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Discussion Topic: Should White Deer Be Protected?
Some states, including whitetail Mecca Wisconsin, protect albino deer, with the strong backing of many hunters. In the case below, though, supportive hunters would wind up with an odd bedfellow--the Humane Society of the United States.
From New York’s Rochester Democrat and Chronicle:
A plan to open a pay-to-hunt preserve on a large swath of the former Seneca Army Depot — an area between Seneca and Cayuga lakes where a herd of rare white deer roams — has sparked protests from some officials in Seneca County, conservationists and animal rights activists. . . .
The Humane Society of the United States has urged local and state officials to squelch the hunting proposal. And some conservationists are challenging whether the hunt will threaten the white deer population.
Check out the full article and tell us your reaction.
Hunt 'em.
Posted by: Butch | December 17, 2007 at 07:37 PM
Tommy,
No, I've followed this genetic mutation in a herd of deer for 11 years now and it has shown up in this herd every year for the first 8 years. We tracked the mother doe down and killed her and haven't seen it for 3 years now. Hopefully, she didn't have many doe fawns to carry on this trait. The gene is still recessive and it could still be out there in normal looking deer. But, the ultimate point is, you don't have to save it cause it's different. Anyone, with basic biology should know that some recessive traits are preferred.
Posted by: 9bull | December 19, 2007 at 09:55 AM
I didn't say anything about saving these deer. You have the wrong guy.
Posted by: Tommy | December 19, 2007 at 10:47 AM
"Anyone, with basic biology should know that some recessive traits are preferred."
And if you are trying to infer that this means all deer with one spike on one side and four on the other means it is genetically inferior, you not only need to comprehend the QDM literature you are reading, you need to get some basic biology facts updated.
No telling how many young, previously injured deer have been killed to make bigger bucks by mistake. You are right, sometimes it can be genetic. But it is not always true.
Posted by: Tommy | December 19, 2007 at 10:58 AM
And how could you possibly know which deer was the mother deer?
dna testing?
Posted by: Tommy | December 19, 2007 at 11:06 AM
Just so you know I have qdm mags at home and have several articles that state the fact that many times deer with one or two points on one side and several more on the other, in fact, could mean the deer was injured on the opposite side the year before, or while the antlers first started to grow.
Posted by: Tommy | December 19, 2007 at 11:08 AM
A note that the deer are not albino deer. The eyes have normal pigmentation. There have been reports of albino deer in the herd over the years but they are rare. Additionally, the white deer are generally as healthy as the brown deer, although the male white deer do have a tendency to have antlers which are palmate in their earlier years.
Several area sportsman's clubs in Seneca County, New York including the Seneca County Sportsman's Federation are opposed to the proposed hunting plan submitted. That said, the deer must be managed, or the starve-offs of the mid to late 1950's would occur again.
A pre-hunt aerial survey indicated there were around 170 white whitetail deer. The deer and habitat continue to need management. But folks from local hunters to former and current DEC employees, including William Hesselton, who did much of the initial research of the Depot deer herd were generally supportive of maintaining the deer herd for research, hunting and conservation purposes.
Posted by: Fury | January 04, 2008 at 03:26 PM
A note that the deer are not albino deer. The eyes have normal pigmentation. There have been reports of albino deer in the herd over the years but they are rare. Additionally, the white deer are generally as healthy as the brown deer, although the male white deer do have a tendency to have antlers which are palmate in their earlier years.
Several area sportsman's clubs in Seneca County, New York including the Seneca County Sportsman's Federation are opposed to the proposed hunting plan submitted. That said, the deer must be managed, or the starve-offs of the mid to late 1950's would occur again.
A pre-hunt aerial survey indicated there were around 170 white whitetail deer. The deer and habitat continue to need management. But folks from local hunters to former and current DEC employees, including William Hesselton, who did much of the initial research of the Depot deer herd were generally supportive of maintaining the deer herd for research, hunting and conservation purposes.
Posted by: Fury | January 04, 2008 at 03:27 PM
I know this topic is MANY months old now, but ran across it just now.
For the record... I am not a hunter, but do not discourage it as I know it is necessary.
I have a MAJOR problem with a lot of these posts. Especially one that was made very early on this topic. To get this straight... THEY ARE ALBINO! The gene IS recessive... most likely any doe out there has a 1 in 4 chance of producing a fawn with that recessive gene up front and visible... ie... that fawn will be albino.
The biggest problem I had with most of this topic is the talk of them being "un-natural", and needing to kill them for that purpose alone. Wow... to those people I have one question... who's side where you on in WW II?? Hitlers? Am guessing so. Because I'm sorry, as a person who does have albinism I took MAJOR offense to the comments like those. So, what happens, when the earth gets to populated?... am I going to be killed just because I'm "un-natural"?
Kill em, don't kill em... doesn't bother me either way... but do it to control a total population of deer... NOT because they are white!
Posted by: Eunice | May 18, 2008 at 06:11 AM
Oh... and for the record... not all humans with albinism have pink eyes... majority of us have BLUE eyes!!!
Posted by: Eunice | May 18, 2008 at 06:28 AM