Native American folk lore is riddled with the white beast stories. Most notably is the White Buffalo but there are White deer lore as well.
White animals are seen as Magical Ghost or Spirits and should never be harmed. Many stories have been told of people bringing harm to white animals and the hunter is always said to have died or at least never seen again after the fact.
As far as concrete factual instances of such an outcome I don't know of any. It's personal preference if you ask me but IMO I won't ever shoot one just because I see them as special and something to be cherished. Again that's just me.
I had a piebald in front of me a couple of times last year and couldn't bring myself too pull the trigger on him, small basket rack that was probably 1.5 year old.... Don't know if I'd pull the trigger if I saw him again this year, he was cool too see and other than his color scheme that's all he had going for him.....
I was told it was a sign of over population is this true. There was a piebald button buck back there last year but the neighbor shot. So something is not write. I have seen three different white deer in the neighborhood.
This is from an article talking about a deer herd in Seneca, NY on an army depot.
These deer are not albino, but instead carry a set of recessive genes for all-white coats. The fence creates a genetic bottleneck causing high levels of inbreeding. The constant inbreeding (mating of close relatives like parents and children, brothers and sisters, grandparents and grandchildren, greatgrandparents and greatgrandchildren...etc.) has allowed the various genes to align in offspring to be expressed as white deer. Incomplete alignment produces the piebald or brown/white splotched deer. With the artificial protection of the fence, the wildlife inside the depot flourished. The white deer are an example of artificial selection and are subject to inbreeding depression which can lead to reduced fecundity and malformations. The white deer population behind the fence at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center is subject to severe foot and leg deformities leading to crippling.
In the 1950s, the depot commander forbade GI's from shooting any white deer. The deer population has since grown to about 700 head, approximately 300 of which are white, making it the largest herd of white deer in the world.
I have been thinking about this one. Not sure if I would or not. A full body mount would be sweet, but out of the question in regards to the taxidermy bill. Having the hide tanned to hang would be pretty cool though. Guess I will make the decision (if I ever see one) whenever the opportunity presents itself. I am leaning towards IF I thought it would survive for a year or so in the area I would probably let it go just to see how it does. I am hoping to do a bunch of filming this year, so I think capturing it on film and KNOWING I "could have" killed it would be just as good as an actual kill. The age old question: Is it the hunt or the kill? More about the hunt for me than the kill.
Here is the way I look at it. If a trophy buck walks by, I'm gonna drop it, cause that's more than likely a once in a lifetime chance. Same thing goes for an albino deer, but only of I could afford some type of mount on it.
MandRroofing
Junior Member
I'm with Jim, inferior and would shoot it TOO! No disrespect to Zachs buddy but biologists have been saying they're inferior for years and they're one in several hundred thousand for a reason. IMO
Rutin
Senior Member
pretty quick and easy decision..... DEAD!!! Now if its a small buck, ethically I have to let it walk.... I would rather try and see if he can make it to maturity. Word has it there is a 3.5 yr old 8pt white deer two hollows over from my property in KY. Knowing th neighbor has pics and history with him, give me closure to know his age. I would still age off his hoof though and if he wasnt mature he gets the pass. For some reason when it comes to buck, I only want to put my tag on mature deer. Does are like women..... their a dime a dozen!
Big_Holla
Senior Member
15 years ago it would be dead the first chance I got but today with me being in my 40's I would have to let it walk.