Hunter bags eight-point piebald buck in Monroe County
A hunter in Chestnuthill Township, Monroe County, bagged a rare deer as his first harvest of the season. Dan Hall, who has hunted for over 60 years, was able to take down an eight-point piebald deer – he won’t say where, exactly, as he wants to protect his spot – on the first day of archery season, Oct. 3, this year. Hall says despite the rarity of the piebald, he has seen more and more in the area over the past few years. “Where I’m hunting now, I see more than I’ve ever seen anywhere else,” he said. “They’re kind of hard to hide – they stick out like a sore thumb.” Piebald deer, which are distinct from albino deer, stem from a rare genetic mutation that causes random patches of skin to lack specialized pigment cells which give deer hair its color. Even the skin underneath the white hair lacks coloration. The condition which causes the coloration can also lead to deformities, including crooked legs, hooves, and spine, or a shortened face and a humped nose, according to the National Deer Association. Adult piebald deer usually have a milder form of the condition, as deer born with the most
