biggest buck
Active Member
When people in the community began talking about a white deer they'd seen along a rural Pottawattamie County road, Lynn Driver had to see it for himself.
As a former avid hunter, Driver knew what a rarity it was to see a white deer, sometimes called a piebald deer. The first time he laid eyes on the deer, Driver just stared at it until he finally grasped what he was seeing for the first time.
"I must have stood there and watched it for a good three to four minutes," he said. "It's the first one I've ever seen in 47 years. I've only seen one other photo."
Driver recalls the time he initially spotted the deer alongside the road.
"It was easy to spot the white, since most of the foliage is brown. White sticks out quite predominately in the wild," he said.
Now, Driver sees the deer almost every day on his commute to and from work. He doesn't want to disclose his route for fear someone may try to shoot the deer because it's so unique.
But Driver need not worry.
The white deer, much like the albino deer, is protected by Iowa. According to Doug Clayton, State Conservation Officer for Pottawattamie County, shooting a deer considered to be predominately white is a simple misdemeanor resulting in a $162 citation.
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"People cannot hunt them if they're more than 50 percent white," he said.
Those who do could be subjected to civil liquidation damages in the amount of $1,500 and up depending on the size of the deer.
Driver said the white deer he has nicknamed "spirit deer" is a yearling. Driver saw the young deer without its mother for the first time a few days ago.
Besides his concerns about hunters trying to shoot the doe, Driver is worried about one other thing.
"(The deer) spends way too much time by the road. It's not really scared of traffic."
Or people it seems. Driver was able to get within 40 yards of the white deer when snapping over a roll and a half of film one morning.
"The deer were playing around and it was hard to get pictures," Driver said. "I was taking them like a wild man."
With good reason, not even officer Clayton has seen a white deer.
"They are pretty rare," he said. "It's the first I've heard of in the area, but they're rare any place."
As a former avid hunter, Driver knew what a rarity it was to see a white deer, sometimes called a piebald deer. The first time he laid eyes on the deer, Driver just stared at it until he finally grasped what he was seeing for the first time.
"I must have stood there and watched it for a good three to four minutes," he said. "It's the first one I've ever seen in 47 years. I've only seen one other photo."
Driver recalls the time he initially spotted the deer alongside the road.
"It was easy to spot the white, since most of the foliage is brown. White sticks out quite predominately in the wild," he said.
Now, Driver sees the deer almost every day on his commute to and from work. He doesn't want to disclose his route for fear someone may try to shoot the deer because it's so unique.
But Driver need not worry.
The white deer, much like the albino deer, is protected by Iowa. According to Doug Clayton, State Conservation Officer for Pottawattamie County, shooting a deer considered to be predominately white is a simple misdemeanor resulting in a $162 citation.
Advertisement
"People cannot hunt them if they're more than 50 percent white," he said.
Those who do could be subjected to civil liquidation damages in the amount of $1,500 and up depending on the size of the deer.
Driver said the white deer he has nicknamed "spirit deer" is a yearling. Driver saw the young deer without its mother for the first time a few days ago.
Besides his concerns about hunters trying to shoot the doe, Driver is worried about one other thing.
"(The deer) spends way too much time by the road. It's not really scared of traffic."
Or people it seems. Driver was able to get within 40 yards of the white deer when snapping over a roll and a half of film one morning.
"The deer were playing around and it was hard to get pictures," Driver said. "I was taking them like a wild man."
With good reason, not even officer Clayton has seen a white deer.
"They are pretty rare," he said. "It's the first I've heard of in the area, but they're rare any place."
