Saw HIM again today

1

1Tracker

Joined
Aug 17, 2006
Messages
1,718
For the fifth time in 3 years I have seen an ALL WHITE Whitetail Buck:eek: He apparently lives in the area I frequent near my place, and like to hang with the horses for the free chow in Winter. I was taking the shortcut back from town and there HE was standing in a field near a horse. Out of the corner of my eye I saw his hind end as I was looking over toward the horse; so I immediately hit my brakes and pulled over thinking it could be HIM. Yep, as the horse moved a bit I saw Whitey. Since my digital camera went on the fritz a few months back (thanks Canon) I had taken out my cell phone to snap a photo realizing I have that feature on the new phone. Just as I'm about to get out of the car a ditzy broad comes barrelling down the road up behind me blowing her horn:grumpy: You know it spooked Whitey and off he went into the blowing snow headed for the other side of the pasture and the safety of the woods.

Now my question is this for the hunters out there, having been one for many years myself; do I try and take HIM or do I just enjoy the aspect of meeting up with HIM? Since I can hunt the adjacent land there's no problem with access, my problem is actually a moral dilemna. Since there are so few albino whitetails; I feel as if somehow this specific deer should be protected from hunting, so as to allow the general public to see HIM. This might instill a bit more of the conservation ethic in those not normally exposed to wildlife. Plus, it might be good press for local hunters. Only thing is once word gets out about HIM I would expect a deluge of traffic trying to see HIM. I know NJ DEP could care less about 1 deer but this one is special. If you've ever had a special encounter with any type of wildlife you understand where I'm coming from.
 
Wow. Id like to see a pic of him.

Well man. Someone else will take him if faced with the oppertunity. Tough call. Not sure if there is a right awnser or not....
 
I say let him live unless the world falls apart and you're going to die without killing him for food.
 
I thought you were talking about this:

patterson_bigfoot.jpg


And I was about to say that it was just Doc Canada out for a hike.

TF
 
All of the people that would flock to see him, would also flock to shoot him. That sounds like a Trophy buck to me. Plus the fact that an albino is a fluke, and not something that will reproduce likely depending on his presence.

However, if there was a way to protect him, it would be cool. If you do take him, make it clean, and as respectfull as possible, if that makes sense.
 
Just north of me, by Argonne National Labs, there are a herd of them. When I used to drive to work I would see them at least once a week in the winter, licking salt from the roadside.
 
I'd take him, especially if he was a nice buck. That would make a killer mount. Shoot him clean, somebody probably will if you don't.
 
Seeing albino wildlife is always cool. But-- it is a genetic defect. If we still had preditors around here that were capable of taking a deer, the albino would be the first to be eaten. You can keep the defect in the gene pool-- or you can take him.
 
I agree. Take him. He is a mutant and will pass on mutant genes if he breeds. From a hunting management standpoint, I'd say get him out of the breeding pool. :thumbup:
 
Albino and Piebald deer are protected here in Iowegia. Beaucoup fines if you get caught with one.
 
Scott Free said:
Seeing albino wildlife is always cool. But-- it is a genetic defect. If we still had preditors around here that were capable of taking a deer, the albino would be the first to be eaten. You can keep the defect in the gene pool-- or you can take him.
Click to expand...

I've never had a white chicken live for more than a year because of predators.
 
Hard call on that one.

I've heard some state's Departments of Wildlife will actually pay or chip in on mounts - don't know if it's true. I'll ask one of the GWs I know next time about here.

Certainly if you do take him, he'd be worth the mount.

If you think someone will get him, better you than anyone else brother! If you think he's relatively "safe" I'd probably leave him...

Hard call for sure.
 
When I was hunting regularly in the Finger Lakes area of New York State I would see an albino whitetail now and then, I was told that they are quite common in that area.


Moral Delema?, not for me,

…meat's meat and a man’s got to eat.



"If you're not living on the edge, …you're taking up too much space."

Big Mike
 
When I read your thread title, before I even opened the thread itself, those questions were going through my mind.

I've never hunted (not so easy in the UK) and have always been an 'animal lover' so my thoughts probably don't count for much. That said, my first thought was voiced by the first reply from j williams - if you don't, someone else likely will sooner or later.

The last reply I read, cmdr249, is probably what I would come down to myself; if you think he's safe leave him, if you enjoy seeing him. If not... he's headed for your wall.

Either way I would love to see the pictures.
 
There is no dilemma here--bag him! His color (or if he is a true albino, then his lack of color to be more precise) makes him much more susceptible to predators, and thus more likely to live a shorter life rather than a longer one. He may be in the minority of his population, but that does not make him the last of his kind or even unique enough to be worthy of trying to save (IMO). How many here would pass on a 14-point buck because of its rarity and majesty??? Precious few is my guess.
 
on_the_edge said:
How many here would pass on a 14-point buck because of its rarity and majesty???
Click to expand...

I don't hunt anymore, so I'm not really qualified to answer. I'll do so anyway. WHEN I hunted, I would have taken the 14-point buck--even though it kind of goes against my overall feelings on these things. In a healthy environment with plenty of natural predators, it's the sick, old, young, weak and stupid that gets weeded out. So--we wipe out the big predators and take over the job ourselves-- except that we go after the biggest, strongest and healthiest to the detriment of the herd as a whole. Not preaching here. I'd want that 14 point buck, too. The thing is, I don't put the trophy buck and the albino in the same category. One is a fine specimen. The other is a mutant. Nature would eliminate the latter.
 
My grandfather swears he saw an all white bull moose on his trapline, never got any pictures though. that would be amazing to see hopefully no one harvest him...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top