Why some mule deer have split ears?

Split Ears? Not sure I know what you mean? Share some more details.

You know when the deers ear has a split right down the middle i have seen some like that. cows get it too. i was just wandering what caused it

Well you know it's just this younger generation mule deer bucks now-a-days. They split their ears, hang out past their curfew, and don't come home at all sometimes. 8)

Actually I believe the harsh winters are more responsible than other factors (predators, antler to antler conflicts, fences, etc.). There's not a lot of blood into this area anyway and severe cold does make them brittle and able to split.

In my part of the country where it's mild winters (Columbian Blacktails) I have rarely seen bucks or does with split ears. However, mule deer in cold country tend to have more. Who knows, maybe it is the younger generation bucks. 8)

BOHNTR )))-------------------->

Dang Teenage Bucks!

I suppose thats why I wasn't sure what you where talking about. I have heard of it, but have never seen it.

I guess from what BOHNTR says it is probably due to the climate where I live. Nice and warm with mild winters..

Yea i could be climate because here in idaho it gets dang cold some times

akw270:

You're kidding me right? "Nice and warm" Utah? I remember one September I was bowhunting monster muleys at 11,000' in some back country in "warm" Utah. One of those summer thunderstorms blew in and promptly dumped a few inches of snow and produced some frigid wind. Brrrrrrr! Nope, I think Utah can get cold enough. If that's what it feels like in September, I can imagine what December feels like. :D

Now keep in minds guys, I'm about to complete the 7th day of temperatures ABOVE 93 degrees and it's only March! :( Unfortunately that what happens when you live in the Sonoran Desert of California.

BOHNTR )))------------------->

BOHNTR, your exactly right about the cold weather splitting the ears. I won't pretend that I am all knowing and that this was a simple question to answer (as if I have to point out to you all that I don't know EVERYTHING!). I was watching a discovery channel special last night and they covered this exact subject. When the weather gets extremely cold, the deer's body diverts the blood flow to more vital parts of the body. When this happens, the ears get cold, brittle, and then split. I guess it's relatively painless since they more than likely are numb by that point anyway (Still don't sound too pleasent to me).

Discovery channel, dang I missed it. Well I don't get the
channel anymore, but sounds interesting. Have heard the same
thing, glad to hear the conformation.
Thanks!

hey thanks for the answer. i bet it has to get pretty cold for that to happen.

Yea, I would imagine that it would certainly have to be well below freezing before this would occur, although they really didn't specify exactly. Damn glad I don't have that problem though...OUCH!

AGCHAWK:

Hey congratulations on making 2-point status....... :lol:

BOHNTR )))-------------->

What can I say BOHNTR, I'm a late bloomer I suppose! You know us Washingtonians, always a day late and a dollar short.....and usually a brick or two short of a full load, but that's a topic for later discussion.

I have often wondered about this, and have several deer coming into my yard with one or both ears split. One interesting thing though; I have yet to see a buck with a split ear, but probably 6 does.....??

Here is an example.


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Wow!! Now that is definitely what I call split antlers. I don't recall ever seeing one that severe.

Damn! I thought it was small fork-horn buck when I first glanced at the picture! I would have to say that that is also the worse that I have ever seen.!

Great pic thats what i have seen before to and never knew why.

Well, I just have to throw in on this one.

All the reasons given are perhaps valid. I do not know. I do know, however, that on at least one ranch in central Wyoming (I shall withhold the name to protect my guilty pals and to protect one of my primo hunting holes), the cowboys are responsible.

These particular wranglers are notorious for catching fawns during the late spring calf roundup and notching their ears just like they do the calves.....even castrating them on occasion....just to see how funny it is. Actually, the reason given is that they like to make some determination as to the range of the deer and see how many stay on the ranch....just a 60,000 acre affair, you know. Not the most scientific study ever launched, but I suppose they do get some sense of satisfaction knowing years later that they had previously laid their hands on a nice buck that they take.

Yeah, maybe these boys have swilled too many Keystones or maybe they are really just scientists at heart. It is, however, a fact (at least in this particular area) that those ear notches occur by their hand.

I have a split-ear buck mount from that ranch taken a few years back that I will photograph and send in if I can borrow a digital camera from one of my more modern pards.

I guess nose rings and eye barbells will be next........... :shock:

Funny you post something on this subject wyomingtrophyhunter 'cause while doing a little "surfing" on the subject we were discussing in earlier posts concerning the historical range of Mule deer I came across an article describing this same phenomena. As they describe it, Mule deer were never a naturally occuring species in the colder climate up north but have been pushed that far due to a number of issues. Because they (Mulies) have such long extremities (ears, legs) they have issues when it gets REAL cold. Not that it endangers them, because it doesn't seem to effect the mortality rate any more than extreme cold effects other species. The blood that normally keeps thier ears warm is diverted to more vital parts of thier bodies, which in turn allows the ears to freeze and eventually split (The same thing happens when a human gets frost bite in the fingers, toes, ears, etc).
They have been in these colder regions for 1,000s of years but deer haven't seemed to change much biologically speaking during that entire
time (White-tail for instance are no different than they were around the time of the last ice-age). They are just hardy animals that seem to "role with the punches" instead of adapting like some animal species do.
Let me finish this post by saying I am not smart enough to refute what the article says, I am just regurgitating the info in an attempt to SOUND smart...LOL

Man 'O man, you are out there doing some research and I appreciate it too.

The whole issue of genetics and cold climate makes plenty of sense in regard to the ear-splitting phenomenon. Now if we can just somehow explain what makes those crazy cowboys tick !! :wink:

Well I don't know how they tick in your neck of the woods but I can tell ya that all it takes is a 5th of J.D. where I'm from!

Wow,
I never really thought about it like that. Thanks for the info!!