Conference vmsnet::hunting$note:hunting

    It is interesting that you mentioned seeing an albino deer. Just
    recently I was deer hunting in Maine and a hunting buddy got a look at
    a partially albino deer. Seems that if this continues, then there
    natural abiblity to 'blend in' would be lost.

    I used to work at a meat processing plant. We used to do hundreds of 
    deer a year. I saw one about 5 years ago come in. 
    
    
    				jeff b. 
    

    I used to hunt with some guys on an island off Ellsworth, ME.  While I
    didn't see any albino deer myself, I did see photos of several.  The
    guys there also claimed that they had shot does with antlers and large
    bucks with 10 pt.racks only the size of your hands and fingers; sort of
    mini 10 pointers.  Supposedly, these odd deer were the result of the in
    breeding that occurred on the fairly isolated environment of the
    island.

    There is an ALBINO deer hanging around the DIGITAL grounds in 
    Merrimack area. I've seen her a few times myself. 

Funny thing in that it is a genetic defect, yet N.H. has them protected. 
I believe the law reads that "predominately white deer" are non game.

    Isn't that a form of discrimination?  
    
    bob
    

    When hunting over near Farmington Maine years ago (about ten years)
    I saw an albino at a game check station being tagged/weighed. I
    was told then that they were not extremely rare, though there weren't
    a lot of them. Supposedly they tend to be smaller than the average
    whitetail, and I'd believe it, because the one I saw was probably
    under 100 lbs.
    
    
    			Steve

    
    	I've never seen an albino deer here in Colorado, but, I
    	have seen an albino bull elk (6X6).  He used to be located
    	by the general store at Spinney Reservoir in South Park.
    	They had a huge fenced in area that housed numerous types
    	of deer and a few elk.  They also used to have a black bear
    	penned up there.  This was a few years ago so I don't know
    	if they still have the animals anymore.  I was always curious
    	as to why they had these animals caged at this location.
    
    	Clay

>Funny thing in that it is a genetic defect, yet N.H. has them protected. 
>I believe the law reads that "predominately white deer" are non game.


	My Dad told us when we were young that it was our duty to
	shoot an albino if we came across one. Not to pass it up
	because they looked unusual.
 	
	This was in PA so maybe there isn't a law to protect them.



	Gary

        They do exist. I shot one this October in PA., not all white, just
    a little bit of brown. We saw one the night before that was much bigger
    and more white than the one I got.
    
                                                               Bob

    I don't believe that Albino deer are protected in N.H. Even in the past
    couple of years I have heard about hunters getting Albino's. They are
    fair game like any other deer. I will check into it. About 15 years ago
    there was a hunter who shot one up near my camp. It was perfectly
    legal.
    							bret

    If they are it doesn't say so in the N.H.F.&G. book. I went thru it the
    other day when I first saw this notes file. There fair game.....
    
    
                                                   dan
    

    There are two different types of 'white' deer, true albinos, which
    have the characteristic pink eyes of albinos, and piebald deer,
    which have large areas of white, but normal pigmentation on some
    of the body, as well as the eyes. I remember reading that they
    were protected in (Mass. ? Vermont ? )

 They used to be protected in NH. Dunno if they still are or not.

    
    At one time they were protected in N.H.. Today however, they are fair
    game.
    
    A game warden told me that the deer bioligist have found that a white
    deer will never become a seperate breed within itself. They're just a
    freak of nature of which the blood-line is weak....meaning most more
    than white or all white deer seem to be weaker dealing with disease
    than a normal deer....??????...for what ever reason. So, the game dept
    opened the season on them as fair game, the biggest reason is because
    they won't become anything special....according to the warden.
    
    
    HOWEVER!!!, According to indian legend, Anyone killing a albino deer
    will be cursed. You'll never get a deer again....So, watch out guys...
    it could be your last one ever.............
    
    Rick
     

>    HOWEVER!!!, According to indian legend, Anyone killing a albino deer
>    will be cursed. You'll never get a deer again....So, watch out guys...
>    it could be your last one ever.............

 The deer I got last year was BROWN, BROWN, BROWN. I have pictures to prove
it!

    
    
    CURSED, CURSED, CURSED. HA,ha,ha,ha,!!!!
    
    

    
    
        RE:15,16 the HOWEVER line;
    
       I heard that you would have 7 years without a deer, I personally
    know of 2 people that shot albino bucks one year, the one kid was 15
    years old ( his dad about kicked his @ss for shooting it) the other
    guy was an old boss of mine, this happened in PA.
    
       Both of these guys got doe license's each year following the albino 
    year and NEITHER one of these guys got deer for 8 years!!! now not to
    get a doe in 8 years of hunting in PA is just about unbelievable! I am
    not supersticious but this incedent sure makes you think.
    
       Now if this was just hearsay I would have my doubts, but the kid
    went to school with me and we both were in the fire dept., so I knew
    this kid wasnt pulling anyones leg about not getting a deer, heck it
    went so far as him getting a bow, and then he hunted for a doe in
    archery season and couldnt even get one then!
    
      It sure makes a guy think before he shoots one.,, I have seen alot 
    (well probably 20-25) of albino deer in PA. they are a beautifull
    animal, I will say that I probably would not shoot one if I saw it
    while hunting. 
    
       We had a apallosa deer around our house for about 3 years she had 2
    sets of twins 3 were apallosa's and one was pure white but its eyes
    werent pink.
    
                                                      Lee
    

    
    See! Maybe the Indian knows more about life than we think.
    
    RP
    

 >   freak of nature of which the blood-line is weak....meaning most more
 >   than white or all white deer seem to be weaker dealing with disease
 >   than a normal deer....??????...for what ever reason. So, the game dept


	That is what I was raised to believe. These are inferior bloodlines
	and looked down on by the old timers in PA.
  
