MULE DEER HYBRIDS

I had expressed an idea a few years back that people back East should us mule deer semen to their best whitetail does to make mule deer hybrids and thus diversify their herd into also raising mule deer looking stock to increase their sales to harvest facilities.  Harvest facilities have always wanted mule deer.  We raised a few 75% mule deer hybrids this year.  As most of you know I have advocated that these hybrids would have better disease resistance with the whitetail genetics in them and could be raised back East as well as whitetail.  I feel whitetail have always had a better immune system than mule deer and that is why they have adapted to live in every State.  It has always been hard to raise mule deer back East.  I also said they would look like mule deer at 75% mule deer genetics.  The fawns born this year have looked almost like pure mule deer.  There is a little too much hair on the tail but they have the right color and big ears of pure mule deer fawns.


My own personal reason to raise hybrids was to create white mule deer.  I have two white 50% yearlings this year which I will LAP AI to our 280 SCI mule deer semen.  I have wanted to raise white mule deer every since I saw one in the wild in Montana a few years back.  Next year I should have some white 75% mule deer fawns God willing.

Kevin,


That is right when we had our harvest facility in Montana the clients always harvested our mule deer and at the end of the season we were out every year of mule deer.  The mule deer will always fight it is their nature.  Seems strange your does quite producing fawns many of my does are from 2005 and they still produce twins.  Like you we average about 1.6 fawns.  I have made by accident 50% hybrids when we ran the two breeds together in years past.  This is the first year I made 75% hybrids on purpose.  I wouldn't think the clients would know the difference between a hybrid and a pure mule deer.

Ryan,


I had a hybrid 75% fawn in my hands yesterday to give the shot I get from Josh from Red Ridge.  I will say since I started those shots our fawn survival has been close to 100 %  We give it to the does and the fawns.  Anyway the fawns are in deep forage and we don't see them very much yet but when they are older and run with the moms I will get a picture for you.

In Texas the mule deer does sell for 15K and up.  It is a very closed genetic pool and we sell mule deer semen into Texas quite a bit.  Many just wanted to make hybrids because they had many whitetail does that produced 300 inch bucks and their genetics were past that in whitetail so the does were not being used to the best advantage.  Many from Texas started to cross mule deer semen into those type of does to get mule deer hybrids with 300 inch genetics already.  There should be many 75% mule deer being produced in Texas now.  They did this to save money but the fact is mule deer don't live well back East so this would open up a market for people back East as I believe these hybrids would live well without the problems the mule deer have in that part of the country.

Brett, Think there is a guy doing it for the last two years now.  He for some reason has had small fawns but those that lived were ok as they grew up.  Don't think I should say his name but know he looks at this site so maybe he will post his success.

Brett,


Yes I collect mule deer semen every year for this nation wide project.  We have semen from 100. to 2200 a 1/2cc straw live collected which is split able.  I will be collecting from one of my best two year olds for a live collected semen and will sell that for 100 a straw.  We also get in post mortem harvested mule deer for semen collection each year but will not know the quality of the bucks till later this fall.


Semen is from 150 to 280 SCI bucks.


A project like this will take two/three years to get fawns that look like mule deer.  Then most bucks will have to be at least three years old for harvesting.  It isn't a overnight project.  The first generation crosses I had were all very big bucks but did look like whitetail.  It takes two crosses to make mule deer looking animals.  Like I said it would be nice to raise them because I'm quite sure they will be as easy to raise as whitetail in any area whitetail do well in.

Here is a picture of one of my white mule deer hybrids.  I plan to breed them to 280 inch mule deer semen this fall.  It's been a few years sinse I saw a white mule deer in Montana.  Any luck at all I will have 75% white mule deer on the ground in 2015.  It will be a dream come true for me.

Here are two two year olds.