+tadpole379 Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 I saw this deer while caching in Campgaw, and managed to get a good picture of it. I googled it when I got home, because I had never seen a deer with this coloration. From what I found online, it is a whitetail deer with a genetic abnormality that causes the unusual color. The genetic defect can also cause some other physical birth defects, but the deer we saw looked normal except for the color. Only about 1% of the deer population will have the defect, so it was a rare thing to see! Quote Link to comment
+tadpole379 Posted September 6, 2009 Author Share Posted September 6, 2009 Piebald Deer Here is a link I found with some info about piebald deer. Quote Link to comment
+lakelady Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 That is so cool. You were very lucky! Quote Link to comment
+trowel32 Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 (edited) Wow - very nice picture There was one of these guys/gals a few years back in the New Brunswick, New Jersey area in the woods near this cache: Magoo's Multi in the Mud It had a dark head but a completely white body so it almost looked headless from a distance This is a picture of that one that someone else took - not a great shot but better than any I got: Edited September 6, 2009 by trowel32 Quote Link to comment
+Gitchee-Gummee Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 (edited) Uncommon yes, rare..... no! At least in MI. Actually are huntable here, albinos on the other hand are protected. Part of the reason not very common is that as a newborn, they have no/or less camouflage, therefore are much more heavily gathered in by predators. I believe Darwin addressed this, what? Edited September 6, 2009 by Gitchee-Gummee Quote Link to comment
+Packanack Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 (edited) That is so cool. You were very lucky! There are more of them all the time, some believe that when the population is stressed, this is what comes about. I do not hold with that theory, I believe the ancient lore and see them for what they are, an omen or portent. Be most ready. http://www.orangecountyweb.org/legends.html As for being lucky, think not, there is a considerable lore as it respects this type of deer, especially in the hunting community. Edited September 6, 2009 by Packanack Quote Link to comment
+dakboy Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 Actually are huntable here, albinos on the other hand are protected. Albinos, or genuine White Deer?These deer are not albino, but instead carry a recessive gene for all-white coats Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 I saw one like that last year. Didn't know it had a name. Quote Link to comment
+Harry Dolphin Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 Actually are huntable here, albinos on the other hand are protected. Albinos, or genuine White Deer?These deer are not albino, but instead carry a recessive gene for all-white coats Shows what evolution can do. An inbred group can make a recessive gene the norm. The Hercules Powder Plant in Kenvil was fenced in well enough to keep deer from entering or leaving. All of the deer were white. I'm not sure what happened to them since the plant closed. With 250 years of gunpowder in the soil, I doubt that anything can be done with the land. Quote Link to comment
+Packanack Posted September 11, 2009 Share Posted September 11, 2009 Didn't know it had a name The one you saw was named Ralph. Quote Link to comment
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