I've been playing with a new camera body and telophoto lens I've got. I just snapped these pics of a piebald deer in the woods behind our house. The deer is about a year and a half old, I believe. Piebald-ness is a recessive gene which surfaces when the herd becomes overpopulated, as they are here . . . we've got about 80 deer / square mile. Pretty cool to see one, though.







I snapped these pics very quickly from our deck. I can do a lot better if I get closer . . . that's how the pros get the best pics.

-- Jim

Gosh ... it's a TRAGEDY when herds get OVERPOPULATED.



Gary

Cool pic. It might be kind of sick, but weird gentic traits can be awefully pretty.

Ya know, there's a mighty tasty way to remedy over-population.

OH!!! I can't BELIEVE what you said!!!!





Gary

Jim,

Neat picture. I believe I've read about that before.

Make sure none of those deer get shot, they help manage out of control flower gardens and such not to mention their contribution to local auto paint and body shops.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/13/2009 01:47PM by Bigbore.

Nice shooting Jim!
Do you get to hunt these?
Regards
Neil

Oh ... here it comes ... ... how they just lay in the yard ... follow him around telling stories and chatting ... they hold the ladder when he cleans the rain gutters .....

I have to go lay down .....



GAry

There's no hunting at Jim's place. But before long there will be a pressing need to have the state hire "trained sharpshooters" to thin the herd!

Jerry and Gary are both correct -- hunting is mostly illegal here (except for bow on private land with many restrictions -- literally called the "Surburban Archery Zone" by MD DNR). These deer are basically tame -- they will allow people to approach within 15-20 yards or so (closer when offered food by misguided folks) and it would be more killing for the sake of killing than true hunting were you to shoot one. If it's required for pest elimination or to curb excess population, that's one thing, but by no means would I ever call it "hunting." I guess my point is that there would be no skill involved being that they'll basically stand there and stare at you from a few yards away while you turn the lights out. At least deer baited from a feeder know enough to stay away from people.

People don't understand the importance of "real" hunting around here, which is how we've gotten into the overpopulation situation we're in now -- and unfortunately, slaughtering these now-tame deer or letting them starve during the hard winter for which we're way overdue are the two remaining options.

True story as an example -- my wife and I were walking the dog (16 pound Pug) up the driveway this past summer, with the dog on a leash. Mother doe was about fifteen yards off the driveway in the woods with two new fawns. One fawn, apparently fascinated by the dog, literally walked up to us and our Pug to within ten feet, staring down at the dog, before finally realizing it probably wasn't a good idea and walking back towards its mom.



-- Jim

Jim,

We don't want the fawns. It's the man-eating saber tooth bucks with the big racks that we want to save you from! You simply do not realize the danger you are in ....

Gary

Prime example of govern"mental" stupidity. You're exactly right, they'll reproduce and without natural predators they'll get too thick and then they'll just starve in a hard winter. But surely that's more humane than dropping them quick and being able to use the meat for something.

Jim said that there wouldn't be much skill involved. I'm not talking about hunting, I'm talking about filling a freezer. You can't tell me that there aren't people who could use the food, after all, aren't we in a recession? I'm not saying kill 'em all. But either we can be good stewards and help keep things balanced, or they'll die anyways and go to waste. And no, we don't need a study to be run to see how many should be removed. People just need to be a bit (a lot?) smarter.

My guess is that the MD Friends of Bambi already have a plan to spend millions sterillizing and releasing the deer. They just need to get a little stimulus monies sent their way. Shouldn't cost more than a couple a hundred per deer! Think I'm kidding, that's exactly what they have planned for the "Save the American Mustang" program in AZ and NM. Oh, plus they are going to give the American Mustangs millions of acres taken from the ranchers so no one will bother them. Did I mention the adoption program that is stricter than most foster care placements for kids!!! Am I the only one who sees AMERICAN Mustang as an oxymoron? These are an exotic species that has driven out the native flora and fauna. BTW at the same time in Miami, Hispanics are poaching and selling horse meat for upto $20/lbs. Can't we just put these two groups together. The cost to the taxpayer is in excess of 700K.

Thanks for sharing the neat photo. I've never seen a piebald in the wild. That may be a recessive gene but in that environ it may actually become the dominant type if it's color decreases its contact with it's number one killer, a car, by being more visable. This happened with black vs white moths in England during hey day of coal furnaces. Black became the dominant color rather quickly.

Kent

Actually, to the state's credit, last year was the first time they allowed bow hunting around here on City-owned reservoir property -- but in limited areas and miles from here. The (somewhat legitimate) problem is that there are too many houses and people in the stretches of woods on this side of the reservoir. And the irresponsible few always find a way to make it worse . . . some idiots missed a deer and shot through the windows of a day care last year with a shotgun, during the day while kids were inside (luckily no one was hurt).

I think it's inevitable that they allow bow hunters on this side of the reservoir . . . there are just too many deer. When I was a kid it was relatively rare to see deer around here.

I think the piebalds are evolving their "snow camo" in preparation of "climate change."

-- Jim

So...if this piebald thing doesn't take out enough deer to bring the population down to reasonable levels, what's next? Blaze orange deer anyone? Now wouldn't THAT be an interesting conundrum for the hunters safety folks to deal with.

What Gary needs is to start his own "bambi dayspa" outfit. Just a nice, private place with good eats and good cover, away from the pressures of everyday deer life. A spot where a nice, tasty deer can just wander in and stay for a while without a care in the world. Like perhaps that spot out back... right behind your test shot muffler.

Let's hope there's no tragic accidents.

WOW!! Thats a nice pic. Never seen or herd (get it?) of that trait before. I learned something new today. Thanx for the pic and info.

I bet they taste the same...