Curiosity if anyone has seen more Whitetail Deer?

crimedog · Nov 3, 2021

A few years ago they were always talked about. Whitetails being seen etc.. I have not heard anything for a couple of years. Any reports of any out there or being harvested?

elkassassin · Nov 3, 2021

Seen A Doe WhiteTail a couple Months ago here in NE Utah!

We Had A Buck Not Too Far From Here For a Few Years But He Never Ever got very Big on the Head Gear!

The Only Thing That Saved Him is He Was Staying On Tribal/Private Ground!

Early One Morning A Vehicle Hit Him & Killed Him!

The Only 2 I've Known of in the Last Couple Years!

deerlevi · Nov 3, 2021

There was one that got hit by a car in American fork a few years ago. There is a small population along the Provo river in heber I’ve heard, but they are all on private property. I wonder if they’ll mix enough with mule deer that it’ll be hard to tell the difference eventually

elkassassin · Nov 3, 2021

Probably No!

They Can Only Cross Once & They're Hybrid I Think?

somedaya200 said:
There was one that got hit by a car in American fork a few years ago. There is a small population along the Provo river in heber I’ve heard, but they are all on private property. I wonder if they’ll mix enough with mule deer that it’ll be hard to tell the difference eventually

Wapitiwilly · Nov 3, 2021

Ogden valley has a few. Saw a nice 5x5 killed during the hunt last year.

Dangbig · Nov 5, 2021

Seen a doe in cache last summer

deadibob · Nov 6, 2021

So the invasion isn't just coming from the south? BUILD THE WALL!

travishunter3006 · Nov 7, 2021

We need to be transplanting whitetail Into the state. Mule deer can’t seem to figure it out. Let a hearty species that flourishes and outcompetes come in and give us something to actually hunt.

Sparks Shooter · Nov 8, 2021

travishunter3006 said:
We need to be transplanting whitetail Into the state. Mule deer can’t seem to figure it out. Let a hearty species that flourishes and outcompetes come in and give us something to actually hunt.

After hunting Whitetails in Idaho for a couple decades, I'm not sure this would work out so well. Do a little research on the cyclical die-offs that occur in western Whitetail populations and see if that's something you want to artificially import. When mule deer are down, you just don't see as many of them. When Whitetail have a die-off, you have to haul trailers full of carcasses to the dump and whole valleys smell of death. It's actually happening right now in the Clearwater herd.
They tend to rebound quickly and can actually overpopulate. Then, they all die again.

They are super fun to hunt and taste great.-----SS

treedagain · Nov 8, 2021

There are a couple pretty good pockets of them in northern Utah. In early Oct I saw 6 does in 1 field.

notrace · Dec 5, 2021

I know of one killed in ogden Valley.

I needed to edit the photo as I do not have permission to post there photo but it was shot up by middle fork.

elkhuntn247 · Dec 7, 2021

notrace said:
I know of one killed in ogden Valley.

I needed to edit the photo as I do not have permission to post there photo but it was shot up by middle fork.

View attachment 61725

I got this buck on my trail cam back in august. Great buck!

buckspotter7 · Dec 7, 2021

That looks like the same buck!

257Tony · Dec 7, 2021

DWR needs to declare whitetails as a non game species, kill them all. Our Mule Deer don't need any more competition.

EVILNR · Dec 7, 2021

Survival of the fittest.

schoolhousegrizz · Dec 7, 2021

257Tony said:
DWR needs to declare whitetails as a non game species, kill them all. Our Mule Deer don't need any more competition.

I couldn't agree more. Whitetail are in mostly every state and mule deer are in what, 12ish?

elkhuntn247 · Dec 8, 2021

buckspotter7 said:
That looks like the same buck!

Yes he is the same buck haha my camera was just across the road from where he ended up getting killed

treedagain · Dec 8, 2021

We need all the deer we can get in Utah. Plus they taste alot better.

Sparks Shooter · Dec 9, 2021

257Tony said:
DWR needs to declare whitetails as a non game species, kill them all. Our Mule Deer don't need any more competition.

I totally disagree with this comment. I don't think we should import them or exterminate them. Why don't we let nature take it's course and treat them like the awesome resource they are?

When I didn't draw any tags in several states this year, it sure was nice to be able to go hunt these guys on OTC tags right in the middle of habitat that they share very nicely with mule deer, elk, moose, etc.---SS

notrace · Dec 13, 2021

Whitetail have been in Utah for quite a few years now 20+ that I know of in the Ogden Valley.

I do know that they are much more aggressive during the rut and a 170 pound mature whitetail will chace off a 200+ pound mature mule deer and will breed muledeer does. I do not know but have been told that the offspring from such cross breeding are more likely to be eaten by predators as the mule deer and whitetail have different ways of running from danger and sometimes that cross breeding causes them to freeze up. If that's true I'm guessing that's why we do not see as many high breed deer although every 3 point someone shoots seams to think there high breed deer. I would guess a high breed deer would look like a muledeer with a whitetail tail.

Funny today I seen a Whitetail buck and doe with some muledeer does in South salt lake by the refinery plants where I15 and the 215 split going south just east of the flying J turn off.