Albino Twin Buck Tales

[dmccarty]

MossFlowerWoods thread about white tails reminded me to tell the tale of the albino twin white tails. Hopefully, the resident TBN Grammar POlice will approve my usage of tail and tales. :laughing::laughing::laughing:

We got lucky a last year in that there were twin fawns born. We see quite a few but they still are rare. However, last year we had TWIN albino fawns! :shocked::dance1:

I have never seen an albino deer much less twins. I tried to get decent photos of the twins but never really did. I would always see them when the light was very bad, and even though I have very good equipment, the light was just horrible. The deer would move and thus the deer would blur out a bit. Often I would see them, stop for the shot and they would run. Nikon released a new camera this year that had much better low light performance than my old camera which was pretty danged good. I ordered the new camera ASAP but it arrived too late to get THE photo of the two twins. :hissyfit::hissyfit::hissyfit: They twins turned out to be bucks, and right before I traded my old camera in for the new camera, the does kicked the young bucks out of the herd.



A close up of one of them:



I will post a few more in another post.

Later,
Dan

 

[BuzzardA91]

Those are awesome. Hope they do well in the wild and grow to up to be old ghosts of the woods.

 

[dmccarty]

Seeing the albinos is/was something special, especially at night and/or in fog or rain. The albinos looked like spirits in the forest especially if they were a good distance in the forest. Very spooky looking.

The whiteness of the albinos really stood out in the forest. Your eyes are drawn to them, well, like a moth to the flame. You just see the albino and miss other deer in the photos...





Do you see the other deer in the photos?

When I took these photos another 4-6 deer were within 20-30 feet of the albinos. I only had a few minutes before the deer ran off but it took a minute or two for me to even notice the other deer.

Later,
Dan

 

[dmccarty]

I last saw one of the albino's back in September in our front yard. We never saw them near the house but one day one of the twins walked across the front yard.



I hope nobody shoots them during the hunting season but I am afraid someone will. The albinos were pretty safe where that particular doe heard lives, but once the bucks got kicked out they have to roam, and in other areas they are likely to be hunted.

I was talking to one of the delivery drivers a few weeks ago about the albino twins. He said almost a decade ago he shot an albino deer and he as been cursed every since. :shocked: He got divorced, lost his house, went bankrupt, and said everything he touched for a few years went bad.

Later,
Dan

 

[dmccarty]

Those are awesome. Hope they do well in the wild and grow to up to be old ghosts of the woods.

Me too. I would love to see the woods full of white deer.

Later,
Dan

 

[Don87]

Beautiful photos, thanks for sharing.

About 10 years ago I read an article about albino deer, the article claimed that albino deer were caused by inbreeding.

 

[texasjohn]

Amazing photos. Looks like the bucks, if allowed to grow, will have good horns...they are forked even in their first year, not spikes. We need more albino deer...would be fewer collisions at night if all deer were white. These are true albinos...pink noses, white eyes, etc...

 

[creekbend]

Albino, Piebald, and Melanistic Whitetail Deer BTW, beautiful pictures. Thanks for sharing.

 

[dmccarty]

Yeppers, these deer look to be true albinos and not piebalds.

I did not even think about how much "safer" albino deer would vs cars! :laughing::laughing::laughing: The car threat might allow the albino's to spread their genes.

I don't think albinos are a result of inbreeding but simply from getting two of the needed genes.

http://gilbertresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/FS7_Albino_Deer.pdf

Later,
Dan

 

[Bob77064]

Great pictures, I have never seen one and we have lots of deer.

 

[BuzzardA91]

Either a white deer, albino, or piebald they should not be hunted. I am an avid deer hunter and would not even think about it. If I went all season without getting a single deer, but saw a white deer in teh wood, the season would be a success and always remembered.

 

[Don87]

Yeppers, these deer look to be true albinos and not piebalds.

I did not even think about how much "safer" albino deer would vs cars! :laughing::laughing::laughing: The car threat might allow the albino's to spread their genes.

I don't think albinos are a result of inbreeding but simply from getting two of the needed genes.
http://gilbertresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/FS7_Albino_Deer.pdf

Later,
Dan

I dunno, I haven't researched it. It was just some article that I happened across 10 or more years ago. I have no idea where I even saw it, it's been so long.

