ok i was talking with a guy the other day about hunting while we bid a job and he said a few things that were kinda wierd or maybe its just me ok.

1) will a axis whitetail, and muledeer interbreed?

2) is there wild elk in Texas? He said he had lots near rocksprings.

3) is there alot of bear around rocksprings?

let me know what yall think

Axis x Whitetail= No.

Axis x Muledeer = No.

Muledeer x Whitetail= Yes.

There are wild elk in Texas. They came out of New Mexico a few years ago.

Bears are showing up in several places out West and in some cases in extreme North East Texas.

ok, well the guy claimed that a deer he shot was half axis half whitetail. the rack looks funky but he also said his taxi told him it was 1/2 and 1/2

Savage388 is spot on. If he shot an Axis White tail cross he needs to post some pics. Would be a first.

I don't think that an axis/whitetail cross could even be viable. I'm betting their DNA is too dissimilar and couldn't match up.

I've always heard about muley/whitetail crosses but really would need to see some genetic of proof. Just because a muley buck has whitetailish looking antlers or vice versa isn't proof. How many whitetails are killed all of the state that have "muledeer forks" on their g2's?

And yes, there are bears in being encountered in the Rocksprings area. A rancher killed one last year a short distance west of Kerrville. They're coming out of Mexico, probably driven by the drought and hunger.

I still don't buy the wt/Muley cross and I hit where we have not and have seen absolutely zero reaso to think they do, and I have about as much faith in a biologist or warden as a used car salesman most of them are clueless! Carry on......

1/2 and 1/2....? Sounds like a result after some 20-20....?

Maybe he shot a fallow and has a taxi who is clueless. Some fallows are spotted like axis and have funky looking antlers before they mature and palmate.

As far as elk, possibly red stag / european elk in that area.

WT/MD cross can happen, just like a WT/BT hybrid.

WT/MD do cross and it has been documented, although it is rare. It just does not happen all the time it takes several factors to not happen for it to happen. I have personally seen a cross that was killed in the mid 80's between Sanderson and Ft. Stockton. It had the metatarsel gland that a cross would have along with features of both species just not as pronounced as they would be under normal conditions. Here is a good read on Coues x Mule Deer crosses along with WT x MD crosses.
http://coueswhitetail.com/coues_biology/hybrids.htm
Elk now exist in the wild after being introduced into West Texas a few years back. There are breeding herds here in the State. Some ranches have as many as 800 hd also in West Texas all LF.
I have seen a deer killed in Kendall County in the early 90's that had the features of both a WT and Axis. It was strange looking to say the least. It came for a pasture that was HF and had both species. Was it? Probably not but it sure got some strange looks at the cleaning shed that morning. Enough that the guy who killed it was scared he had killed an axis that was off limits at the time.

Axis are too close to red deer/elk genetically rather than WT or MD. The axis can interbreed with red deer but not WT. There are free range herds of Elk out by Rocksprings but are most likely the result of escapees from HF ranches that had been able to breed and establish small herds. As far as the bears they are migrating up from Mexico into parts of the hill country. Dont think there is a real large number of them, usually single young boars looking for his own range.

Sika deer have spots part of the year and would be a good guess if taxi wasn't familiar with them changing coat colors. They also interbreed with axis and red deer and will try anything else in heat if they can whip the dominant buck.

heres a suspected wt/muley, shot near fort stockton

Other than whitetail-ish looking antlers that head appears to be all muley. What other WT characteristics did it have?

Yes mulie and wt cross... Tarsel gland size determines it pretty quickly...antler traits mean nothing.

I have heard axis and wt will cross...but never seen or has evidence been posted.


Tx elk where re-introduced via the Rocky mountain strain in the 20-30's around the Guadalupe mountains and have since expanded.... The Texas elk of West tx and the elk of southern nm where Merriami, now extinct. NM and Texas got introduced with rocket mountain elk about the same time.

Now Texas has the orginal introduction herd, some hf escapees, and some wild that have venture into the panhandle from NM,CO, and Kansas.

And yes the bear population is growing quickly in Texas both in the far West of the hill county...West tx, east texas, the panhandle, and North east tx

describe this mythical creature.

I've heard stories but never actually talked to someone had seen one dead.

It had few faint white and full white spots on parts of the back, shoulders and hindquarters. The body was longer and shorter legged like a axis with more WT colors, but not normal WT coloring for Kendall. Forehead was more in shape and some colors of an axis. Ears were shorter than a WT would normally have. Tail was WT in shape and color just shorter if I remember right. This was from back in 91 or 92.

did it have antlers?

Nope it was a doe. I called it a WT since that is what it looked more like and have never heard of a WT/Axis cross. But the guy who shot it had a worried look on his face when I went to pick him up. I think it dressed in the upper 80's for weight also.

Was it a fawn? Just askin....

We had a buck on our place in the late 90's that never lost his spots on his hind quarters as he got older. We watched and videoed him until 4.5 and then he disappeared. 99% sure he wasn't a cross, no axis in the area

We named him "Spot"

Maybe it was shape-shifting weredeer.