Questions and answers on piebald deer, ethical hunting calibers and how to ID deer by sight

Receiving e-mails is definitely a high-light for this outdoor columnist. While I can never know what might be coming from any of my 89 semi-regular readers, I am almost guaranteed a smile and an antidote or two.

And when there is a question included, the day just gets brighter for me.

Piebald deer explained

One question came from “a long time reader” asking about a strangely colored deer she and a friend observed while on their way into work. It had a lot of white on its rear end, and mostly brown on its other end, a rather strange color pattern for a wild deer.

Whitetail deer that exhibit this kind of color pattern, most often with various amounts of white showing where brown is normally seen, are generally referred to as “pie-bald.” And, while most people, including many dedicated deer hunters, have never actually seen one, there are actually a lot of pie-bald deer in the population at any given time.

The amount of white can also vary widely. I have seen deer with a white spot on their side, sort of like a “bulls-eye” (which was a pretty unfair joke for nature to play on them if you ask me). And I have seen all-white deer with just some brown on their heads, and often just around the base of a buck’s antlers or the topmost scalp of does.

I remember one doe that had brown ears, a brown stripe down the top of her neck and middle of her back, and all the rest of her hair was pure white. She was a wild deer, and since I observed her for five hunting seasons in a row, and never heard of any hunter harvesting her, I have to assume she finally died of old age.

Since there is nothing good or bad about pie-bald coloration in the whitetail deer gene pool, there is no biological reason for a hunter not to harvest one if he sees it during the regular season and he has an unfilled tag.

While such oddly-colored deer are somewhat unique, I believe we humans are more curious than concerned about them.

Legal, yes but ethical?

Another reader asked what rifle calibers were legal for deer in New York.

My response was that while all center-fire calibers were legal for use during New York’s deer season in rifle-legal areas, not all center-fire cartridges were ethical for such use. There are some calibers and specific cartridges that I feel should not be used on these fine game animals.

Specifically I believe that no .22 caliber cartridge should be used. Most bullets in this caliber are designed for varmint hunting, and have thin metal skins. They are designed to fragment instantly upon impact with anything. Their use on deer could result in a severe wound and a lost animal.

Rifles chambered for certain other cartridges should also be left home. The .30 caliber carbine cartridge is one. The .38 Special cartridge is another.

Neither has enough energy, especially over 50 yards or greater, to be absolutely effective on whitetail deer.

So, what cartridges would I recommend? The .243 Winchester cartridge with 100 grain bullets would be my smallest caliber personal choice. The green light also goes to any of the traditional .25 to .30 caliber bottleneck deer cartridges.

And certain straight-walled cartridges such as the .44 Magnum and .444 Marlin are also satisfactory as long as the hunter maintains strict limits on the maximum distance he will shoot at a deer.

Sight doesn't tell the whole story

Another reader asked how it was possible to tell the age of a deer just by looking at it.

Actually it is not possible to accurately tell the age of a deer strictly by sight. What is important is for every hunter to be able to tell the difference between an adult doe and a fawn of the year.

Adult does have muzzles that are noticeably longer that fawns from the previous spring.

Once enough deer have been observed, it is no problem for anyone to tell the relative age (adult or fawn) at a glance. Don’t rely on body size alone because, unless you have two deer standing next to each other, the body size factor by itself is not reliable.

Hunters should attempt to take adult does when they fill their Deer Management Permits. An adult doe is far more likely to have multiple births (two or three fawns) the next spring while a yearling doe will most likely have a single fawn, so taking a mature doe will aid in good wildlife management more than taking fawns.

Keep in mind that a certain proportion of fawns will be “button” bucks. By not taking these youngsters the hunter may be increasing his chances of seeing an adult buck in future years. Having more mature bucks in a well-regulated deer population is always a good thing.

Don't just assume it's a wood duck

And from another reader: “Are there any ducks besides wood ducks that nest in holes in trees?

And the answer is yes, quite a few of them.

The cavity nesting ducks (which includes properly constructed nesting boxes) basically seek protection from predators such as raccoons and skunks (there are many more). And utilizing a cavity (often made by woodpeckers or where limbs have broken off and the heartwood on the stub side has rotted away) usually offers good protection.

Wood ducks are probably the best known cavity nesting duck. If there is a suitable cavity in a tree that is relatively close to water, wood ducks will find it and set up housekeeping.

It generally does not matter how high the nest cavity is as long as it is well above the ground or water. It appears that the ducklings actually need to fall as part of their survival. The same is true for some other cavity nesting ducks as well.

Both bufflehead and goldeneye ducks will also choose tree cavities for nesting if they can find them. Both duck species know the value of nesting security. I have watched a goldeneye “squeeze” into what I thought was a flying squirrel’s nest hole. The hen made repeated trips into that hole until the chicks hatched and were old enough to make their grand entrance into a new world (for them).

And, the hooded merganser also chooses cavities when available. Their habits are very similar to wood ducks when it comes to nesting. They are fish eaters, and generally select cavity nest near suitable water (food) sources.

Len Lisenbee is the Daily Messenger’s Outdoor Writer. Contact him at lisenbee@frontiernet.net.