Would you shoot one?
According to a recent Lansing State Journal article, Rebecca Humphries, the Director of the Michigan DNR, is considering lifting a ban that has been in place in the state for a number of years that prohibits the harvest of an albion deer. From LSJ:
Humphries argues that the law, as it now stands, is both an unreasonable burden on hunters and biologically unsound.
Apparently the law was put into place by a state legislature who took his status and used it to throw a little weight around. One of his constituents had an albino deer for a pet, and wanted it protected, and thus the idea of the law came to be and managed to be put in place.
I honestly don’t think I could shoot an albino deer. I think that they are almost mystical in a way and I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. That being said I don’t have a problem with the ban being lifted either. It is just a personal choice for me not to shoot one.
I can totally understand the genetic factor, and I never understood why they were protected, because in reality they are a defect. Removing them from the herd will actually help the herd’s genetics in the long run.
My question for all of you then is this. Would you or wouldn’t you shoot an albino deer if it was legal in your area? I’m curious as to what everyone thinks.
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11 Comments to 'Would you shoot one?'
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I don’t know if I would shoot it or not - it would depend on the season and the circumstances of that particular hunt, my husband on the other hand would shoot it.
I love unique mounts, so as long as I was within the law, I would shoot one. However it wouldn’t bother me to pass on such a cool animal either; I would just have one more great story for my site…
I’m really not sure what I would do. On one hand it is just another deer, and the meat would certainly be as edible. On the other hand, I kind of feel as you do, that the albino deer are a bit mystical.
Oh course, this is all theoretical for me at the moment, but I think I would probably come down on the side of not shooting it.
It is funny you should ask this because i just brought up the subject on another site I work on.
I personally would not for the fact that they are rare for a whitetail especially in my neck of the woods. I would just be happy to actually see one than shoot one.
As far as Connecticut goes they are not protected so if it is deer season they are considered fair game, given you have the proper permits and license.
This is an interesting post to see who would like that sort of wall mount and who would pass.
If it was a 2 1/2 year old or better with a good rack or mature doe(qdma joke)……heck ya I would! and then get a full body mount just to make the wife mad! lol
A long while back, I published a post about a couple of teenagers who shot an albino black bear. Boy did I get some nasty responses to that post! After a big inner debate, I did not publish the comments.
I totally agree with the genetics argument but I honestly do not think I would enjoy seeing an albino mount on the wall. I am not saying that I would have ill feelings toward the person who shot the deer but…well, you are right, they are kind of mystical in a way.
They are rare but they’re still deer so I’d probably shoot an albino deer if it were legal. I don’t see how it could really hurt the health of the herd and really that is what matters most, right?
I would shoot one. I am a hunter and if the law were lifted and it crossed my path…. yep.. one shot one kill…
This law has passed on June 5th, 2008