Return of the atypical buck

Five years ago to the week, I posted photos of an atypical whitetail buck that looked like it had grown a set of antlers better suited to an axis deer. You can check out the photos here. Go ahead, I'll wait. At the time, I wondered if the buck were perhaps a hybrid offspring of a whitetail/axis mating, as there are many feral axis roaming Central Texas. Axis bucks have been observed chasing whitetail does on occasion, but it was thought the species were genetically incompatible for breeding. After posting those photos in 2015, I shared them with deer experts at Texas A&M and received this nifty response:

The antlers are certainly unusual and rather axis-like but not out of the range of variability shown by white-tails, second long tines from the base do occur on white-tails if there is damage to the pedicel and some populations have dark antlers. Dr Mungall was doubtful that the buck was an axis hybrid, she has seen pictures of 2 from captive deer and says the hybrids should show more axis characteristics in their body such as the big while throat patch of an axis. But we have only seen a small picture, you saw the entire animal so it is a possibility, they can interbreed in captivity ... Since the more common and closer related white-tail - mule deer hybrids are infertile I doubt an axis hybrid would be fertile. But if he is just an unusual white-tail he should have a few interesting sons in the future.

So, firstly: Wow! Whitetail/axis hybrids are indeed possible, albeit highly unlikely. Secondly, the buck from 2015 probably wasn't a hybrid, because apart from the antlers, he didn't show much in the way of axis traits, most obvously markings. And since the winter of 2015, I have not seen any whitetail bucks with atypical antlers--and we've got more whitetail than you can shake a stick at! That is, until the past few days when this fellow below showed up with striking, atypical antlers that bear a passing resemblance to those of an axis:

Now, let me be clear that this most certainly isn't that buck from 2015. Whitetail buck have a life expectancy of about 6 years in the wild, so the one from 2015 would be six, at the youngest, and this one isn't six years old and in decline. I'm not an expert, but I'd guess it's maybe 4 years old at most. Now, axis bucks have a lifespan of 9 years or more, but again, the original probably isn't a hybrid. This guy, in all liklihood, is the offspring of that atypical buck from 2015. He certainly has a spectacular pair of antlers, showing some, but not all, of those traits that so captured my attention several years ago. He's a gorgeous boy!

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What happens when you mix axis with whitetail?

Okay, I have a little bit of familiarity with cervidae--deer species--from my family's exotic deer farm. I've seen native whitetail deer all my life, and right now my neighborhood is one of those that has more deer in it than squirrels. There are 4-5 whitetail doe lounging around in the front yard as I type this. But with the deer farm work, I got to become very familiar with axis deer from India, as well as fallow, red deer, sika, elk and lots of different types of antelope. For my money, axis are probably the most beautiful deer species and do very well in Texas. They're raised on game ranches and many have escaped to form feral populations in the Hill Country. While I've read literature that axis bucks have chased after whitetail does during rut, nothing I've ever seen has indicated they could interbreed. Until now.

I saw this guy chasing after some whitetail does about an hour ago as I went to pick up today's mail. I saw him from behind, illuminated by my headlights, and from the angle I thought he was an axis. His body was bulkier and more stocky--if you've watched axis much, you'll know they are physically more robust than whitetails. But the antlers are what really sealed the deal. Axis antlers grow vertically with one main beam on each side with several large secondary tines, generally growing vertically as well. Whitetail antlers grow in a horizontal crescent, with secondary tines growing vertically from the beam and (occasionally) drop tine that grow down. Whitetail antlers are generally lighter in color, whereas axis antlers are somewhat darker at the base, becoming light at the tips and are generally smoother overall. This fellow was kind enough to pose for me head-on, looking away and in profile. If those aren't axis antlers (albeit slightly atypical) growing on a beefed-up whitetail buck, I don't know what is. Hybrid? That'd be my guess. It crossed my mind that it might be a melanistic axis buck, but all the images I found online of those are a much deeper chocolate color all over. Also, the brow on this buck isn't as prominent as on most axis bucks. But it does strike me as more pronounced than on most whitetail. And this guy's got a serious weight advantage over the other bucks in the neighborhood. Look at that neck! Very, very curious. If anyone at Texas Parks & Wildlife or Texas A&M's exotic livestock research group has a definitive answer for me, I'd love to hear it!

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