Hybrids

[marcfc]

I shot what may be a hybrid coues/mule deer in South Unit 33 near Marsh Station Road and I-10 on October 31, 2007 on the last day of rifle season. Take a look at the picture and let me know what you think.

[steward224]

Congrats on the harvest, way to go. I don't think it is a hybrid but sure do love the character.

[SilentButDeadly]

lets see the tail.

[More D]

Very cool.

 

Does he have any injurys that might explain what happened on his left side?

 

His fordhead markings look like a mulie. His antlers look whitetailish the way the points look like they come off the main beam.

 

 

Any more pics?

 

 

 

[bowhunter4life]

need body pictures, looks like mule deer buck

[bowhunter4life]

this a mule deer buck from 11-13 years ago, he had whitetail looking antlers but was a mule deer

 

 

 

 

[Arizona Griz]

A few more pictures would help.

 

A hybrid will have a metatarsal gland between what a Coues and Mule deer are.

 

I think the Mule deer is 5" and the Coues is 3". Something like that anyways.

[GameHauler]

I think I would be taking a ride to the GF Dept

[COOSEFAN]

I'm not accusing you of anything, but I'm sure you had a Muley tag right? If not listen to what Gamehauler is tellin' ya. Welcome to the site and congrats on your mule deer! JIM>

[IHunt2live]

If you would like to know for sure talk to Jim Heffelfinger at the Tucson AZGF office. He knows a whole lot about that stuff and I know for a fact that he loves freaky deer like that. Get in contact with him.

Best way to tell is the gland on the inside of their back leg. A hybrid gland will be halfway between a whitetails length and a mule deer length.

[bobbyo]

No more picture. Oh OO I have heard about a hybrid from reputable people in this exact same spot. From my experience this area is mostly Mule until you get to the big mountain. Here is a true hybrid. notice how it looks almost completely like a mule except for..... You figure it out! :

Bob

[Switchback]

wow i have never seen that

[az4life]

Weird... Are you sure you weren't playing pin the tail on the muley?

 

I have seen similar deer down south not far from safford, but the official word was it could not be a hybrid.

The 2 deer do not interbreed so they said. Then the publication followed that up with the scenario.

saying if it did happen, that the offspring would be sterile. like a mule is. These are the same experts that believe in evolution.

 

Maybe the start of a new subspecies!

[Coues79]

Man if that last pic. is considered a coues deer, that thing is ridiculously huge. Sure does look like a muley in characteristics, but it does have that white underside to its tail. I know if I came across a buck like that and saw a fluffy white underside to that flag, I'd have to pull the trigger myself.

 

I remember one time out hunting, I busted up 3 deer. Two of them looked identical to coues deer. Color, size and how they got the heck out of there. The other doe was a lot bigger and in appearance looked a lot different. When I saw her start stotting off, I figured it was a muley doe with the two coues deer. However, when I looked closer through my glasses, I noticed that dang thing had dark markings on her outer part to her tail, but, it was definitely with out a doubt, fan-like. It wasn't the rope tail like muleys have. Her actions were mule deerish, but with coues deer, and a whitetail.

 

The face of your buck does have muley features. I've heard that over time, deer in certain areas will adapt to their environment and develop certain characteristic features. So maybe if there are more muleys in that area with few whitetail, throughout time, they may have developed and changed to look more like a mule deer.

 

Kind of like humans. In certain areas, people talk certain ways and look certain ways. I don't know. Just my thoughts.

 

Cool looking buck regardless.

[firstcoueswas80]

Jim, Chritian, and myself think ths buck here may have a little muley in him. Huge body, tiny tiny tail, and muley style rack.