One things for sure, I would never shoot one. I will hit them with the car, pickup or tractor trailer though. I don't 'swerve' for deer, although I will 'steer clear' to avoid or lessen the impact if possible.

 

[texasjohn]

Exactly!!

I've rehearsed in my mind, and applied several times.

Small animals (squirrel, armadillo, rabbit), slow in a straight line with medium braking. If they get hit, sorry, but car/occupants uninjured. This happens multiple times a year.

Medium animals (dogs, goats, sheep) slow with medium to aggressive braking and steer a straight line to avoid if possible. If they get hit, sorry, but car has minor damage, occupants none. This happens every couple of years.

Large animals (deer, hogs, cows, horses) depends on potential....if hit is inevitable, brake immediately aggressively to put occupants into seat belts, then lock tires and let ABS do its job best it can and steer in straight line to collision (never had to execute). Animal damage depends on speed, but minimal possible, occupants suffer seat belt damage and straight stop forces, no rollover or into ditch because of evasive action, vehicle damage depends on speed of collision. If hit not inevitable, steer avoidance course but not aggressively, brake aggressively putting occupants against restraints, maintain steering control by not skidding tires/ABS unless hit becomes inevitable. In any case, NEVER steer aggressively to avoid, thus risking rollover or ditch, accept hit if reasonable avoidance effort is insufficiently effective..Further, NEVER enter oncoming lane if in traffic, but on rural road/no traffic, it's OK. This happens about every 5 years.

I will hit them with the car, pickup or tractor trailer though. I don't 'swerve' for deer, although I will 'steer clear' to avoid or lessen the impact if possible.

Shoot an albino...I dunno...where I hunt there are various types of exotics escaped from game ranches. If I saw one, a reasonable buck and shootable, I think I'd probably take it thinking it an exotic of some kind, or crossbred.

 

[tungularafishcamp]

I think it all depends on the animal and what your driving. If I was in a smaller car and the animal was a moose I would pick the ditch most times if it is at all an option, less damage to both car and self!

 

[texasjohn]

agreed....there are ditches and then there are DITCHES!! In final analysis, driver judgement should aim for minimal probable human damage.

 

[Don87]

I think it all depends on the animal and what your driving. If I was in a smaller car and the animal was a moose I would pick the ditch most times if it is at all an option, less damage to both car and self!

Yes sir, it depends on the animal. Our biggest problem here is whitetails, usually a 150lb animal, but the terrain here in the mountains can be deadly if the vehicle leaves the roadway. Several hundred foot dropoffs are common in my mountainous terrain.

Some people also think that 'blowing the horn' will scare deer away from the highway also. The thing most don't realize is, that when a deer gets scared, it's instincts tell it to go 'back' to the last safe spot............so if that deer just crossed, and the driver toots the horn and scares that deer...................ask my wife what happens, she didn't listen to me.

Now in my tractor trailer..........with up to 47,000lbs of goods in the trailer..............dunno for sure what I'll do if faced with a Moose, Cow, Horse or Buffalo...........and I hope I never have the need to decide.

 

[texasjohn]

Don, in your tractor trailer bet you would hit brakes and drive to stay on road, avoid jackknifing and avoid the animal, if possible. Hope you never have to find out!

 

[Bill 55]

I was a diesel mechanic in a truck rental garage for 20 years before going into Law Enforcement, and I can tell you the result of hitting a full grown cow at 50 MPH is just pretty darn ugly. The right front steering tire and spring ends up driven through the 150 gal fuel tank into the r. front drive axle which sheers off from the frame and ends up straddling the guard rail. Driver will need new underdrawers.

 

[CompactTractorFan]

Very neat! I have never seen albino deer before.

 

[BIG DOOLEY]

Amazing photos. Looks like the bucks, if allowed to grow, will have good horns...they are forked even in their first year, not spikes. We need more albino deer...would be fewer collisions at night if all deer were white. These are true albinos...pink noses, white eyes, etc...

Maybe for the folks in Nacogdoches but what a nightmare for us drivers that have snowfall here in Michigan ullinghair:

Those fawns have to be the most beautiful creatures God has put on this earth.
I just had to put the one lying down on my PC as a background image.
Thanks for sharing the pics.