Submitted PhotoCJ Parker shows off his piebald deer, which has a solid white head. Parker killed the unique dear the Saturday after Thanksgiving near Lauderdale.

CJ Parker thought he was seeing a ghost deer on a hunt near Lauderdale approximately three years ago, but he realized it was an unusual piebald deer. The deer was lighter than most of the deer he saw it with, and astonishingly, it had a solid white head.

“I talked to my dad about shooting the deer, and he told me that since it was during the rut, I’d better not shoot the deer right then, so I held off hoping to shoot a buck,” Parker said. “We had her on game cameras for a while, along with her fawn, but then it disappeared last year.”

But the deer, appropriately nicknamed Ghost, appeared on their game cameras again this season and finally showed herself to Parker again during the Thanksgiving holidays. It was just too big a temptation to pass up this time.

“I was hunting a green field the Saturday after Thanksgiving,” Parker said. “I got in the stand about 2 p.m., and the ghost came in with two other deer. I centered the crosshairs on her and squeezed the trigger.”

“Ka-boom!” roared Parker’s 30 06 rifle, and the doe collapsed in a heap. That shot began a frenzy of excitement for many who had never seen such a sight. The ghost deer was very unique and provided a memory that will live forever with Parker.

“We’re getting a shoulder mount from Luke Wimberly,” Parker said. “We’re also getting the meat processed over at R & L Deer Processing. There’s nothing much better than getting some backstrap cut up into steaks and frying and eating with rice, or onions and gravy.

“When I made the shot and watched her drop, I was really happy and overcome with emotion. I just thanked God for the opportunity.

“I like to hunt during the rut because you might see a buck any time of the day, but shooting a deer with a white head is really something. Whether I kill one or not each trip I make to the woods is a success. Just being able to be out in nature and taking in the serenity of the woods makes it worthwhile to me.”

Parker has done something really special, something that few people do: killing a piebald deer. He just finished his last class in the physical therapist assistant program and now only lacks his clinicals before starting his career. He’ll have a little time to harvest that trophy buck soon, too, after killing his first buck last year. Parker’s first deer was taken with a .410 shotgun when he was only 10 years old, and he was hooked from that day on.

If you see Parker, ask him about the ghost deer, and you’ll hear a remarkable story firsthand. It’s evident he’s an avid hunter who has a passion for God, family and hunting, too. Who knows what he’ll find in the woods in the future? It might be that trophy buck or maybe a Christmas buck, but one thing is for sure, Parker will enjoy it while he’s out there pursuing that trophy buck.

Call Mike Giles at 601-917-3898 or email mikegiles18@comcast.net.