Black Deer

[HunterLuke]

Back in early muzzleloader I was out huntin on a property that doesnt have much competition. Anyways while I was sitting in the summit a big flock of turkeys came around the ridgeside. About 5 minutes after that I noticed a black blob in a thick et down below me about 75 yards, I figured it was just another turkey but the texture of it's hide didnt look right, I put the scope on it and about rolled out of my stand. It was a big BLACK bodied with a big white rack I could see through the limbs. All I could make out was 8-10 points but the mass was amazing on him. I never could tell width because he kept broadside. I took a rest off the tree stand and settled the crosshairs on his shoulder, cocked the hammer back and shot. When the smoke cleared he was still laying there, I was so excited I thought I had just completely rolled him, I turned my head and looked back and he was up and calmly walking away down the holler slowly, I reloaded my muzzleloader quicker than I believe I ever have. He stopped at about 100 yards now and I had a opening at his vital, I took a rest again and shot. This time I heard leaves a crunchin and him running away hard. I got down and loaded my muzzleloader again just incase. I look for blood and the deer for about 30-45 minutes before I go out and get my brother, I get him to help me look and we look for that thing fot about 3 1/2 hours in the dark, not finding anything except some big tracks from where he ran. My mother even let me stay home from school the next day and me and my cousin go back and look again for another 2 hours before coming back out. I decided to shoot my muzzleloader and see how it's shooting, after I cleaned it and shot it 2 times it was shooting 4 inches low which made me feel good in a way because I know I completly missed instead of a bad shot and that he's still out there.

Have you all ever heard of a black deer, ever killed one or just seen one? This deer wasnt just a dark drown it was as black as night. So let me know if you have any info.

Thanks,

Luke

[sluggunner]

Yes there are black deer.

They are more rare than albinos and piebald deer. I have seen photos of some of them that were all coal black. I bet if you did a google search you could find photos of some. There was even an article in one of my deer hunting magazines a couple of years back with photos included of a young black hunter that shot a black deer. The story focused on the fact that it was very rare for a black deer to be harvested and even more rear to be harvested by a black hunter as the vast majority of people who hunt deer are white.

[Tominator]

Saw one last year. I thought it was a dog at first until I looked at it through the binocs. It was a fawn walking with its mom.

Melanistic I believe is what they're called.

[HUNTINGMAN]

I remember when i was a kid and me and my dad was walking to our stands one afternoon.We came to a little clearing and we jumped some deer,one of them was black.If it wasnt with a group of normal colored deer I wouldnt know what it was.I will never forget this,it was a truely exciteing thing to see and more than likely a once in a lifetime thing also.

[HunterLuke]

I would certianly give almost anything to have another chance at the buck with a zeroed in weapon, Like ya'll said. Defiantly a once in a life time deal.

[ohiobuckhunter]

well maybe next time you will have your weapon zeroed before going hunting

lol

that's why they call it hunting not shooting

[HunterLuke]

haha, I believe it got knocked off the day I put it behind the truck seat. Never gonna do that again..lol

[wtnhunt]

Heard of them and seen pics of some posted here on theseforums, but never seen one or gotten trail cam pics of one. Never seen a piebald or albino either. Only color misfits I have seen here have been double white throat patched deer.

[turkeydude]

Wow thats sounds very interesting. I have heard of a couple wierd deer like that.