AIing in Saskatchewan - Is Subspecies a Factor?
This article was originally printed in the August / September 1999 issue of Tracking The Industry. . .
It's not just a passing fad! With positive results slowly rolling in, AI will undoubtedly factor into the management plans of many producers in the near future. Ground work continues, the "science" is in place, and dollar signs dance in the minds of many. A rapidly growing list of "semen salesmen" brings with it an expanding set of choice challenges. The subspecies factor has inevitably risen during such discussions, primarily as an argument against U.S. importations. Whitetails are "represented by 38 subspecies" (John Ozoga, Whitetail Country, 1988), with North America inhabited by slightly less than half of such, and Canada containing only three of these. While some subspecies are geographically separate and consequently considered "pure", most subspecies border and to some degree overlap with other subspecies. Some subspecies probably no longer exist, while migration and "transplanting" by human manipulation has further spread and mixed remaining gene pools.
Saskatchewan appears to be somewhat of a fortunate exception and thus arises the argument. If we are already home to the biggest whitetails, the Dakota subspecies, why would we want to dilute, or spoken by some as "pollute", our gene pool? In his article, "The Many Faces Of The Whitetail" (North American Whitetail, Aug., 95), Dr. J. Kroll explains Bergmann s Rule. It states that "the farther from the equator you go, the larger the individuals within a species. Presumably, this allows animals to conserve heat in extremely cold conditions. In general, Bergmann's Rule prevails, but there are notable exceptions. For example, there are areas in northern Mexico (hot climate) in which it is not unusual to find 270-pound bucks!" Certainly, huge-bodied bucks have been harvested at some time throughout most of the whitetail range. Even within Saskatchewan, body size varies. Since antlers are simply a skeletal extension and we, without debate, already have the biggest deer (in general), it stands to reason that we'll also have the biggest antlers. Perhaps, but incredible antlers are taken annually in the U.S. as well. Some deer just seem to be genetically programmed for such head-gear.
An anti-deer farming argument is that escaped deer of another subspecies will harm our wild population. Dr. Kroll believes that "we'd have to be swamped with escapes to make any difference with the wild gene pool." Simple mathematics and natural selection support this so it appears worth only slight consideration in one's final decision regarding AI.
So what about AIing to U.S. bucks? Each producer must, and will, make his or her own decision. Perhaps selectively choosing a buck of large body size will conserve such in the offspring. Antlers are a definite and competitive consideration! Will mixing U.S. and Canada s best be the answer? Perhaps, as predicted by some, bloodlines proven purely Dakotan will eventually be more sought after and therefore more valuable, or maybe antler size will dictate all. Since the rut is genetically determined, one must certainly choose compatible semen. And finally, remember, there are astounding, world-class genetics already present on Saskatchewan farms!
Ahhhh - so many factors, everyone with a view, the choices are numerous it's up to you!
Randy Barks
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