Season starts Sept 01st so he's hoping we can see some rams tonight and so am I of course.
I have hunted Mulies my whole life. But had never seen a Whitetail outside the pages of Field and Stream. I knew they ranged into some of our "play" areas, but had not happened upon them.
Then a few years ago we were camping near Deadwood Res, when a doe ran from the waters edge and down the road in front of the truck.
I told the kids to check out the Whitetail with its flag waving over its butt. Then it started stotting just like any mule deer I ever saw.
I assume it was a hybrid.
People who choose to brew up their own storms bitch loudest about the rain.
It occurs occasionally when Whitetail bucks breed Mule Deer does. They Whitetail bucks are more aggressive during the rut, and will run off Mulie bucks.
"Allways speak the truth and you will never have to remember what you said before..." Sam Houston Texans, "We say Grace, We Say Mam, If You Don't Like it, We Don't Give a Damn!"
rockinbbar; Good afternoon to you my cyber friend, I trust the Friday was a good end of the week for you.
While I know that folks like JGRaider has put up photos of Texas mulies, they've had such lovely wide antlers that I wasn't able to wrap my head around how wide the ears were.
That's the rationale behind my putting up the photo of the Okanagan mulie with the 26" ear spread and comparing it to GW's Texas buck. I'd personally have guessed that Texas mulies "should" have ears at least as big as ours - again because of the heat - but I'm not really seeing that in the photo of GW's mystery buck.
We're headed up shortly to see what we can see for California Bighorn rams as a good buddy was drawn for one of two almost unobtanium ram tags for the mountain behind our house. Season starts Sept 01st so he's hoping we can see some rams tonight and so am I of course.
All the best to you all this weekend.
Dwayne
Hello Dwayne, I loved the pic of you measuring the ear width of that muley buck. I think I've killed almost 50 muleys from here in W TX, Trans Pecos, TX Panhandle, and E NM. Biggest bodied bucks are here in West TX in the sandhills regions, and a big mature buck here will be right at 25". There are virtually no whitetails here except for the rare straggler. Hope that helps some.
I've hunted lots of areas in Texas where whitetails and mule deer coexist though. I'm told by biologists that the only way to know is like Mac said.....tissue samples, hair samples, etc. Another thing to look at is the size of the tarsal glands supposedly, but I don't know squat about that. I've seen a few that looked odd to me but can't personally say I've ever handled a dead one. I do know that antler configuration is a poor indicator generally. This is a buck we found dead in a plum thicket several years ago that was 100% verified as a 194" whitetail. In looking at only his antler cofig one would swear this was a big old muley buck.....
Last edited by JGRaider; 08/12/22.
It is irrelevant what you think. What matters is the TRUTH.
But I could use this thread to post 1000% pure whitetail buck pics just be ungermane to the topic. Like some old fart that’s only killed one deer in their whole life. lol
rockinbbar; Good afternoon to you my cyber friend, I trust the Friday was a good end of the week for you.
While I know that folks like JGRaider has put up photos of Texas mulies, they've had such lovely wide antlers that I wasn't able to wrap my head around how wide the ears were.
That's the rationale behind my putting up the photo of the Okanagan mulie with the 26" ear spread and comparing it to GW's Texas buck. I'd personally have guessed that Texas mulies "should" have ears at least as big as ours - again because of the heat - but I'm not really seeing that in the photo of GW's mystery buck.
We're headed up shortly to see what we can see for California Bighorn rams as a good buddy was drawn for one of two almost unobtanium ram tags for the mountain behind our house. Season starts Sept 01st so he's hoping we can see some rams tonight and so am I of course.
All the best to you all this weekend.
Dwayne
Hello Dwayne, I loved the pic of you measuring the ear width of that muley buck. I think I've killed almost 50 muleys from here in W TX, Trans Pecos, TX Panhandle, and E NM. Biggest bodied bucks are here in West TX in the sandhills regions, and a big mature buck here will be right at 25". There are virtually no whitetails here except for the rare straggler. Hope that helps some.
I've hunted lots of areas in Texas where whitetails and mule deer coexist though. I'm told by biologists that the only way to know is like Mac said.....tissue samples, hair samples, etc. Another thing to look at is the size of the tarsal glands supposedly, but I don't know squat about that. I've seen a few that looked odd to me but can't personally say I've ever handled a dead one. I do know that antler configuration is a poor indicator generally. This is a buck we found dead in a plum thicket several years ago that was 100% verified as a 194" whitetail. In looking at only his antler cofig one would swear this was a big old muley buck.....
rockinbbar; Good afternoon to you my cyber friend, I trust the Friday was a good end of the week for you.
While I know that folks like JGRaider has put up photos of Texas mulies, they've had such lovely wide antlers that I wasn't able to wrap my head around how wide the ears were.
