Joined Apr 2009
1,485 Posts | 0+
Vaughn, MT 59487
I had a pied mule deer twenty years ago and I want a white or pied in my mule deer again. This is the main reason for my mule deer hybrid project. I listed other goals for this project that I believe would benefit other breeders in my opinion.
Objective one of my project in my case is to introduce the white color gene into the mule deer herd. I should have F1 white crosses this spring. Then to build a herd with white mule deer looking deer. After we have white F1 crossed white females I will breed them to pure mule deer. The white gene is as dominant as brown and will give 50% white deer. We will be able to breed out any sign of whitetail at 75% and above. These mule deer/whitetail crosses occur in the wild all the time with wild deer and are not noticeable after the second cross when the deer breed with either whitetail or mule deer. 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.
Objective two is to introduce the whitetail disease resistance and its ability to graze more and not depend on tree browse for its health. We may be able to make mule deer more disease resistant to wet conditions and humid resistant so they can be raised in more Eastern States without the associated problems of pure mule deer. I know the F1 (50%/50%) will appear more mule deer than whitetail and the females will be fertile. This information is from past hybrids that were made on my ranch naturally. My F1 males have been sterile but I have had only two of them. Both sexes of the F2 animals are all fertile.
Pure mule deer have never been as easy to raise as whitetails. For sure they are not known to do well east of the Mississippi River. Sure a few guys have some and do quite well with them but I know of no one who has two or three hundred of them. I know lots of guys with that many whitetails. These successful mule deer breeders work very hard at keeping their mule deer healthy and happy.
I believe the F1 crosses should be bred back to a pure mule deer for 75%25% and no more pure mule deer should be put into the Eastern line. At this point the F2 should be bred to each other and selected on mule deer looks. These F2’s may give the health factors we will need for Eastern mule deer raising to be as successful as whitetail raising.
This project could go with whitetail females with mule deer semen so no investment in female breeding stock is required, only the purchase of mule deer semen.
One other reason for this cross is the breeders of these animals may have a new shooter market open up to them. I personally feel the mule deer market is wide open for those who want to raise mule deer. We just have to figure out how to do it as successfully as we do whitetail.
Objective one of my project in my case is to introduce the white color gene into the mule deer herd. I should have F1 white crosses this spring. Then to build a herd with white mule deer looking deer. After we have white F1 crossed white females I will breed them to pure mule deer. The white gene is as dominant as brown and will give 50% white deer. We will be able to breed out any sign of whitetail at 75% and above. These mule deer/whitetail crosses occur in the wild all the time with wild deer and are not noticeable after the second cross when the deer breed with either whitetail or mule deer. 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.
Objective two is to introduce the whitetail disease resistance and its ability to graze more and not depend on tree browse for its health. We may be able to make mule deer more disease resistant to wet conditions and humid resistant so they can be raised in more Eastern States without the associated problems of pure mule deer. I know the F1 (50%/50%) will appear more mule deer than whitetail and the females will be fertile. This information is from past hybrids that were made on my ranch naturally. My F1 males have been sterile but I have had only two of them. Both sexes of the F2 animals are all fertile.
Pure mule deer have never been as easy to raise as whitetails. For sure they are not known to do well east of the Mississippi River. Sure a few guys have some and do quite well with them but I know of no one who has two or three hundred of them. I know lots of guys with that many whitetails. These successful mule deer breeders work very hard at keeping their mule deer healthy and happy.
I believe the F1 crosses should be bred back to a pure mule deer for 75%25% and no more pure mule deer should be put into the Eastern line. At this point the F2 should be bred to each other and selected on mule deer looks. These F2’s may give the health factors we will need for Eastern mule deer raising to be as successful as whitetail raising.
This project could go with whitetail females with mule deer semen so no investment in female breeding stock is required, only the purchase of mule deer semen.
One other reason for this cross is the breeders of these animals may have a new shooter market open up to them. I personally feel the mule deer market is wide open for those who want to raise mule deer. We just have to figure out how to do it as successfully as we do whitetail.
Jim
