11-yr old bags rare albino deer

[Sirhornsalot]

11-year-old hunter bags rare albino deer  
HOWELL, Mich. — It's rare that an 11-year-old hunter bags a 12-point buck with a crossbow.

It's even more rare when that buck is an albino deer.

Gavin Dingman of Oceola Township took down the trophy buck last week while hunting with his father, Mick Dingman.

"He kind of feels like a rock star right now. Everyone is calling, all of the hunting shows and hunting magazines," Mick Dingman said.

The Dingmans had spotted the albino deer several times over the past couple of years and had even snapped photos of it.

"The whole neighborhood is familiar with it. Quite a few of the guys in the neighborhood were trying to get it," Mick Dingman said.

Mick Dingman said Gavin and his brother Graham, 13, were arguing during dinner over whose turn it was to hunt with their father Monday evening. Luckily for Gavin, it was his turn.

When he saw the albino deer, Gavin said he was "very nervous" as he took aim with his crossbow.

"My dad was just like, 'Take a deep breath. Are you sure you can take the shot? If you're not 100 percent, we don't want to injure it,' " the boy recalled.



 

Gavin's shot from about 30 yards was true. "I double-lunged it," he said.

It wasn't Gavin's first buck. He shot a six-pointer "straight through the heart" last year with a crossbow, he said.

Mick Dingman said he had total confidence in his son's ability to take the albino deer.

"I've had people tell me, 'You should have taken the shot. You don't let an 11-year-old take a shot at a deer like that,' " he said. "To me, in my opinion, it doesn't matter if it's a spike or a doe or a trophy deer. If you have confidence in them, it shouldn't matter what they are shooting at."

Gavin will have a large trophy to remind him of his hunting success. The family is having a taxidermist create a full-body mount of the deer.

"It's too rare and too pretty not to spend the extra money and have the whole thing done," Mick Dingman said.

Gavin said his friends and classmates have been impressed with his rare feat.

"They are like, wow, that is so cool," he said.

How rare is an albino deer?

In a December 2013 report published by USA TODAY, Wisconsin naturalist John Bates, co-author of "White Deer: Ghosts of the Forest," said albino deer are born once in about 20,000 births. Some biologists claim only one in 100,000 deer is born albino, the report said.

http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/nation/2014/10/21/boy-hunter-bags-rare-albino-deer/17652845/

 

[monarch]

OMG, how deeply sad that actual adults allowed for that poor little lad to murder that poor rare animal.  how completely sad and terrifying indeed...​

 

[Texas Homer]

I do love deer....in sausage, hamburger, steak, stew and so on.  I dont even know how to respond to your post because it is so ridiculous....I started hunting when I was 7 years old and I am still an avid hunter today and I have had the pleasure of teaching my two daughters to hunt and I look forward to the day when I get to teach my twin boys.   I am not a trophy hunter and I am not raising any, we hunt for the meat that we eat year round and we hunt so I can teach my children survival skills just like they were taught to me and my father and his father and so on. I sleep a little better knowing that if things went bad my kids would be able to survive off the land and be self sufficient....and I sit here and read that you think its murder I cant help but feel sorry for you that you apparently never experienced the joys of hunting. 

 

[streettopeschel]

murder? good grief. due the hyper sensitive psyche of a certain poster, i'll not comment other than to say there's nothing sad or terrifying about a kid going deer hunting and bagging a deer. good for him.

 

[utisdabomb12]

I'm apparently a serial killer. 

 

[monarch]

I do love deer....in sausage, hamburger, steak, stew and so on.  I dont even know how to respond to your post because it is so ridiculous....I started hunting when I was 7 years old and I am still an avid hunter today and I have had the pleasure of teaching my two daughters to hunt and I look forward to the day when I get to teach my twin boys.   I am not a trophy hunter and I am not raising any, we hunt for the meat that we eat year round and we hunt so I can teach my children survival skills just like they were taught to me and my father and his father and so on. I sleep a little better knowing that if things went bad my kids would be able to survive off the land and be self sufficient....and I sit here and read that you think its murder I cant help but feel sorry for you that you apparently never experienced the joys of hunting. 

oh come on my pal texas homer, please do not feel sorry for me.. for i am extremely blessed, a bit overly compassionate at times, but nonetheless, a person for whom has experienced the joys of the world.  however, having stated this.. i am also astute enough to understand the real world that we live in.  

upon your rush to not present to me the benefit of the doubt.. you actually did not read between the lines of my posting.  my angst, stemmed as per the SPORT murder / killing of the rare animal that is being highlighted.  did you really reference the op's headline as well as the story thereafter?  this was in no way near what you perform with your obviously respectful children.  i have absolutely nothing but the foremost respect as per any father that takes the time to actually NURTURE / TEACH his kids the proper way to hunt as well as the reasons behind it.  the illustrated article makes it seem that this murder / killing was all about the township sporting event.  how truly sad that a rare little deer was destroyed or BAGGED as they articulated.

your children are indeed very lucky to harbor a dad that care's about their foremost survival as well as their future.  i did not read anything near this upon the initial article... for it seemed that this most terrifying event was all about the KILL!  (nothing more, nothing less)

therefore, this is the primary reason behind my posting.  this terrifying murdering event was hereby completely devoid of compassion as per the rare animal destroyed.  now they can commence to getting it stuffed and mounted for all of the township to see.  once again, how truly sad for the little lad involved.

