Hunter's camera shows 'Unicorn Deer'

A guy out hunting caught on camera a picture of a 'Unicorn Deer.' Now it looks like a deformed antler or one that snapped off a long time ago. Anyway, the article is good except for the moronic comment at the end.

Roaming somewhere in the woods around Elma is the unicorn deer.

Captured on a motion-sensitive game camera, the adult deer appears to have a long antler sticking out of its head between it’s eyes.

“It looks like a unicorn deer,” said Dave Ebeling, the hunter-photographer who caught the deer on camera Oct. 16.

continues

That’s assuming the deer makes it through the muzzleloading hunting season, which ends Tuesday, and then through the winter.

“I just wish somebody would shoot it so we’d know what that was,” Ebeling said.

SOURCE

Ebeling you truly are a jerk. Why do humans have the audacity to go around killing things because we don't understand them? Who are we to play god? Yea Ebeling, go out and shoot it you moron! Let the creature live and enjoy life ffs!



[edit on 14-12-2007 by Arawn]

[edit on 14-12-2007 by sanctum]

Looks weird as hell
but its just one of them weird deformaties
i feel sorry for it =/ lol

It does look like a piece of antler.......his 'own' growth, or maybe from butting heads with another deer?

They do fight like the dickens sometimes.......and probably with enough force to jam an antler tip into bone.

reply to post by Arawn


Here we go! Another animal expert that has no perception of what it takes to keep a population healthy and vibrant. Nor the slightest idea of who actually protects and cares for wildlife and their habitat. Here's a hint: It sure ain't PETA.

Aside from the fact that I don't agree with killing animals just to study an anomaly, this animal may indeed harbor a genetic problem that he could then pass on and eventually cause a major issue in species.

My opinion though is that it is the result of a fight with another buck. The guy that took the pic says that he doesn't believe this as he took another pic 3 weeks later and thinks the animal would have had it knocked loose in another battle. This may not be the case as rutting only lasts so long. After it's over bucks seldom fight, hence the broken antler could in fact belong to another deer.

Nothing unusal just a non-typical from a side view. Still would be good eating.

mikell

Originally posted by jbondo
Here we go! Another animal expert that has no perception of what it takes to keep a population healthy and vibrant. Nor the slightest idea of who actually protects and cares for wildlife and their habitat. Here's a hint: It sure ain't PETA.

Here we go! Another forum expert that seems to know the ins and outs of every forum posters personal beliefs. You seem to know a lot about me, including my education and my personal beliefs on keeping the animal population healthy and vibrant. You seem to know myself better than I do! Please enlighten me more in a U2U!



On a serious note haha, yes it will probably fall out with the next growth of antlers. Also on another note, I'm not sorry and won't change my beliefs that animals shouldn't be shot.

jbondo, I've got an idea. Load up a rifle for me and run through a field. Let me take some shots at you right? No!? What's that I hear you saying? Because you have a right to live? So does the bloody deer!

Silly yanks with guns trying to brainwash others. I'll keep my views, you keep yours. This whole gun and hunting debate is for another topic all together, I'm sure you'll agree on that.

Have a good day.

Its just a deformed skull. Compare skull shape to similar deer.

With the amount of pollution going up we should start seeing all kinds of strange creatures coming out of the woods. 8 legged frogs and rats the size of cats will be common place.

[edit on 14-12-2007 by cloakndagger]

reply to post by Arawn


Have you ever had the pleasure of seeing 10 or 12 deer lying in the snow dead? Let me expand, lying in the snow dead because they starved to death due to too many animals per square mile. It's a slow painful process whereby they eat hemlock which is poisonous because they have nothing else. Then they get weaker and weaker until they just have to bed down. After many agonizing days of no food or fresh water they succumb.

Maybe I was a bit harsh in my last post but if it were not for hunters/sportsmen taking care of the population as well as the habitat which includes but not limited to setting aside land and planting nutritious plants as well as placing feeders and salt licks in remote areas that are difficult wintering for all animals.

Yes there are scumbag poachers that are just killing for either profit or just the thrill and I have run into a couple in my day but most avid hunters take very good care to ensure the survival and health of hundred of species of animals and birds. I don't remember the last time I saw members of PETA trudging thru 3 feet of snow with 80lb backpacks sometimes for 3 or 4 miles to get to a large group of snowed in animals. Yes! Even animals can get snowed into an area! I haven't hunted in a few years due to my location but when I did I not only ate what I killed but I used as much of the animal as possible. There are lots of families that still depend on wild game to this day for survival. Many can't afford the grocery store prices so they grow their own vegetables and harvest their own meat.

