Hello all! As some of you may know, I am researching mule deer/ white-tailed deer hybridization. I am a lifelong hunter myself and find it important to keep hunters as involved as possible with regards to research and management, which is why I occasionaly solicit help from you folks here (and with great success-- thanks to those who have replied in the past)

I am beginning the process of reviewing geographic distributions of the two species and information is often outdated, ambiguous or otherwise unclear, SO, before I begin a formal search by contacting state/provincial agencies etc. I would like to here some anecdotes from folks who (I don't want to say old) have lived in an area for a significant amount of time where they have seen the density of mule deer decrease and at the same time have seen the density of white-tailed deer increase. This is not a scientific survey or anything like that, I am just looking to get an idea of areas to focus on. I am very interested in folks from Alberta and from Central/SOuthern Oregon and the California/Nevada border (Northern section). Other areas, stories as well would be appreciated. Please feel free to PM or post as you please.

Thanks all!

IV

quote:

California/Nevada border (Northern section)

Are you looking for Modoc County or is there antoher specific area? I am a little unclear where the whitetails enter California, but I have hunted in Modoc and the Warner Mountains and can ask around if you help me a little with the area.

According to NATURESERVE GIS data, the distributions overlap along the CA/NV border area.

Any info from Modoc, Lassen, Plumas, Sierra, Nevada or Placer Co.'s would be helpful.

On the Nevada side, info from Washoe Co.

Thanks for any help!

IV

quote:

NATURESERVE GIS data

Be careful with NatureServe, it sometimes has issues with data validity. In essence look at the data source and you will find it comes with a lot of variables.

I will look into it for you.

yes, I have noticed that Natureserve is (how do I put this) not the best source? They have whitetail distribution including coastal Oregon and Washington, which I believe to be in error; that is kind of why I am informally looking for local help before I start hounding state agencies.....

Thanks for looking in to your area....

IV

Well I am a biologist on the coast, but have resources in Modoc, Siskiyou, and Lassen counties. I will see if they are any help. Here is a little additional referrence work.

Columbian white-tailed deer thought to stray to Calif

I struggle with the whitetail/muley controversy! The whitetail is coming into new territory naturally,( I am not sure it is new) not introduced, not transplanted, with little help from man. Yet they are being persecuted to no end. Some seasons here in Wyoming are 60 days with a rifle for any whitetail. Pheasant, chukar, and huns were all introduced, yet that is ok. Oh an let's not forget your pet wolves. All introduced. The whitetail comes in natrually and the game and fish depts want them wiped out. Lewis and Clark wrote of the whitetail on their journey in the west.

We get a decent population of whitetails and the next season the G&F opens and issues special long seasons and additional tags!

Actually,with the research being done on DNA. The mule deer/whitetail cross in wyoming has been researched fairly well. I know of one college science teacher that has been involved with this deer study,along with an even more involved study of pika.

The bottom line according to the science profesor,is these hybrid deer enjoy early deaths with few reaching maturity.

Wyoming has a major hard on for whitetail. Most of it is fueled by the wishes of private land owners.Whitetails tear the shit out of haystacks and most ranchers would rather cry about losses rather then fence off stacks. We had 2500 additionals here in area 24 alone. Whitetail are like coyotes. They've thrived in the west as a result of man. Mule deer simply don't adapt as well.

If you read the above articles this is actually about naturally occuring population of white-tailes in our northeastern California, not introduced or natural immigration. It appears this population was already shot out.

Alberta

There is a "special draw deer hunt" in Camp Wainwright a large military base in eastern Alberta each year. The Fish And Wildlife division has been collecting various data from this "controlled hunt" for many years. I am sure if you contacted them they would share the information you are looking for. (Bill Wishart studied deer cross breeding a bit and collected data from this hunt for some years)

I hunt in this camp as often as possible and in one area I hunt there has been a big increase in Mule deer and a decline in white-tails. The area had a good fire go through it which changed the habitat and we had a couple cold winters with deep snow. One or both of those factors may have shifted the population towards mule deer.

It seems to me that I (and hunting friends) am seeing more white-tail in the foothill and mountain areas of Alberta in the last several years.

It is too bad that those responsible for investigating "animal/vehicle" collisions, and cleaning up road kills do not keep good records. A lot of valuable information about population levels and distribution could be gleaned from it.

Robin down under

my uncle has a ranch in eastern montana near hysham.he told us there was never any whitetail around when he was a child.(hes about 65)now they are plentyful and increasing ,using the river valleys to spread more.they have been taken on his ranch,13 miles uphill from the yellowstone river.they are abundant in the river valleys,not many up in the hills.They have been seen with mule deer in the hills, you rarely see mulies in the river valley.(they have harvested a few hybrid animals,mule deer looking with whitetail horns)
there was a disease called blue tongue that really knocked down the whitetail population a few years ago.probably been keeping them in check for many years.

Idaho Vandal,
As I look back, it seems the whitetail has been slowly spreading into evry place I have lived. The area I live in now, just north of Eureka Montana, seemed to feature about a 50/50 mix when we first bought the place in 1990. Now it is relatively rare to see mule deer. In those areas where mule deer are still plentiful, hybridization does occur.
When I lived in Harvard, Idaho, ( 40 years ago) whitetails and mule deer didn't seem to mix all that much. Whitetails were found in the valleys and mule deer further up. I don't recall ever seeing a whitetail shot up on Gold Hill for instance. On the other hand, I don't recall seeing a mule deer on Moscow Mtn. Possibly things have changed now.
I have not hunted mule deer here for 10 years just because it seemed like they had troubles enough! Not that my hunting usually has much effect on game populations!
I can't help but think human interaction with the species has a greater influence than anything else. Otherwise the whitetail would have been well established in all areas years ago. After all, the whitetail has been around in North America for much longer than the muley. Yet there are still numerous areas where the mule deer has the range to itself. Mostly these are undeveloped areas but not always.
All in all, interaction between these species and others is complex enough that it's unlikely I will ever have any real understanding. Regards, Bill.

In southern Sask the mule deer -whitetail numbers game seem to shift every few years. right now mulies are on the increase. A few years ago it was the opposite.

Here both deer are found in the same areas and often one can find them even bedding in the same small patch of cover.
I have seen a couple of deer I am sure were hybrids.

In general the mulies are more common in rougher, steeper couless with whitetails preferring abandoned farm steads and such for cover. How ever both feed on crop land.

An increase in grazing land and alfalfa hay fields may be the reason for more mulies lately and or recent mild winters.


When I started hunting 40 years ago mulies were more common in south central Sask but they took the brunt of hunting pressure and their numbers fell. It led to a change in the hunting regulations s the old " One Deer " tag good for either mulie or whitetail was replaced with over the counter white tail and draw mulie tags. Today mulies are still on a draw but it is possible to get multiple mulie tags but only one whitetail tag for much of the province.

Thanks all for the replies and PM's so far!

IV

PM sent.