 

[monarch]

due to the hyper super sensitive psyche.. as per a certain BODY STALKER.. i'll just BEG.. leave me be.. please, leave me be.... please..

 

[streettopeschel]

due to the hyper super sensitive psyche.. as per a certain BODY STALKER.. i'll just BEG.. leave me be.. please, leave me be.... please..

 

[streettopeschel]

get over yourself and stop with the begging and the whining.

i have a tendency to respond to absurd posts. the fact that this particular absurd post belongs to you doesn't constitute 'stalking'. you flatter yourself.

 

[Sirhornsalot]

If I'm an 11 year old with that thing in my crosshairs, I pull the trigger. It's exciting moment for any kid and honestly he could probably care less what color the buck is. Good for him!

But I probably let that one go if it came into my own crosshairs. It is a rare thing to see indeed. I'd probably just put my rifle back on safety and wait for the next one. And eat more sunflower seeds.

Homer - where are you hunting? I need a place to hunt, bad!

 

[java]

The worst sight that I have ever seen is starving deer wandering into inhabited areas looking for food during the winter months to search for food.  They are trapped by fences they normally jump with ease or simply die by the road, too weak to go on.  We have eliminated most of their natural predators.  Without controlled hunting, they die a horrible death.

Wildlife management is the key.  Controlled hunting helps a herd.  Now, about the imported deer.  They are beautiful, but they will drive the whitetail and mule deer out of many areas.   

 

[monarch]

get over yourself and stop with the begging and the whining.

i have a tendency to respond to absurd posts. the fact that this particular absurd post belongs to you doesn't constitute 'stalking'. you flatter yourself.

why can't you just get your home fires burning?  something is indeed amiss...

 

[streettopeschel]

why can't you just get your home fires burning?  something is indeed amiss...

since i don't know what the f*** you're talking about, you're spared a rebuttal.

if you think you're being mistreated, take it to the mods. again. 

 

[monarch]

since i don't know what the f*** you're talking about, you're spared a rebuttal.

if you think you're being mistreated, take it to the mods. again. 

the "mods" game!  boerne, to be alive...

 

[Sejjr]

8 Year Old Kills last Remaining Unicorn, Town Rejoices.

 

[UT1983]

I have no problem with the kid shooting a deer.  I just wish this rare of a deer could have been spared and allowed to continue to pass on the albino trait.  The fact that he is white and does not blend in naturally to his environment helps make albinoes rare.  This deer really needed to be captured and place on a preserve somewhere.  Hope the next albino has a better fate.  I choose not to celebrate contributing to the extinction of sure a rare animal; wish the kid would have let it go.  And yes, I do own a deer rifle and have hunted deer on several occasions. 

 

[Matt Cotcher]

Great post, Texas Homer.

 

[java]

I have no problem with the kid shooting a deer.  I just wish this rare of a deer could have been spared and allowed to continue to pass on the albino trait.  The fact that he is white and does not blend in naturally to his environment helps make albinoes rare.  This deer really needed to be captured and place on a preserve somewhere.  Hope the next albino has a better fate.  I choose not to celebrate contributing to the extinction of sure a rare animal; wish the kid would have let it go.  And yes, I do own a deer rifle and have hunted deer on several occasions. 

I probably would have let this one go, as well, and yes, I am a woman who shot my first deer at age 6.  I continued to hunt when I would go home at Thanksgiving while at UT, and for years after that.  After I had children, I rarely hunted because there simply wasn't enough time.

All of that said, an albino is unique.  I agree with putting it on a preserve.  Without the ability to blend in with its surroundings, this buck never had a chance.  We never hunted a doe because they lacked the wariness of a buck.  This buck was also at a disadvantage.  

We once raised a little doe that had been abandoned by its mother.  When she was mature, we took her to a preserve.  Unfortunately, she only lived a few years.  She ran when she heard heavy equipment, hit a fence, and died.  Preserves are not ideal, but at times they are the only solution.  We had to take our hand-fed deer to one because she would have walked up to anyone.  Release to the wild was out of the question.

 

[monarch]

I probably would have let this one go, as well, and yes, I am a woman who shot my first deer at age 6.  I continued to hunt when I would go home at Thanksgiving while at UT, and for years after that.  After I had children, I rarely hunted because there simply wasn't enough time.

All of that said, an albino is unique.  I agree with putting it on a preserve.  Without the ability to blend in with its surroundings, this buck never had a chance.  We never hunted a doe because they lacked the wariness of a buck.  This buck was also at a disadvantage.  

We once raised a little doe that had been abandoned by its mother.  When she was mature, we took her to a preserve.  Unfortunately, she only lived a few years.  She ran when she heard heavy equipment, hit a fence, and died.  Preserves are not ideal, but at times they are the only solution.  We had to take our hand-fed deer to one because she would have walked up to anyone.  Release to the wild was out of the question.

absolutely perfect post java.  thank god for the human race!