I'll Miss Him

[Ski]

This lil bugger sure is purdy but I've got a feeling his days are numbered. Momma will probably chase him out later this summer. I had a ball watching him as a fawn last season. I'd see him often from stand and almost every time I checked cameras. Hopefully he'll stop back in time to time if nobody shoots him. It's always a treat seeing him.

And these guys are growing well. The date is off by about three weeks. This pic was taken just a couple days ago. I didn't know the date was off until I checked the cam. No giants but nice to see a couple good up-n-comers.

 

[Huntaholic]

Kill momma!

 

[Huntaholic]

The reason I said kill momma was that IF you do, he MIGHT not disperse.

 

[backyardtndeer]

Yep, he is a pretty piebald. Maybe he won't go too far and might come back around in a couple years at just the right time.

 

[Ski]

The reason I said kill momma was that IF you do, he MIGHT not disperse.

Oh the thought crossed my mind just about every time she stepped out. But for whatever reason I never did. He grew a lot slower than the other fawns and really seemed to rely on her even when all other fawns were becoming independent. Here he is almost in February and he's still tiny and clinging close to his momma. Other fawns his age were big as their mothers by that time.

 

[BSK]

Oh the thought crossed my mind just about every time she stepped out. But for whatever reason I never did. He grew a lot slower than the other fawns and really seemed to rely on her even when all other fawns were becoming independent. Here he is almost in February and he's still tiny and clinging close to his momma. Other fawns his age were big as their mothers by that time.

That is because piebaldism goes hand-in-hand with all sorts of other genetic maladies. Piebald deer are rarely fully healthy.

 

[TNTreeman]

Great pictures

 

[wobblegobble]

It's still a fawn lol

 

[Ski]

It's still a fawn lol

Yeah he's pretty darn small yet. He'll probably finish out with a small fork or 6pt rack this summer but his body is noticeably smaller than the other deer.

 

[backyardtndeer]

Yeah he's pretty darn small yet. He'll probably finish out with a small fork or 6pt rack this summer but his body is noticeably smaller than the other deer.

Is this on the same farm where you have smaller bodied deer?

 

[Ski]

Is this on the same farm where you have smaller bodied deer?

Yes indeed it is.

 

[Ski]

Yes indeed it is.

I do not believe the piebald gene is what makes deer small here. They're small in this entire area, not just this property.

 

[redblood]

Well you have access to test a widely held theory about buck dispersal. Obviously you will be able to ID him

I hope he stays for ya. Sad reality is that hunters would shoot him as an immature just so they could check a box on the bucket list

 

[redblood]

But the fact that he is still around in July is a good sign. My understanding is most yearling bucks disperse in the slring

 

[BSK]

But the fact that he is still around in July is a good sign. My understanding is most yearling bucks disperse in the slring

This is generally true in the North, but not the South. In the North, yearling dispersal occurs primarily in spring. In the South, fall.

 

[Ski]

I hope he stays for ya. Sad reality is that hunters would shoot him as an immature just so they could check a box on the bucket list

That is a very real possibility, maybe even probability given the area. I'd sure like to watch him grow up. If he's around when archery opens I'll see if I can't take his mother out.

 

[Livin2hunt]

We had a piebald we watched get to a 4 yo back in '22. We haven't seen him since then and not heard of anyone shooting him. They are beautiful animals for sure!