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Piebald buck
- Thread starter New bp shooter
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The smile on your face says it all! Congratulations on your successful hunt 
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These deer need to be taken out. They are generally the result of inbreeding.
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Well done. I saw one years ago, a spike as well. I passed on it because the private land we hunted had an abundance of deer. Wish I still had access to that property.
First I want to say that I have nothing against shooting spikes or any other deer of the hunter's choice and as is legal. But, I don't think it's necessary to target yearling spike bucks to have a healthy natural herd.
Deer herds are full of inbreeding. While yearling bucks may disperse from their mother's home range, Dad may still be there breeding generations of his daughters, etc. We would have a LOT more spikes if the main cause was as narrow as inbreeding.
A spike buck may be the result of inferior genetics but it could also be from other factors such as a late birth that affected it going into it's first winter reducing it's first antler growth as a yearling, or poor minerals in an area affecting forage value. A hard and lean first winter could also have an impact. And, a spike could be superior genetics as some buck fawns have grown hard spikes in their summer of birth, though these are probably only an inch or two long.
I remember a fenced in buck at a Christmas Tree farm we used to go to. The first year they had Rudy he was the scrawniest looking little spike I've ever seen! Year two he looked healthy and had a good rack for his age. As he got older his rack really turned on, as usually happens going into their 5th year since bone growth is completed and more minerals now flow to the rack. He went non-typical and at his peak had a massive non-typical rack with 19 pts and a bulky mature buck body.
I believe most bucks, regardless of their first rack, will grow a substantial rack given age and nutrition. Do genetics help? Of course! Those folks on deer farms determined to genetically manipulate and produce "artificial" deer have proven that. But given time and adequate nutrition, most unaltered natural bucks will develop a very nice set of headgear.
The myth of spikes being inferior, or inbred, was dispelled a long time ago. Don't listen to JoBob at the bar. Listen to deer biologists.
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That's a treasure and so is your sister for doing that.
New bp shooter
40 Cal
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did you hear banjos before the shot?
I thought he was say piebald deer were from inbreeding...not spikes... But I could be wrong... Either way I've never heard that about either one of them... I shot that beer on public land I might get one to two shot a year.... That was the first year within range that I'd seen all year... And because it was the first piebald I ever seen ...I did want it...
You did all right, @New bp shooter . You got a legal deer with a muzzleloader, with one shot. You'll have a really cool pelt if you tan the hide with the hair on, or a nice skin tanned with the hair off, or some very useful rawhide if you just clean it and dry it. Regardless of what you do with the hide, you got some good meat that is better than anything you can buy.
Years ago, Scientific American magazine published an article about a longitudinal study of a herd of red deer on the island of Jura, off Scotland. If I remember correctly, the conclusion of the study was that the really outstanding stags (bucks, for us Americans) owed their superior health and development to their mothers more than the fathers. Certainly, the quality of forage and habitat and daddy's genes played a part, but it was the mother's genes and skills that had the most profound effect. We tend to think that bucks with big racks produce sons with big racks, but there is a lot more to it. Mothers matter... A lot.
It would take a geneticist to explain why there was a piebald spike buck out there, but he presented himself to you, and you got him. With a muzzleloader. It's all good.
Notchy Bob
Years ago, Scientific American magazine published an article about a longitudinal study of a herd of red deer on the island of Jura, off Scotland. If I remember correctly, the conclusion of the study was that the really outstanding stags (bucks, for us Americans) owed their superior health and development to their mothers more than the fathers. Certainly, the quality of forage and habitat and daddy's genes played a part, but it was the mother's genes and skills that had the most profound effect. We tend to think that bucks with big racks produce sons with big racks, but there is a lot more to it. Mothers matter... A lot.
It would take a geneticist to explain why there was a piebald spike buck out there, but he presented himself to you, and you got him. With a muzzleloader. It's all good.
Notchy Bob
Stykbow
50 Cal.
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The spikes are easily explained. He’s a 1 1/2 year old buck. Being piebald is the expression of a recessive gene that comes out when both parents carry it. No mystery there, just pretty rare. I couldn’t have shot that buck quick enough!
Could have been, I guess. Usually people make that comment about spikes.
Piebald is a recessive gene thing, not inbreeding. Here's some insight into piebald deer:
https://deerassociation.com/look-in...a recessive trait,by QDMA member Allen *****.
Thank you, @Spikebuck , for the link to the Deer Association website. The article about piebald deer was very informative, but I poked around a little after reading that and found plenty more of interest. I had never heard of the Deer Association before, but their articles are easy to read and show good scholarship.
That is a great website!
Notchy Bob
That is a great website!
Notchy Bob
Congratulations on a nice deer. I’ve been seeing a piebald buck on my camera for two years. I’ve been trying to decide if I’m gonna shoot him if I ever see him in real life. His hide is not as pretty as the one you got.
By the looks of their logo, it looks like they used to be called Quality Deer Management
hanshi
Cannon
That is an amazing piebald for sure. Back down in my native Georgia I hunted deer to excess. I also saw many piebald deer. I never could bring myself to shoot one, truth be known. But there were a lot of them. It was in Virginia that I saw an albino deer that thought nothing of traveling with buddies down the street in front of the house. And I saw it in our back yard quite a bit. The thing even made the local newspaper!
That painting on that piece of hide is remarkable and beautiful. All I can say is WOW!
That painting on that piece of hide is remarkable and beautiful. All I can say is WOW!
Congratulations on the buck! I love seeing piebalds, but it's probably been 20 years since I saw the last one. It was a beautiful blacktail doe with four normal colored fawns. It was probably the only time I've ever seen a doe with more than three fawns too. I wish I'd have had my camera in hand to record it! Beautiful little buck!
superkodiaksteiner
32 Cal
Wow. A beautiful harvest
