Rare hermaphrodite whitetail is New York 12-year-old’s first deer

Walworth, N.Y. — When 12-year-old Bryce Farmen shot his first deer in early December, he and his dad, Brett, were excited that his inaugural whitetail was a buck. At least that’s what they thought.

The deer sported a 5-point rack, but it wasn’t until they rolled the animal over to field dress it they realized it had something else they didn’t expect – female reproductive organs.

And the story gets stranger still.

It also apparently had both internal male and female anatomy as well, Brett Farmen said.

“A DEC biologist checked it out and confirmed that it was in fact a true hermaphrodite,” Farmen said.

“The deer harvested by the father and son duo is confirmed to have had antlers and female genitalia,” a DEC spokesperson added.

“It’s not a common occurrence, but it does happen occasionally that a deer is found to have antlers with female sex organs.”

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For Bryce, tagging such an unusual specimen for his first deer might not have been a sure thing, but becoming a hunter was pretty much inevitable.

The Farmens, who live in Walworth, N.Y. (Wayne County), all enjoy hunting, Brett said, including his wife and daughter.

“I started tagging along with my dad when I was 3 years old. Bryce has been joining me hunting since he was 4 years old,” he said. “He has been counting the days ’till he was old enough to legally hunt.”

Bryce’s adventure took place Dec. 7, the last day of New York’s Southern Zone rifle season, on a friend’s farm in Penfield (Monroe County).

It started snowing and Brett noticed some fresh tracks while the pair walked in to sit in a hedgerow along the edge of a pasture where deer were known to feed.

Father and son watched as one doe arrived and then another doe with a fawn came out to browse before Brett Farmen caught a glimpse of approaching antlers.

“I told Bryce ‘Stay really still, there’s a buck coming,’” he said. “It took about 10 minutes for the buck to walk close enough for Bryce to get a shot.

“The deer stopped at 75 yards broadside and I told him ‘OK you can shoot now,‘” Farmen recalled. “He calmed his breathing down and pulled the trigger. Three bounds later and his first deer laid still in the field. Bryce said he was so excited when the deer dropped, because he knew that he had made a great shot.”

And then came the surprise twist.

“Bryce jokes that he killed his first buck and doe all in one deer,” Brett Farmen said.

Because this was Bryce’s first deer and a rare specimen at that, his proud grandfather offered to pay for a taxidermist to create a shoulder mount to preserve his accomplishment for posterity.

Not that Bryce intends to sit on his laurels. Even with a rare trophy under his belt, he has no plans to slow down, Brett Farmen said.

“Bryce said his goal is to spend as much time as possible in the outdoors,” he said. “He’s an avid fisherman and loves duck hunting and pheasant hunting with his dog.”