Bucky
- This article is about the deer shot at the Birmingham Zoo. For other uses, see Bucky (disambiguation).
Bucky (born before 1973; died November 18, 1983) was a male white-tailed deer which was exhibited at the Birmingham Zoo. He was acquired by the zoo between 1971 and 1973 and by 1983 was the only only adult male in the zoo's small herd of deer. By then, weighing approximately 125 pounds, he had become recognizable for his 8 to 13 point rack of antlers.
Bucky was found missing from the exhibit on the morning of November 19, 1983. Pools of blood were found in the exhibit and outside of a large opening cut through the chain-link fence at the southern end of the enclosure, near the Red Mountain Expressway on-ramp. The animal's carcass, missing its head, was found a few days later in a ditch along Polly Reed Road in Center Point. Investigators from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department interviewed area taxidermists, but were unable to identify a suspect. The Jefferson County Wildlife Conservation Association and Sportsmen Against Poachers posted cash rewards for tips leading to successful prosecution of the person responsible.
Four years later, Vincent Magro entered the mounted head into the "Big Buck" scoring competition at the 1987 Alabama Deer Hunter's Exhibit at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center. He claimed to have killed the deer with a bow in Winston County. Scorer Dennis Campbell recognized the antlers and was able to confirm his suspicions with a photograph from the zoo. Further investigation revealed that Magro had also entered the head the previous year without it having been identified as Bucky's. No criminal charges were filed because the statute of limitations had run out. Assistant Birmingham City Attorney Sam Fisher threatened to file a civil lawsuit against Magro, but apparently never followed through. Through at least August 1987, Bucky's head remained in the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office unclaimed property room, classified as stolen property. Magro died in 2005.
References
- Patternson, Nick (November 21, 1983) "Deer hunter takes the easy route by stalking penned buck at Zoo" Birmingham Post-Herald - via Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections
- Patternson, Nick (November 21, 1983) "Outrage over theft of deer prompts $1,400 in rewards" Birmingham Post-Herald - via Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections
- Bolton, Mike (July 19, 1987) "Head entered in deer show believed to be that of 'Bucky'" The Birmingham News - via Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections
- "Antler experts may have nailed poacher" (July 20, 1987) UPI.org
- Roberts, Chris (July 21, 1987) "Bucky case may be lost due to time." The Birmingham News - via Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections
- Faulk, Kent (July 23, 1987) "Final resting place for deer head unclear" The Birmingham News - via Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections
- Faulk, Kent (August 30, 1987) "Aid in probe of face suit, Bucky suspect told" The Birmingham News - via Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections
- Faulk, Kent (September 3, 1987) "Aid in probe of face suit, Bucky suspect told" The Birmingham News - via Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections