The hybrid’s escape behavior is chaotic; the deer will typically approach the threat and jump around in confusion. Whitetail Mule Deer Hybrid, where I live there seems to be more of this going on. HPF. My hunting grounds here in South Central North Dakota are at the edge of White Tail and Mule Deer territory. ♂) [Hog Deer] CHR. Posted By: saddlesore Re: Do Mule Deer and Whitetail Deer interbreed ? I believe I read the mule deer was made from the overlapping range of whitetail and Black tail deer when they bred thousands of years back. As much as I love all things deer, we have to be honest—brown is boring. CON: India. He added that researchers at Texas A&M successfully produced a hybrid buck, but it turned out to be sterile--one more mystery in the hybrid equation. Western ND around Bowman has a bunch..we see 10-12 a year in the 2 weeks out there bowhunting..we have shot 5 in 22 years out there..in the 70s the area used to be exclusively mule deer..now it is about 50/50 with the whitetail being much more agressive..the hybrid or "Jimmy" is almost always the result of a whitetail buck breeding a mule deer doe...the estrus cycle is only hours … A video comparing whitetail mule deer hybrids to their pure parents. I see dozens of cross deer. Hybrids between white-tailed deer and mule deer … So, what happens when whitetail and mule deer meet up? But 50% mule deer bucks are sterile but all 75% mule deer bucks are fertile. Hybrids tails look like whitetails, but are darker, a bit longer than the normal mule deer tail and they have a slight black tip. It’s a question I have long been intrigued with since I heard stories of mysterious whitetail/mule deer hybrids at a hunting camp in my home state of Texas. In captive hybrids, a one-eight White-tail/seven-eighths Mule Deer hybrid has an erratic escape behaviour and would be unlikely to survive to breed. EUGENE M. MCCARTHY, PHD GENETICS, ΦΒΚ . Hybrid deer occur when mule deer and whitetail deer ranges overlap. Hybrid deer show characteristics that are intermediate between mule deer and whitetails. Such behavior is not conducive to passing their genes on to another generation. This animal was smaller than an elk and had antlers similar to those of a mule deer. Two completely different species. Stotting is so specialized that only 100% genetically pure Mule Deer seem able to do it. These offspring might breed with mule deer, resulting in deer that are seven-eights mule deer and are probably not distinguishable from pure mule deer just by looking at them. The cross has occurred in both directions. Mule Deer bound (all 4 hooves hit the ground at once, called "stotting") to escape predators. They are often the result of a whitetail buck mating with a mule deer doe (although it can go the other way), as mule deer and whitetail deer have different mating practices that make it easier for the pairing to work this way. Also, a first generation (50:50) female hybrid might breed with a mule deer buck and the offspring will be three-quarters mule deer. Variety is the spice of life—and deer hunting. While on a mission to photograph Merriam’s turkey in Colorado for my Turkey Revolution quest two weeks … Continue reading In Search Of Whitetail-Mule Deer Hybrids → Yes sir, they do. Whitetail also tend to consume more crops, leading for depredation claims with farmers. I know the white tail here are more aggressive in the rut and will run off a mulie buck but every year coming in to the rut I see some herds mixed and there always seems to be at least one hybrid in there. This off spring may then breed with a mule deer, resulting in deer that are seven-eighths mule deer and not easily distingu ishable