11yr Olds Bagging Of Rare Albino Deer Sparks Debate

[Wrenry]

Quote:

An 11-year-old Michigan hunter last week killed a rare albino deer while on a hunting trip with his father.

This week, the story is generating a wide range of emotional feedback on Facebook.

Gavin’s father, Mick Dingman, told WZZM 13 that he and his son had spotted the white deer several times in recent the years, and that other hunters had talked about trying to bag the animal.

An admittedly nervous Gavin used a crossbow from 30 to harvest the 12-point trophy buck, and the news quickly spread in hunting circles.

“He kind of feels like a rock star right now,” Mick Dingman said. “Everyone is calling, all of the hunting shows and hunting magazines.”

Sentiments being expressed on the WZZM 13 Facebook page, where the albino deer story has been shared more than 4,000 times, are somewhat mixed.

“He should have let it live. There are plenty of others out there,” reads one of hundreds of comments.

“If it’s rare, why the hell would he kill it?” reads another.

“I’m fine with hunting, just hate the ‘Hey look, it’s different, let’s shoot it’ ideas. Shoot it with a camera and let the unique one live,” reads yet another.

Deer-hunting in Michigan is an extremely popular pastime, so it’s not surprising that so many wrote in defense of Gavin Dingman.

“Get over it. The law says it’s legal. Back off the kid!!! Way to go kiddo!!” reads one comment.

“He paid good money for his license. He can use it for anything HE chooses, ” reads another. “Whether it be a brown deer or an albino buck, the state of Michigan gave him permission to kill it. Leave the kid alone. He did nothing wrong. He harvested a great trophy.”

Some of the commenters criticized WZZM 13 for posting the story on Facebook, opening Gavin to criticism.

“WZZM should stick with reporting news, not trying to make an 11-year-old boy feel guilty for shooting a deer, during deer season,” reads one comment.

Albino deer and leucistic deer (not a true albino) possess genetic defects that cause the white pigmentation.

Some native cultures revere the white animals, and believe that they possess the spirits of ancestors.

This story brings to mind the killing last October of a rare albino “spirit moose” in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Three hunters involved in that expedition were harshly criticized on social media sites, and ultimately issued a formal apology to the Mi’kmaq people.

It’s unclear whether any native groups have spoken out against Gavin Dingman’s killing of the white deer in Michigan.

The boy’s description of his big moment: “My dad was just like, ‘Take a deep breath. Are you sure you can take the shot? If you’re not 100 percent, we don’t want to injure it.’ ”

The family plans to pay a taxidermist to create a full body mount of the deer.

WZZM 13 cites a report that claims that one out of 20,000 deer are born albino.

Source

Hmm...wonder if the story would have stirred up anything if an adult had bagged it.

[Chahklet]

If it's legal then stfu.

[JamesWN]

Average life span of a deer in the wild is around a decade anyway. Not like it would have been around forever.

[Btch_lasagna_18]

I'm pretty sure s**t like that is illegal here.

I'm not against hunting in general, but killing rare animals pisses me off to no end.

[Honey of the South]

If this boy hadn't taken it then odds are a predator probably would have. At least they plan on having it stuffed.

[Honey of the South]

Athena_flora

I'm pretty sure s**t like that is illegal here.

I'm not against hunting in general, but killing rare animals pisses me off to no end.

I'm pretty sure it's only illegal if the animal in question is of an endangered species. Since the deer technically wasn't, then this was totally legal. Albinos are rare, yes, but it just means bagging one is worth it. Albinism is only a result of genetic mutation and generally speaking does not have much of an evolutionary advantage in an area where being brown would be preferred.

[Valiant Corvus]

If it's not illegal then what's the problem?

Kudos to the kid for bagging it with a crossbow, those things can be difficult to aim at range

[SparkyKid3000]

Honey of the South

If this boy hadn't taken it then odds are a predator probably would have. At least they plan on having it stuffed.

Hunting animals and making them into trophies has always bothered me for some reason. Maybe because they're creepy to look at. Does everything inside the animal get used or do they throw it all away?

[Honey of the South]

SparkyKid3000

Honey of the South

If this boy hadn't taken it then odds are a predator probably would have. At least they plan on having it stuffed.

