Sunset Cruise

[Raptor]

Set out into Whitehall Bay around 4:00 yesterday attempting a little top water action cause I read somewhere that sunset was the best time. As it was a bit early I trolled out along Greenbury Point. Ten minutes into it I spotted a Bald Eagle sitting on one of the Osprey nest poles along the point. I was amazed at hoe close he let me get before he took flight . . . I would say about 40 feet. He flew to the next post so we repeated the scene a few minutes later. Such a magnificent bird. Trolling out to the Annapolis side of Greenbury yielded nothing. So I gave it up and did a little perching, which yielded 3 small ones - I can definitely say they have left for deeper waters. I took my fly rod in hopes of flinging a few poppers and gurglers. Well my fly casting skills, which were poor to begin with, have gone downhill. It was sad - couldn't get the flies more than 20 feet out. I blamed it on being sat down, fortunately I was alone so there was no laughing. It was a beautiful evening so peaceful I almost didn't mind not catching fish. I resorted back to trolling over toward Hacketts Point. I dragged the gurgler just for fun. Something took a slap at it as the pole bent momentarily and there was a pretty good splash behind me. Whatever it was wasn't too serious cause that was it. As the sun went down the breeze picked up and it was getting a little sporty out there. Of course thats when I caught the one and only striper of the evening - getting dark and getting wavy. Anyway I made it back to the launch just as it was dark, loaded the kayak and began my drive home. I had to stop to let a large buck with quite the rack cross the road with a few girls in tow. I looked to the rifgt where hw came from and there was about 10 other deer in the field. One of them was pure white! I circled my truck and went back around with my flashlight - yup pure white. So three perch and a small striper away from the ole skunk, but what an evening for seeing unusual wildlife - maybe once in a lifetime.


T.

[Darryl330]

That really is what it's all about. Right? We're out there on the water on our quiet kayaks which enable us to get much closer to the wildlife and enjoy the setting so much more than on a power boat. A fish or three just adds to it.

Thanks for sharing your story

[J.A. Veil]

Nice report. A few years ago on New Years Day, I looked out in the woods behind the house and saw what appeared to be a pure white deer. I was able to get a photo of it, and after magnifying the image, I saw it was mostly white with some tan. I learned later it is a genetic variety called a piebald deer. I have never seen it again.

white deer1.jpg white deer2.jpg white deer.jpg

I saw an immature bald eagle at Greenbury a few days ago. As you described, it took off from a tree as I approached but flew only a short distance away. It hip-hopped several more times along the shoreline before moving somewhere else.

I enjoy the nature watching almost as much as the fishing.

[mweber02]

Nice report. A few years ago on New Years Day, I looked out in the woods behind the house and saw what appeared to be a pure white deer. I was able to get a photo of it, and after magnifying the image, I saw it was mostly white with some tan. I learned later it is a genetic variety called a piebald deer. I have never seen it again.

I watched a piebald from my tree stand 2 years ago. It seems they are becoming more common in the region, I guess because they have no "natural" predators. There seem to be a lot of people who would consider them a trophy though. There was a pretty popular piebald in the Bel Air area years ago that would get a lot of vehicles pulling over to watch. It was the smallest, oddest shaped white tail I have ever seen. It didn't look far off from a goat. There was eventually an article in the paper about it getting poached out of season.

[Raptor]

Nice report. A few years ago on New Years Day, I looked out in the woods behind the house and saw what appeared to be a pure white deer. I was able to get a photo of it, and after magnifying the image, I saw it was mostly white with some tan. I learned later it is a genetic variety called a piebald deer. I have never seen it again.

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I saw an immature bald eagle at Greenbury a few days ago. As you described, it took off from a tree as I approached but flew only a short distance away. It hip-hopped several more times along the shoreline before moving somewhere else.

I enjoy the nature watching almost as much as the fishing.

Well I guess white, or mostly white, deer are not as rare as I thought. I told the neighbor that I saw a Bald Eagle and a white deer all on the same fishing outing. He suggested that I might want to "cut back on the mushrooms."

T.

[Mark]

Raptor,

Good report.

Wish I could have joined you yesterday.

Piebald in deer is a recessive trait -- about 1 percent of whitetail deer are born that way according to some articles I read on-line. You won't see too many. So you should consider your sighting a good catch also.

[sparky1423]

Nice report Terry. I had a Piebald deer living near a farm field close to my house. Everyone would pull over and take pictures. Unfortunately, a hillbilly put an arrow through it...Told my kids it was a robot deer because it was always in the same place everyday. Three years later, we still laugh everytime we pass the field thinking of the robot. Must be the same deer mweber02 was talking about.