History of Muley Distribution
wyomingtrophyhunter
7/16/04 1:12pm
Anyone out there got the scoop on the historical distribution (and demise thereof) of muleys in the United States ?
An extremely old neighbor of mine has a pretty nice (25 inch/4 point) mule deer mount that he claims was taken by his great uncle around 1920 in what is now the White River Refuge on the lower White River in Arkansas. His uncle was a game warden with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and claimed that this muley was the last one taken in the state. It is definitely (IMHO) a mule deer. Whether it was killed where claimed, I do not know. I have no reason to doubt this man's word, however.
Furthermore, in my many years of hunting in south Arkansas, I have seen two deer killed that had the physical traits like the mule/whitetail crosses I've seen in eastern Colorado from time to time. I killed one of the aforementioned Arkansas deer and it was a 5 x 4, had no brow tines, had forked pinchers on the main beams, and most telling of all, had the big, ole flop ears.
I know, the cross-breed theory is questionable with lots of folks, including some biologists. I would still contend, however, that the south Arkansas deer herd has some of the muley traits in its gene pool and these traits manifest themselves sometimes, however infrequently.
Anybody out there got any information based on their experiences and observations......or am I just crazy for even thinking this kind of stuff ? :oops:
And yeah, I'm that same goofball who claims to be on the trail of that 48" six out there in north-central Wyoming.............
An extremely old neighbor of mine has a pretty nice (25 inch/4 point) mule deer mount that he claims was taken by his great uncle around 1920 in what is now the White River Refuge on the lower White River in Arkansas. His uncle was a game warden with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and claimed that this muley was the last one taken in the state. It is definitely (IMHO) a mule deer. Whether it was killed where claimed, I do not know. I have no reason to doubt this man's word, however.
Furthermore, in my many years of hunting in south Arkansas, I have seen two deer killed that had the physical traits like the mule/whitetail crosses I've seen in eastern Colorado from time to time. I killed one of the aforementioned Arkansas deer and it was a 5 x 4, had no brow tines, had forked pinchers on the main beams, and most telling of all, had the big, ole flop ears.
I know, the cross-breed theory is questionable with lots of folks, including some biologists. I would still contend, however, that the south Arkansas deer herd has some of the muley traits in its gene pool and these traits manifest themselves sometimes, however infrequently.
Anybody out there got any information based on their experiences and observations......or am I just crazy for even thinking this kind of stuff ? :oops:
And yeah, I'm that same goofball who claims to be on the trail of that 48" six out there in north-central Wyoming.............
8,724
Anybody even willing to make up something..........? :lol:
Please help. Thanks.
You got me wondering myself and figure I'll spend a chunk of my weekend looking around. I'll see I can come up with something you can use.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Comm. was not in existence until about 1915 and only as a cameo enforcement agency...enforcement for the few, scant wildlife laws we had back then. By that time, deer were so scarce (period) that they were a pure novelty anywhere in the state.
I interviewed an ancient feller 20 years ago who told me of living in the delta (home of giant whitetails now) as a child. He related how when some dirt farmer would even see a deer track, a posse was formed and the poor creature was trailed unmercifully until it was found and dispatched. He rightly reminded me, however, that this was Arkansas in the 'twenties and folks were hungry.
My own father, at age 12, killed an 8-point basket head in 1938 in south Arkansas.....a rare deed and an equally rare success at one of the many deer camps which were really not much more than social clubs under the guise of hunting.
Quite a change from today where we "officially" kill 300,000 each year. You can triple that figure to get a "real" count which includes the year-round poaching, spotlighting, road kills, and unchecked/untagged deer taken during the legal seasons.
All this said, records in Arkansas from the early days are practically nonexistent. I suppose any mention of mule deer in northeast Texas, Louisiana, and/or Mississippi might be of some value in determining the muley distribution in Arkansas.
I do appreciate your willingness to help in this research just to salve my curiosity about an old muley mount that has an old story to go with it. If it is as hot where you are as it is here, it is way too hot to scout deer so maybe a little quality internet time is not too much of a waste of time.
Thanks and best regards.
I appreciate your persistence and look forward to seeing the fruits of your research skills on my behalf.
Best regards,
wyomingtrophyhunter
razorbackbowhunter
One of the deer I referred to was killed just outside of Hampton, not too far from you. The other, I killed in 1991 between Star City and Pinebergen.
I am looking forward to the report that ACGHAWK has promised. I suspect that the gene pool of most mammals has many chromosome nuances that manifest themselves from time to time.
Case in point: Ever seen the giant Jack-a-lope in the gas station out in Dubois, WY ?? :---)
I'll try to post that info this week. Sorry for the delay my friend.
Thanks for the update. I know you've got more important fish to fry and I do appreciate your service to our country. I, too, know how disruptive "Uncle's" business can be to our personal lives. I am glad you will be able to get in those hunts before you ship out. My thoughts and prayers go out to you and yours during your deployment and I thank you for your patriotism. If I may be of any service to you, please do not hesitate to call on me. You have my best regards and good wishes for a safe tour of duty. :usa :usa :usa