Hunting animals and making them into trophies has always bothered me for some reason. Maybe because they're creepy to look at. Does everything inside the animal get used or do they throw it all away?

Kinda depends on the people. I'm pretty sure most will keep the meat on hand for later or give it to someone else while ditching the internal organs. And I've never had much of a problem with people hunting for sport, because at least it's a way to keep the population of certain animals down. Like deer.

[Fireweed_honey]

Wrenry

Hmm...wonder if the story would have stirred up anything if an adult had bagged it.

I'd hazard that yes, it would have stirred stuff up if an adult bagged an albino deer. Based solely on the fact of "rare albino deer". Would it be as big a stink? Not sure, but there would be some kind of out cry.

[PantheaMarlon]

The meat best not be wasted. That is all I care about. I hate it when hunters just go out shooting animal willy nilly and not use the meat or pelts for something.

Recently there was article of a kid, 6 or so years old spotting twin albino fawns out in his lawn. If people really want to protect them they need to get the appropriate documents to capture them, breed them, care for them.

[Keltoi Samurai]

SparkyKid3000

Honey of the South

If this boy hadn't taken it then odds are a predator probably would have. At least they plan on having it stuffed.

Hunting animals and making them into trophies has always bothered me for some reason. Maybe because they're creepy to look at. Does everything inside the animal get used or do they throw it all away?

Trophy heads and taxidermy in general only use the hide and some bony parts ( teeth, horns and antlers where appropriate ) so the existence of the trophy says nothing about what was done with the meat and organs.

My grandad bought a compound bow back when that was new tech, then bagged a deer with it, had the head stuffed and mounted, and that trophy sits to this day over his fireplace, where the compound bow and his quiver of arrows have hung from it's antlers since it was first hung on the wall, and that was what him, my grandma, my mother and uncle ate for a good chunk of that fall.

[SparkyKid3000]

Keltoi Samurai

SparkyKid3000

Honey of the South

If this boy hadn't taken it then odds are a predator probably would have. At least they plan on having it stuffed.

Hunting animals and making them into trophies has always bothered me for some reason. Maybe because they're creepy to look at. Does everything inside the animal get used or do they throw it all away?

Trophy heads and taxidermy in general only use the hide and some bony parts ( teeth, horns and antlers where appropriate ) so the existence of the trophy says nothing about what was done with the meat and organs.

My grandad bought a compound bow back when that was new tech, then bagged a deer with it, had the head stuffed and mounted, and that trophy sits to this day over his fireplace, where the compound bow and his quiver of arrows have hung from it's antlers since it was first hung on the wall, and that was what him, my grandma, my mother and uncle ate for a good chunk of that fall.

Then that's fine. I just didn't know the process behind it all. Wonder what deer tastes like... neutral

[Silverlight Symphony]

The genetic mutation is not the only thing that makes albinos rare. The wild albinos have a hard time surviving to adulthood because their pelt is blaringly obvious in most settings and they tend to get picked off my predators due to their pelt not having the normal brown camouflage.
If the kid didn't get it, someone or something else would have. Just use all the meat and ask around if anyone wants the internal organs that they don't. Some people will turn the stomachs for instance, into handmade water canteens.

[Moral Gutpunch]

SparkyKid3000

Keltoi Samurai

SparkyKid3000

Honey of the South

If this boy hadn't taken it then odds are a predator probably would have. At least they plan on having it stuffed.

Hunting animals and making them into trophies has always bothered me for some reason. Maybe because they're creepy to look at. Does everything inside the animal get used or do they throw it all away?

Trophy heads and taxidermy in general only use the hide and some bony parts ( teeth, horns and antlers where appropriate ) so the existence of the trophy says nothing about what was done with the meat and organs.

My grandad bought a compound bow back when that was new tech, then bagged a deer with it, had the head stuffed and mounted, and that trophy sits to this day over his fireplace, where the compound bow and his quiver of arrows have hung from it's antlers since it was first hung on the wall, and that was what him, my grandma, my mother and uncle ate for a good chunk of that fall.

Then that's fine. I just didn't know the process behind it all. Wonder what deer tastes like... neutral

I heard its really good. You can order venison from exotic meat companies online (many have good reputations) and even restaurants.

Personally, I want to try alligator. Deep fried and cajun style.