Pro Staff: The Elusive “Piebald” Deer

Whenever you get out into the wild and wonderful outdoors, you never know what you might encounter. Well, that was the case for a friend of mine, Wayne Rinehart, on a very cold day in late December. Wayne was hunting in Point of Rocks, Maryland, one evening during Maryland’s late muzzloader season. That evening he harvested a whitetaile doe with a field dress weight of 90 pounds. Wayne’s deer wasn’t just your average white-tail deer; it is what is considered a piebald. A piebald deer is blotched with white and brown fur all over its body. I did a little bit or research on this and found out piebalds have also been known to have very short legs, an arched spine, and a short lower jaw. This deer showed all three of these characteristics. Statistics show that less then 1 percent of the whitetail deer population is affected by this disorder. Piebald is a genetic disorder and is not caused by disease or parasite, making the meat 100 percent safe to eat. It’s not everyday you get see something this usual when your out sitting in your tree stand or blind. Congratulations Wayne on a unique deer! Now I’m curious: What’s the strangest animal you all have ever seen in the wild? –Brooke