Piebald Deer
Filed under: Ask Grant, Deer Biology
I have a couple questions that I want to ask. I have a Pinto/Piebald buck on our farm. He’s a 7 point and looks to be 2 1/2 or maybe just 1 1/2. Do they have bad genetics and need to be taken out of the herd? Is it possible that mature does seek out the dominant bucks instead of the bucks seeking them out? I had a hunt and saw this type of behavior. Does were going to where he was. Also, it seemed like they were trying to protect him. I have also shot big bucks and had does standing around where a buck fell, even after running them off they would come back later. Thanks, Chad
Chad,
Piebald deer are not usually as fit as other deer, genetically speaking. However, because it is a recessive trait it will not dominate a herd. I think they are fun to observe and opt not to harvest them unless they are mature. That’s just a personal choice.
A research project with a very large sample size conducted on a herd with plenty of mature bucks clearly showed that no buck bred significantly more does that any other buck of breeding age. This research is supported by the knowledge that in herds with fairly balanced adult sex ratios, most does become receptive to breeding about the same time and only remain receptive for 1-2 days. Therefore, it would be very unlikely for one buck to do most of the breeding. Wild, free-ranging populations of whitetails have an extremely diverse genetic make-up. This is because most adults, both male and female, participate in the breeding. The fact that most deer participate in the reproductive cycle of a deer herd ensures the genetic makeup is extremely diverse and healthy!
Growing Deer together,
Grant
