State: Boy who shot rare albino buck did nothing wrong

HOWELL, Mich. — Despite a flood of backlash, state officials say an 11-year-old boy did nothing wrong when he shot a rare 12-point albino buck with a crossbow.

The act was perfectly legal, according to Michigan Department of Natural Resources deer program specialist Brent Rudolph.

The story of the feat by sixth-grade Hartland student Gavin Dingman went viral this week. It was listed as one of the most popular stories on USA TODAY's website, drawing more than 3,700 comments.

The story was carried by the New York Daily News and outdoor websites including OutdoorHub and fieldandstream.com, in England's Daily Mail and Australia's news.com.au.

Readers' comments ranged from supportive to admonishing.

Some say the boy's parents should be ashamed for allowing him to kill such a "rare and beautiful" creature.

Others congratulated Gavin on his trophy animal.

Whatever the viewpoint, the DNR has seen it as an "opportunity for public dialogue," Rudolph said.

Albino and exotic, all-white deer have been legal to hunt in Michigan since 2008, when the state lifted protection of the creatures, Rudolph said. The purpose of lifting the protection was to clear up confusion for hunters, he said.

It's difficult to determine from a distance whether or not a deer is albino, all white or piebald — a white deer with some brown markings. The state also considered the possibility of all-white, exotic deer escaping from facilities. Protecting those deer would "exacerbate" the possible spread of disease, Rudolph said.

"We recognize there is an intense public interest in albino deer, as they do stand out quite a bit," he said. "There is no biological reason to protect the genetic trait that causes a deer to be all-white or albino."

Gavin's father, Mick Dingman, has not returned messages from the Daily Press & Argus since Tuesday.

But Mick Dingman reportedly told OutdoorHub, "we've had death threats and everything else that you can imagine."

"There is no indication anything was done wrong in this situation," Rudolph said. "We just ask that the public respect the decisions individual hunters make."