You obviously have little knowledge of wildlife you so fervently defend. Let me ask you this: How about we outlaw hunting and just allow all the animals to overpopulate until they either starve or develop disease. As we speak Canada is having a terrible problem with disease due to overpopulation in some areas.

I suggest you start reading and not just the propaganda you are obviously reading now.

By the way, nothing personal....

Have you really taken a look at the picture? The "horn" is attached to the rest of the horns. It's just the angle it's taken at. If you really look and follow the "anomoly" down to the base of the head it would be sticking out of its eye. It's just the camera angle.

Unfortunately a lot of brainwashed people parrot what they are told. UKies more often then not. (no offence intended). People on a tiny island can have no clue as to our ways here.

The problem is animals do not live in the forests. They would starve. They must live at the edge of forests. The more we cut down plots of forest, the more edges we have. The more forest edge the more food, thereby triggering a hormonal response to reproduce faster. In the US 200 years ago we had only a couple hundred thousand deer. Today we have many millions and depend on harvesting many millions every year to keep disease and starvation in check. The deer limit in Montana is 6 per person, and still thousands die on the roads each year. The forests must remain in large thick pieces. The more plots that are cut making a patchwork the more we encourage unwanted breeding of wild species.

Nothing like hiking into dead animals laying everywhere on your pack trip.

Originally posted by jbondo
You obviously have little knowledge of wildlife you so fervently defend.

Again, you point out my beliefs and vast knowledge on the subject. You're know saying I "obviously" have little knowledge on the subject, just because my views differ to yours! I don't say the same thing to you because your views differ from mine. Need I say more?

I suggest you start reading and not just the propaganda you are obviously reading now.

I don't read any propaganda. I just don't like hunting full stop! Like I pointed out though, this debate should continue in a "ban on hunting thread."

By the way, nothing personal....

Not taking it personal mate. You have your views, I have mine. Neither is wrong in the scheme of things.

Originally posted by Illuminis
The problem is animals do not live in the forests. They would starve. They must live at the edge of forests. The more we cut down plots of forest, the more edges we have. The more forest edge the more food, thereby triggering a hormonal response to reproduce faster.

I agree, this is a much broader debate than just agreeing with hunting or not. It expands much further into the matrix of developing land and building upon forests. Another thing I strongly disagree with. Call me an old hippy. Also another reason why this would be suited to a topic on "hunting or not."

reply to post by Arawn


I noticed you completely ignored my points supporting hunting and sportsmen as well as what happens to animal populations that are not managed. I realize that it would be better suited to another thread but you did start this so a little bit of reasoning behind your argument wouldn't hurt. (wow! I just got double deja vu! Never had that before.) I'm not going to press you anymore as we should stay on topic as you eluded to.

When I use the term "obvious" it is JMO and a pretty good guess based on references associated with the language of your text.

Also I try to use disclaimers when going head to head with people because many do take things very personally. In fact there is one subject that I take very personally so I just like to cover my bases.

By the way, do you eat meat? I'm not setting you up, just wondering.

Just a mal-formed antler which can be caused by many things, mostly injuries to the pedical or legs cause mal-formed antlers, not to be confused with a non-typical which is genetic....Good post JBondo, a pro-con hunting thread would be a mess, but I have posted a couple of the Deer we shot this year with no adverse fallout, I think in the Survival group...

Shooting the dear is completely unnecessary to understand what it is. It is a deformed antler, nothing crypto. I do feel sorry for the poor thing.

Originally posted by jbondo
reply to post by Arawn

 

I noticed you completely ignored my points supporting hunting and sportsmen as well as what happens to animal populations that are not managed. I realize that it would be better suited to another thread but you did start this so a little bit of reasoning behind your argument wouldn't hurt. (wow! I just got double deja vu! Never had that before.) I'm not going to press you anymore as we should stay on topic as you eluded to.

When I use the term "obvious" it is JMO and a pretty good guess based on references associated with the language of your text.

Also I try to use disclaimers when going head to head with people because many do take things very personally. In fact there is one subject that I take very personally so I just like to cover my bases.

By the way, do you eat meat? I'm not setting you up, just wondering.

I eat meat and I really don't care about the hunting of animals;D It's been a lifestile for so long. It's practically part of the ecosystem.