That's the rationale behind my putting up the photo of the Okanagan mulie with the 26" ear spread and comparing it to GW's Texas buck. I'd personally have guessed that Texas mulies "should" have ears at least as big as ours - again because of the heat - but I'm not really seeing that in the photo of GW's mystery buck.
We're headed up shortly to see what we can see for California Bighorn rams as a good buddy was drawn for one of two almost unobtanium ram tags for the mountain behind our house. Season starts Sept 01st so he's hoping we can see some rams tonight and so am I of course.
All the best to you all this weekend.
Dwayne
Hello Dwayne, I loved the pic of you measuring the ear width of that muley buck. I think I've killed almost 50 muleys from here in W TX, Trans Pecos, TX Panhandle, and E NM. Biggest bodied bucks are here in West TX in the sandhills regions, and a big mature buck here will be right at 25". There are virtually no whitetails here except for the rare straggler. Hope that helps some.
I've hunted lots of areas in Texas where whitetails and mule deer coexist though. I'm told by biologists that the only way to know is like Mac said.....tissue samples, hair samples, etc. Another thing to look at is the size of the tarsal glands supposedly, but I don't know squat about that. I've seen a few that looked odd to me but can't personally say I've ever handled a dead one. I do know that antler configuration is a poor indicator generally. This is a buck we found dead in a plum thicket several years ago that was 100% verified as a 194" whitetail. In looking at only his antler cofig one would swear this was a big old muley buck.....
Wow !!!
"Allways speak the truth and you will never have to remember what you said before..." Sam Houston Texans, "We say Grace, We Say Mam, If You Don't Like it, We Don't Give a Damn!"
Up here on southern Vancouver Island we have a mix of Black tail and Fallow deer, the Fallow deer were brought in over a hundred years ago on to a small private island 6 to 800 yards off our southeaster coast. over time the fallow deer swam across the channel and interbread with our Black tail. We end up with color variations and antler anomilies, fallow deer have a narrow palm type antler
There is not enough darkness in all the world to put out the light of even one small candle----Robert Alden . If it wern't entertaining, I wouldn't keep coming back.------the BigSky
Yes they can cross,but it doesn't happen too often.In the western part of South Texas it's really desert type country.The whitetail deer are among the largest of the state.There are no mule deer in that area.The farther north and west of the South Texas brush country,you start getting into a mix of whitetail and mule deer.One thing I've notice about the deer in the western part of South Texas is they carry an unusually trait.They commonly have a darker or black tipped tail like the one pictured in the article below.Maybe they have cross genetics that make them carry that trait,or maybe they are just one of the many recognized sub-species.Whatever it is,it happened many years ago and the percentage of mule deer genes would be nearly none existent.Most people will find this hard to believe,but South Texas wasn't always the vast brush country it is today.When cattle were brought in from Mexico in the 1800's they brought the brush seeds with them in their bellies.This now brush country really didn't have many deer back then because it was once a vast grassland and desert.There may have been mule deer then in the western part of South Texas and maybe they could have crossed with the few whitetail that were around.As the brush thrived and grew taller it created great habitat for whitetail,not so much for mule deer.I do know the last known pronghorn antelope was killed on the King Ranch in the late 1950's or very early 1960's.It was the last one,so no chance to reproduce,so it was killed.Just shows how habitats can change over the years.
Here is a picture of a buck's tail from far west South Texas near Eagle Pass.Notice the black tipped tail
Dang that's a lot of antler for an 80 pound deer.
Last Buck my father killed here in STX field dressed at 210 lb
God bless Texas----------------------- Old 300 I will remain what i am until the day I die- A HUNTER......Sitting Bull Its not how you pick the booger.. but where you put it !! Roger V Hunter
rockinbbar; Good afternoon to you my cyber friend, I trust the Friday was a good end of the week for you.
While I know that folks like JGRaider has put up photos of Texas mulies, they've had such lovely wide antlers that I wasn't able to wrap my head around how wide the ears were.
That's the rationale behind my putting up the photo of the Okanagan mulie with the 26" ear spread and comparing it to GW's Texas buck. I'd personally have guessed that Texas mulies "should" have ears at least as big as ours - again because of the heat - but I'm not really seeing that in the photo of GW's mystery buck.
We're headed up shortly to see what we can see for California Bighorn rams as a good buddy was drawn for one of two almost unobtanium ram tags for the mountain behind our house. Season starts Sept 01st so he's hoping we can see some rams tonight and so am I of course.
All the best to you all this weekend.
Dwayne
Dwayne,
Yessir! You ought to see the jackrabbits ears out in west Texas!
Good luck to you and your buddy on your ram venture!