doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Piebald/Calico Deer herd

My understanding is that the owner of Cabela's paid $13,000 for the hide from one!
Jim

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTvlZrZ0uyI

We have a decent eight point buck that lives in the scrub green belt behind my house. Been seeing him for several years on and off. Where he lives there is zero chance he will be harvested except by a car or truck during the rut. I've seen him breed several does but no off spring so far with the same coloring. It is a recessive color trait I am told so it will either show up when half siblings mate, when cousins breed or will die off when he expires.

I'm pretty sure the WI piebald herd is protected.

I used to see about six that were in a herd on the east side of Winnipeg.

I do not think piebald are protected in Wisconsin - only albino. We have a couple of "hotspots" in Wisconsin that have both piebald and albino. In fact, there was a very nice "coffee table" book printed a few years ago showing a well know group from northern Wisconsin. A magnificant looking animal.

I used to see several on my place, back in the '80s. Shot one of them before I knew what it was. Mine were what is called piebald, irregular shaped cream colored blotches all over the deer. Wish I had known the hide was so valuable. Along about then I thought I was in high cotton when I sold bobcat and otter hides for $80 apiece, and got $40 for good red fox.

SRH

I like to call them Guernseys. LOL

I shot a albino doe in the National Forest in Va back in the late 70's. Had zero desire to shoot the deer as I'd seen it around several times. However, someone had already shot its front leg basically off and it was dragging the leg as it limped through the woods. I'd seen its mother a piebald doe for quite a few years and it was killed that same year by another hunter.

PS. Had a doe for several years that was colored like a buckskin around our farm in Va. None of us shot it, but finally a neighbor did. Wish all these color variations were protected in Va but that's not the case.

I understand these are the result of excessive "inbreeding", so are not something to be protected. What is needed is new blood line. I'm not sure about Albinos. They all have a difficult time in the wild. They are interesting, but not likely desirable.
Mike

There are many people that believe that leaving things alone is just fine. The people in the region where the white deer live are very proud of their unique attraction.
Piebaldness and Albinism are just color variants, and will always be a part of the herd.

WI has enough problems well intended people brought to their deer herd.

OBTW, the Cabela's purchase has been shown a hoax. An internet rumor. An urban myth.