albinos and pibalds
 

I have a question that I' d like to hear people' s responses to. What do you think about shooting white deer? Not the real white deer that live in upstate NY but the piebald and the albino deer that happen every so often because of a genetic trait. I am not a particularly superstitious guy. I don' t believe that I will not kill another deer for seven years or whatever if I shoot one. I treat all my deer with respect and I have certain rituals that I do after most kills. Some people think that these deer are sacred or blessed by the gods. The reason I am curious is on one of my properties to hunt, there is traditionally a white deer or two. This year, there is a nice eight point that almost entirely white. My son, in his first year of hunting, wants no other deer more than this one. He had to pass this buck up at about ten yards because in NJ we have to shoot a doe first. nw he is determined since on Saturday, we can start to shoot bucks. So lets hear what you guys think about shooting these deer.

Greg

RE: albinos and pibalds
 

Gryan,
I had heard all the superstitions that go along with shooting an albino or pieblad whitetail. I can assure you that atleast for me they were un-true. I harvested a amazing 11 point pieblad a number of years ago... I will try to post a picture if it on here as soon as I can a pictured snaped and posted. I also killed a second bucj that day as well as several more animals that season. I also have just about every season killed atleast one animal since then, most seasons several deer.

I have had people tell me they would never harvest one but I can honestly say I am glad I did and if I never shot another large whitetail I could be disappointed as I have a truely amazing trophy that alot of people will never see except in pictures.

I only wish I had gotten a full body mount at the time but I was young and on a budget and could only afford a shoulder mount, so if you should decide to let your son harvest this once and a lifetime animal then if you have the room then maybe strongly think about a full body mount! JMO

RE: albinos and pibalds
 

if he gets the chance,by all means let him take the buck.I and many more hunters would take him at the first chance.
I would love to kave a trophy like that in my room.I see nothing wrong with taking one,it is just a mistake of nature.nothing more or less.personally I don' t believe in the stories and wivestells.JMHO.;):D[:-]

RE: albinos and pibalds
 

IF they where legal here i dont think i would pass one up myself.

RE: albinos and pibalds
 

Gryan How do " white" deer differ from albino and pibald deer in upstate NY?

RE: albinos and pibalds
 

i dont believe much in superstitions or anything...i think they are beautiful interesting creatures...and id drop one in a heart beat....my friend has one on his farm but i dont know if he will let me hunt it...i think he hunts and he said hes not going to kill it....so i dont know if i would have the go.....id do it....i think it would be neat....and statistically they usually dont live as long as a brown deer in the wild because they stand out so much to outher hunters and to predators....id take one given the chance....even if i dont kill another deer in my life like they all say....id still do it....

RE: albinos and pibalds
 

There are no good reasons not to shoot a piebald or albino!
Most piebalds and albino deer do not live the average lifespan for deer. Their color makes them easy prey for any and all deer predators! So odds ae, they ain' t going to live a long life anyway.
Take ' em and have a true trophy!

RE: albinos and pibalds
 

I have no problem shooting one,I hunted one last year and some idiot ran it over with his truck on purpose

RE: albinos and pibalds
 

Everyone' s responses are pretty much what I believe also. I would love for my son to take this buck if the opportunity presents itself. (If he doesn' t I would.) I promised him that that deer is his for the taking so I wont shoot, just watch.

There is a population of white deer that live neer Seneca Lake in NY. Somewhere aroung the army base?? They are not true albinos since they have black noses, brown eyes, and black hooves. Almost like a piebald but they are entirely white, from what I understand. Also, from what I' ve heard, there is an entire population of them not just one here and there. Maybe it is the same gene that makes the piebalds down here just more prevelant. Every year I say I' m going to make a day trip up to the area but I never do.

Anyway, thanks for ll the input. Hopefully my son will take the trophy of a lifetime on Saturday. If not, we' ll have fun trying!! If successful, I' ll post pictures.

Greg

RE: albinos and pibalds
 

I have a couple of friends who have harvested them but I haven' t yet. I hope I get the chance to get one myself one day. Good luck! -- CDH

RE: albinos and pibalds
 

Gryan. Thanks for the reply. Intrestingly enough my wife and i were visiting the wine country along Seneca Lake last week and I spotted one as we were driving home. My wife thought it was a horse. I did get a picture and i' ll email it to you as i don' t know how to post it on this board. It is a spooky looking shot as it was a little dark. I recall it having one antler,but it may have had two.

RE: albinos and pibalds
 

I saw a piebald doe last archery season out of range.I' m holding off shooting anything in that area this year til I see if she' s still around.If she comes around this year again and is in range,she' s going down.
Years ago I shot a 9 pointer the local farmer called patches.He had patches of white hair on both back legs.Not a true piebald in my book,but just the same it didn' t effect my deer hunting success and if I get this doe doubt if it will have any effect either.
My dad killed a piebald doe a few years ago too and he never saw any negative effects from shooting her.
Go for it if the opportunity presents itself!

RE: albinos and pibalds
 

if it is brown its down........ if its white goodnight[8D] tell your son to take em

RE: albinos and pibalds
 

if it is brown its down........ if its white goodnight[8D] tell your son to take em

RE: albinos and pibalds
 

When I was in high school in Oklahoma I hunted a large albino for two seasons. I only saw him once about two weeks before the first season I hunted him and he looked to have at least ten points; the farmers in the area saw him pretty regularly and that kept me coming back. There were several of us trying to get him, but I guess he died of natural causes because I never heard of anyone taking him and he had become something of a local legend, so I am sure I would have known if someone had got him. By the end of the second season I decided to give up bacause I started thinking of myself as Ahab in search of the Great White Buck.

RE: albinos and pibalds
 

There' s no way I' d pass one up. Tell your son to take him. Good Luck!

RE: albinos and pibalds
 

im not sure, but in some states i think it is illegal to shoot an albino deer. whats the difference between albino and piebald?

RE: albinos and pibalds
 

Shoot it.

Albinos are pretty much OK genetically except for the lack of melanin, but piebalds are really screwed up genetically. You don' t want them breeding. They end up getting scoliosis, goat face, and all kinds of other ailments and can pass this on to other deer if they breed with a normal one. Since this is a buck, he can do a lot of breeding damage.

http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/ddpbald.html

I shot a piebald button buck a few years ago, approx. 75% white. Glad to get him out of the gene pool before he passed it on! I got a full body mount of him, if I can find the pictures I' ll post a few...