mueygrande

Was wondering if anyone could explain the results of inbreading among whitetail deer? such as antler and/or growth deformities or any other physical problems? Thanks
MueyGrande

bowbow

I have no scientific evidence of anything. I seem to see certain traits in the white tail bucks that I have seen for the last 8 - 10 years we have been hunting in Wisconsin. We have wide short tined eight pointers. We also see awsome 10 pointers, good spread, tall, good mass. We had 4 different 10 points that we know about this year that looked a lot like each other this year. There also seems to be a trait for a single sticker point near the base of the rack on the right side. I've seen this on probably 6 different bucks over the years. I attached one that I took last week, after the gun season. Anyone else see some of the same traits year after year?

Hawgnman

Here's an odd rack, but I think this is the result of an injury while the antler was developing.
http://www.advanceddesignsinc.com/Odd%20Rack061.jpg

BTW, this was my first deer, and my best so far.

Rauch

wavy growth in the left antler is a result of a mutation in the gene that stars and stops antler developement the gene tells the the antler to gow then stop then start again then stop which causes the wavy growth while a normal gene would tell the antler to start growing then when summer was over to stop without pause this was most likey not an injury that caused it but the recesive gene

j3k2c1

I know that inbreding is the main cause of piebald and albino deer. as for antler formation...don't know.

sawbill

Undershod jaws are another indicator of over populations, which I suggest is in part,the same thing as interbreeding.

farm hunter

While some of the examples given are indeed indicative of inbred deer - they are mostly the extreme, and usually rare. In most cases - inbreeding results in lower birth weights, higher rates of stillborn and fawn deaths. In almost every situation, inbred deer cannot compete with a normal distribution of deer families.

Why do you ask - do you have a specific example? - maybe inbreeding isn't the issue - I must say that in the years I've followed deer distribution, Inbreeding problems are very rare ( except in captive herds).

S.Texas

............. herd originated with 6 animals in 1971. No other deer were introduced into the herd; thus , it became an inbreedeing herd with the potential to establish certain genetic trends in respect to antler structure. Soule (1979) Suggested a possible relationship between inbreeding among individuals within a population. However the extent of assymetry due to inbreeding is difficult to detect. In other studies (Niswander and Chung 1965; Bailit 1970) no relationship between inbreeding was established.

Antler Development in Cervidae
Robert Brown Editor

Incestuous behavior among wildlife is actually very common. If a dominant buck in an area is not hunted, his dominance may be prvelant for several years. In that amount of time he may breed his own daughters and maybe even his grandaughters. If he were a set of twins he might breed his own sister.
Leonerd Lee Rue 1997

Bucks have a higher disperal rates than does. I personally feel it is not as much of a problem a Lee Rue suspects.

brush buster

good question mueygrande. i was wondering the same thing do deer inbreed or does a dominant buck run the doe's buck offspring away and would doe's breed with there young'uns???

lunchbucket

It would seem that much inbreeding in the wild is really not an issue.