New Mexico Mule Deer Hunt

[MHO]

Nice Buck. Congratulations. I have hunted deer all over and a lot of mule deer. Its pretty common to see the same configuration when there is also whitetail. I always just assumed that there is some whitetail in the gene pool. Thats all I could ever come up with.

 

[WildRose]

Well, I just got back from Silver City, New Mexico. I'm happy to say that I killed the biggest Mule Deer I have ever killed on the 3rd morning of the hunt. What really made it special is that the shot was 500 yards and my Remington Model 7 270wsm with hand loaded 140 Grain Nosler Accubond dropped him in his tracks. Bullet went completely through both shoulders and couldnt have asked for better performance. This animal Field Dressed at 200lbs no ground shrinkage, I hadnt experienced the no ground shrinkage before. LOL. I wish that I had gotten it all on video, unfortunately I forgot my camera tripod back home here in Texas. He's ready to be mounted. Its the biggest deer I've ever killed so I'm very happy with him. I've made longer shots, but 500 yards is by far the longest shot I've ever attempted on a Trophy animal. Here are a few pictures of the Deer. Enjoy

...TRUNCATION BY ME...
One to be proud of for sure. I spent a lot of time in that area while in uniform and got to see good representatives of all three species over the years.

I've always wished I'd be in a position where I could get genetic samples from a deer like yours to have it typed.

I suspect there has been some hybridization over the years.

In my part of Texas WT/Mulie crosses are not uncommon and usually we get what appears to be a slightly larger WT, but with forked beams/tines like a typical mulie on some of the rack and more typical single spikes on others.

Hope you had help getting him out HA!

Be sure and post again when you get the mount back.

 

[Topgun 30-06]

As a followup to your post, I shot a smaller mulie rack like the one in this thread in Wyoming years ago when there were no whitetails anywhere near the area. You would swear it was a whitetail if I didn't tell you. I also shot a big nontypical whitetail 4x4 with 3" browpoints that you would swear is a mulie down in the brush country of south Texas. Neither animal was in an area where it would have cross-bred with the other species, so I have often wondered what makes some racks like they are. The OP said he was in the Silver City area, so maybe that buck was even an offspring of a Coues and a mulie. I just hunted the Gila above Silver City last Fall and we saw both species, so maybe even that is a possibility.

 

[moombaskier]

I have some Blacktail racks that have a typical Blacktail/Mule deer, I guess they call it bifuricated? antler on one side and the other is very much typical whitetail, one main beam with points sprouting up. I wonder if anyone else from Oregon has seen this on the coast range?
As for that LIAM, thanks for seeing it my way, what a jerk! I have never shot a Mule deer and that buck is way bigger than any Blacktail around here. The way I see it, any buck taken at that range is a trophy!

 

[NONYA]

Thats a WT in a MD disguise!

 

[davkrat]

It's a dandy whatever it is. Got any photos of the mount yet?

 

[Good]

Nice buck, very well could've been hybrid. Silver is 6k' elevation plus, so both species are in the area. That's 2 hrs from me.

 

[thewileyone13]

nice deer, congrats.