    
  >  HOWEVER!!!, According to indian legend, Anyone killing a albino deer
  >  will be cursed. You'll never get a deer again....So, watch out guys...
  >  it could be your last one ever.............
    
  >  Rick


	Hmm,...Does "BUMPER STUN" count???     


	Gary

    
    At one time N.H. law was written that "It is illegal to shoot a deer
    that is more perdominently than usual". That law was changed about 15
    years ago. My family members and I were hunting Jaffery N.H. which is
    the back side of Mt. Manadnock and my uncle shot a doe with 2 yearlings
    one almost pure white and the second with more white up it sides. The
    next week (Rifle season) I was on a stand and both of these deer came
    out 30 yards in front of me. At the time the law was in place so I
    watched them for over 30 minutes in the woods feeding. The larger
    almost pure white would have gone about 120 and the smaller about
    80lbs. Folklaw or Myth does say that it is bad luck to shoot these
    type of deer but they are a freak of nature and stand out quite well
    from the rest of the species.
    
    
                                                   Guy
    

    
    
    Hey Bro....You wer'nt suppose to let on that we have them im-pure
    Penn like deer here in N.H.!!!!!
    
    Oh no!!
    
    Rick
    

     
     	My father-in-law shot an albino doe in West Virginia last Autumn.
    He had the head mounted, its a true albino, pink eyes and all. Weighed
    in about 100 pounds.
    	But, he hasn't experienced any bad luck to date. So far he's got
    two more this season in West Virginia. You figure it out?
    
    							The Alabama Slammer

    
    RE: 24
    
    You can't cheat the mountain pilgrim, The mountain got its
    ways.................
    

>    On my hunting trip to PA. last month I saw an Albino deer while we
>    were spotlighting one night. Has anyone else every seen an Albino 
          ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Is this legal up north?  I realize (hope) you were just shining the 
light into the woods looking (not shooting) for deer, right?  Even 
with no gun in the truck, a Georgia Game Warden would have a right fun 
time with you if he caught you doing this in his county...

As for the albino, my brother killed a little doe 2 years ago that had 
some white patches on it, but wasn't a true albino.  

Scott

    
    It's legal.

Yup,

	It is legal to spotlight until 11 P.M. in Pa. As long as you
don't have any bows/firearms in the vehicle. I think Pa. is one of the
very few who still allow it. I don't know of any others.

/Ron

    I thought I read here or in a magazine that spotlighting deer could
    result in permanent eye damage to deer.
    
    Could someone either confirm or corrrect me?
    
    Mark.

    
    re the last few...
    
    It is legal to spotlight deer in Pa. *up till the hunting season*. The
    law changed this year to read that DURING ANY DEER SEASON (gun or
    archery) the spotlighting of deer is a violation... Other than deer
    season, they can be spotlighted till 11PM...
    
    If you have the "Pennsylvania Game Laws" mini-phamphlet, check it out.
    When we went down this year we only spotlighted the night before open-
    ing day. After that, **no way** ... :-)
    
    Joe

    
    
    
    re: last 
    
    
    
         It is legal to spotlight up until 11:00 pm the night before buck
    season, tehn no spotting till dusk the night after doe season ends, it
    is legal to spotlight during the archery season.
    
    
    
                                Lee
    

    
    
      It's legal to "Illuminate" fields at night to watch deer in Maine but
    not during, or something like a month before or after the hunting
    season.
    
    Chuck

    re .31
    
    Lee:
    
      I didn't interpret the wording in the F&G laws booklet that way. They
    mentioned "hunting season" I believe... I'll have to look at it again
    tonight... BTW, did you get your interpretation straight from the Penn-
    sylvania F&G through a phone call?!?
    
    Joe    Who_would_rather_be_safe_than_sorry :-)

    
    
    
    
       Joe,
       I looked it up in the book, but I usually find out about new laws
    before most people because I used to do alot of work with the Pa game
    comission, so the local warden keeps me informed of the new laws, but
    the book reads;
    
        SPOTLIGHTING WILDLIFE: A person hunting on foot may use a handheld
    light to take racoons,skunks,opossums,foxes,and cyotes, however it is
    unlawfull to (1) spot wildlife while in posession of a firearm, bow
    & arrow, or other device capable of killing wildlife; (2) spot wildlife
    during the regukarky scheduled antlered and antlerless deer seasons or
    extensions, including the days seperating the seasons, and (3) cast an
    artificial light on any building or farm animal recreational
    spotlighting is lawful between the hours of sunrise and 11 pm except
    previously noted.
    
    
      I think this was one of the best laws they ever enacted regaurding
    the use of spotlights, after the deer are chased all day then allowing
    people to go out at night and chase them with a light was unreal, this 
    is one reason why there is no sunday hunting on sunday in PA, except
    for fox and crow. they like to give the animals a break for a day.
    
    
      hope this clears this up. I am not flaming you but I just want
    everyone that goes down there to have a basic knowledge of the laws,
    and if its the persons first trip and its during a legal spotting
    season they should definatly go spotting they will be amazed at the
    deer.
    
                                              Lee
     

    Lee:
    
      OK! Good information... I assumed (trying to follow the laws to a
    "T") that when they said "regularly scheduled antlered and antlerless
    hunting seasons" that they meant ALL hunting seasons for deer no matter
    what device was used (gun or bow)... 
    
      Like I said, better to be SAFE than SORRY :-)  When you're dealing
    with an agency that can confiscate your car (if you were a REAL bad
    boy that is :-), you tend to be verrrry careful!
    
      To tell you the truth, I wouldn't mind seeing it extended into the
    bow season too!  
    
      That first night there (October 4th) while we  were spotlighting
    was just unreal! I've never seen that many deer in my entire life!!!
    
    Joe