By the 1990s the Carmen Mountain distinction became mainstream - though Safari Club International, a.k.a. They stand only 33 inches at the shoulder.Īs a big-game trophy, for many decades a handful of Texas trophy hunters who made a point to pursue the unique subspecies mistakenly labeled them Coues whitetail. In one Texas study mature Carmen Mountain whitetail bucks averaged 104 pounds on the hoof, does averaging about 66 pounds.
Their small size and light-gray hide help them elude predators, namely mountain lions and human hunters. Their rostrum (nose) is broader than that of the Coues. Carmen Mountain whitetails sport smaller ears, the same large fan-like tail that is displayed when startled, and slightly longer tines and larger average antlers. If anything, the Carmen’s slightly smaller stature is a result of slightly drier and hotter environments. In many ways Carmen Mountain whitetails mirror Coues white-tailed deer physically and biologically, no doubt influenced by evolving in similar desert habitats with relatively scarce water and scorching summer heat. For example, a healthy population of Carmen Mountain whitetails exists in the Chisos Mountain within Big Bend National Park, where hunting is not allowed, while many Mexican habitats are accessed only with great difficulty. Texas and Mexico populations have remained stable, and their future appears secure.
Since that time Carmen Mountain whitetail have been identified in similar West Texas habitats and adjoining northern-Mexico ranges. It would eventually be declared a new whitetail sub-species and named for the range from which it originated. Dealy on Octoin Botellas Canyon, Sierra del Carmen Mountains, Coahuila, Mexico. The Carmen Mountain whitetail was first scientifically described by the biological team of Goldman and Kellogg in the Sierra Del Carmen Mountains of northeastern Coahuila, Mexico, in 1940.