Piebald and albino deer are unique in any environment. Few hunters taken a white deer, and even fewer a big, piebald buck.
It can be argued that a mature, piebald buck is innately smarter than a normally colored buck of the same age because they have learned plenty of ways to avoid hunters despite their visible white paint jobs.
Jeff Kirkley took a 122-inch piebald buck last September from the swamps of South Carolina’s Marion County. According to Kirkley, his buck was a smart cookie and a real ghost.
“For nearly four years, we have watched this deer show up on our trail cameras, and he became harder to keep track of as he got older,” he said.
Kirkley has taken many mature bucks, but this special buck tested his patience to the bitter end. The piebald buck showed up on trail cameras, but seemed more like a ghost because it was so elusive. Kirkley was extremely careful and developed a strategy that duped the deer enough for a shot.
“I came up with a game plan to keep the buck interested, making every attempt not to pressure the buck from leaving,” he said.
The buck was using a soybean field regularly, and Kirkley knew if he could get there without spooking it, he might have a chance. He used an old, wooden stand had been set up for more than 15 years and was beginning to deteriorate. He also dumped out a special food supplement made of peanut-flavored pellets and corn up under a producing persimmon tree. Within a few days, the buck took the bait, and the first week of last falls season, Kirkley got a lethal shot on this deer.
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