Two albino deer shot on hunting opener

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Two albino deer shot on hunting opener

by Brett Larson
Editor

Although rare, albino deer can sometimes by seen in the Mille Lacs area.  Photo by Kathleen Saumer

CO Dan Perron took this photo near Wahkon.

Mary Rakotz of Avon wasn't shy about shooting an albino deer in Mille Lacs County - at least at first.

Rakotz
happily told her story to WCCO-TV, saying it was "thrilling" to see a
white deer but "100 times more exciting" to take it home.

According
to WCCO, she was going to contact Cabela's to see if they would buy it.
Cabela's did not respond to the Messenger's request for information.

Neither did Mary Rakotz, who might've decided to lay low after becoming the target of Internet bloggers' scorn.

One website posted her address and phone number and encouraged people to call her.

Bill Lundeen said another albino deer was registered at Lundeen's Tackle Castle.

Lundeen said he heard other reports of albino deer being shot but wasn't sure if they were true.

Steve
Piepgras, acting area manager at the Mille Lacs Wildlife Management
Area, said protecting albino deer is a "social issue," not a biological
one. 

"Some people are protective of them, and that's OK,"
Piepgras said. "It's a matter of personal choice whether you harvest
them or not."

Albino deer are not protected by law in Minnesota,
but albino bears are, he said. It is legal to sell hides and antlers,
or to have a mount made and sell it.

"Biologically speaking,
removing them from the population is the right thing to do," he said.
"It's a genetic trait that reduces their ability to survive and
reproduce. By perpetuating it, you reduce the health of the herd."

Albino
deer tend to be smaller and less able to withstand a harsh winter. They
have eyesight problems, and they stand out, which increases the rate of
predation.

Albino facts

Steve Piepgras said
albinism is a rare trait linked to a recessive gene. Albinos do not
produce an enzyme that is used to color skin and hair.

The pink
eyes are actually colorless. What people see are the blood vessels
behind the eyes. The same is true of the pink ears and nose.

There
are also "piebald" deer in the area, Piepgras said. These deer may have
the gene for pigment, but it isn't working correctly. He has seen an
albino squirrel in Onamia and partially albino turkeys in the Mille
Lacs WMA. He said the turkey had white around its feathers, which gave
it a ghost effect.

For a deer to be born as an albino, both
parents must carry the recessive gene, but even in that case, the
chance is only 25 percent that the offspring will be an albino. If both
parents are albinos, however, the offspring will always be an albino.

The chance of a deer being an albino is between 1 in 30,000 and 1 in 100,000, depending on the source, Piepgras said.

Piepgras
believes the high number of albino deer in the area - especially around
Father Hennepin State Park - is due to albino deer breeding with other
albinos.

http://www.millelacsmessenger.com/main.asp?SectionID=9&SubSectionID=34&ArticleID=17416

Edited by Iceman - Nov 20 2007 at 8:32pm