It's not every day you see a piebald deer wandering around the woods. There are hunters who have been heading afield their whole lives without ever seeing one. Which is what makes getting a shot opportunity at one so special. We can debate until the cows come home on the ethics of shooting such a deer, but so long as it's legal and makes the hunter who harvests it happy, we're not going to pass judgement here. Today's video features a very rare hunt for a piebald deer caught on video.
This footage was shot in Virginia and it's not hard to spot this mostly white piebald doe as she makes her way through the brush. The hunter finds a comfortable shooting position, and from there it's just a matter of waiting for her to stop so he can get a shot at this one-of-a-kind animal.
We're guessing these guys had no trouble spotting this deer on that steep hillside! That's probably the biggest advantage to pursuing a piebald deer. There's basically no place for them to hide unless there's a snowstorm. That's why many of these deer don't survive past their first season anyway. Predators have an easy time picking them off. The first shot was clearly a deadly hit, but we're glad he put the extra round in her to put her down for good. According to the video's description, he was using a 139-grain GMX bullet chambered in 7mm for this hunt.
It appeared from the video that this doe had some of the tell-tale signs of the recessive piebald gene, most notably the shorter legs that are common with deer afflicted with this condition. Physical deformities are common with this condition, which is why many hunters like to harvest these animals and get their genetics out of the gene pool. What a cool hunt and a memory for this guy to make with his dad!
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