Unicorn Deer Killed: Hunting Death Of Deer With Rare Horn Deformity Causes Debate

A unicorn deer was killed in two different instances, and the death of these rare creatures is now causing intense debate about hunting among animal lovers. A hunter killed the first unicorn deer in Slovenia back in August, according to National Geographic. A young female hunter in Washington State killed another unicorn deer in October.

What is a unicorn deer? A unicorn deer is a roe deer that has a rare type of antler deformity. When the deer is injured, their two antlers grow into one. The first of this animal was spotted in 2006 in Italy. Boštjan Pokorny revealed more about this rare deformity in an email.

“In this species, only males grow antlers, which are bilateral and usually symmetrical bone structures that appear from two antler pedicles, i.e. extensions of the skull. However, in the case of this very untypical and interesting buck, both pedicles, which should be separated, grew up together in one large pedicle.”

The deer killed by the hunter in Slovenia was selected because of its advanced age. The hunter also selected the creature because of the spike. At the time, the hunter did not know it was killing a rare unicorn deer. The government in Slovenia monitors hunting of this type of deer.

In the incident in Washington State, Amy Calkins had no idea she had killed a “unicorn” deer until she looked at the animal more closely. She revealed that she was in “complete shock” over the incident, according the Spread It. Calkins took photos and video of the doe she killed to prove that it did have a horn.

This is not the only rare deer hunting that has sparked outrage in recent weeks. An 11-year-old killed a rare albino buck while hunting with his father last month. Gavin Dingman used a crossbow to kill the albino buck, according to Livingston Daily. This rare deer is found in only one of 20,000 births, and it can be even rarer than that. An albino might only show up in one of every 100,000 births.

Dingman’s catch caused debate with people taking both sides. Some congratulated the boy for the kill, but others were shocked and outraged by the death of the rare buck. Some of that outrage was directed at the boy’s father for allowing his son to make that kill. One person who called in to Livingston Daily about the kill compared the killing of the albino buck to killing a unicorn.

When hunters make rare kills, they do often make the news. The Inquisitr reported on the killing of a 782-pound bear in North Carolina earlier this week. Thomas Capps killed the large bear during a day where he planned kill smaller targets, but the weather forced a change in plans. His kill was the second largest bear killed by a hunter in the state of North Carolina. The largest bear weighed 100 hundred pounds more.

What do you think of the death of these rare unicorn deer? Have you ever seen this or another rare animal in the wild?

[Photo: Discovery Channel video]