I was listening to a friend tell a story of his encounter with a 8pt. albino deer, and thought, I wonder if any trad guys have killed an albino/leucistic deer? lets hear some stories!

I was hunting public land in late October, 3 seasons ago, and had the would be new world record typical whitetail at 30 yards, but I never got him, never saw a white deer before. After seeing what I saw, an albino would be nothing exciting ;) F.A.

Most people around this area consider "White" /Albino deer bad luck, One guy swore that he shot a white 6 point many years ago, he regularly killed a good buck ever year, for 10 straight years, he couldn't kill another buck, even close "gimmie" shots were missed, finally on the 11th year, when he was ready to give up hunting, he killed a nice buck. He said it might be his imagination/or luck but you couldn't pay him to shoot another white deer.

A young man who killed a white deer on a crop permit, swore he would never shoot another. He loves to deer hunt and takes his vacation each year to deer hunt with family and friends. A few years ago, he killed this white deer, and and the same year, just about two weeks before deer season came in, he wreaked his pickup truck, broke his back and had to lay on the flat of his back, never getting to go deer hunting. He swore he would never shoot another white deer. These are two of the recent white deer stories in this area, I've heard many over the years that bad things happened when someone killed a white deer.

I don't want to take the chance, even if its' just a myth, I'll let white deer walk! LOL

when i lived back in greene county growing up,my neighbor shot an albino doe with his recurve.he got alot of flack from people for doin it though. i hunt in berks and have seen several albino squirrels,even seen a deer while out hunting once that was very and i mean very dark in color,almost to the point it could have been black,wasn't a bear i'm sure of that.later that evening ran across another guy hunting and told him about it and he said he saw it early and almost got a shot at it,turned out to be a 6 0r 7 point.never heard of anyone getting him though.

I have killed 3 small white does.Only one was a true albino.Saw one nice albino 10 point I used to watch a lot but he was on airport property where he could not be hunted.I guess he finally got ran over or poached because he quit showing up that fall.

Here's a mostly white piebald that a 'Hunting Preserve' operator offered a price you wouldn't believe for this deer, because someone wanted to shoot it. This deer would come to you when called by name and eat out of your hand.

there was a post not to long ago about a group of albinos that they had video taped.

Rich, that's the "white deer herd" up in Michigan (I believe)

Had an opportunity to shoot a white doe once but she reminded me to much of a goat so I let her walk. Maybe if it was a nice buck I would feel different.

i'm not sure, seen on here just can't remember where it was at.your probably right though

As for bad luck I shot a big 8pt from the same stand one year later within minutes of the same time of day, in fact i shot 4 bucks from that same tree.

I have had the oportunity to harvest 2 different 1 1/2 year old white bucks a 3pt. and a 5 pt. but didn't. I don't shoot young bucks. Does the meat taste the same? LH

I wouldn't shoot one and the reason why is because it would be one of the greatest hunting memories in my life to see one- and to kill it would be to deprive others of that once in ten lifetimes opportunity to see one.

i shot a pinto buck in the early fifties because he was getting so poor i knew he would die that winter. he was 18 1/2 years old.

Here's a pic I took of a buck the other evening with my cell phone. Hard to see much but you can certainly see the buck. He just had knubs but they were growing. This was in someones side yard near where I live.

see if this is any better

I passed up a eight point albino a couple of deer seasons ago in rifle season. He was laying on a hill beside the road watching cars go by. I could of pulled off and loaded the 06 up and shot him but it didn't seem fair. As far as I know nobody ever got him. I sure like to see them once in awhile. Shooting ghost deer are bad luck, my friend shot a doe and when he got the hide back his house burned down tne next week.

how common are white deer? There is a herd of them not too far from me on an old army base but I thought they were very rare.

Mark

In the late 60's I used to see a good number of mostly white deer in the Nottoway County area, near Blackstone and Fort Pickett. I hunted that area extensively for several years but never had one close enough for a shot. I don't remember any of them being very large bucks though.

Joe

I believe in white deer for I have seen them. I don't believe in post-rationalizing misfortune as bad luck directly related to having shot one. That is just plain old superstition. Woooo Woooo Woooo step on a crack, break your mothers back!

That white buck I shot wouldn't have 5 minutes in gun season here in Pa. I shot him with a bow I made and he came in to a grunt call that I made, but then I make all my hunting stuff.

I would love to take a piebald or white deer. No goofy superstitions here! My supervisor took these pics in city limits-boohoo!

Shot a piebald button buck a few years back. Never saw a true albino but the same year had another piebald at 15 yards. He was a 2 1/2 year old 9 point. Couldn't shoot because I had already filled my buck tag. I live in PA and have never seen another piebald since.

haven't seen a leucistic or albino, but i think I would have to stick him, although some of those stories sound pretty convincing!>>>-------->

Check your state regs... taking an all white deer is illegal in some states.

Bad Medicine!!!!

Chased a B&C piebald around for a year but never killed him.

Local guy shot a albino deer and I told him I always had heard it was bad luck to shoot a albino. His reply was something like well lets see thats the year my wife left me, took my home, wrecked my truck and then I lost my job,,, long pause and then he said Nope just a usual year for me!!

but did catch a piebald fawn once

That's a No No in Oklahoma.

Manitoulin Island pibald

In Oklahoma, illegal to shoot a white deer without the consent of the director of the wildlife department.....good luck with that!! Also considered to be a sacred animal by most native tribes.

I'm with the "bad mojo" crowd on this one. Two of my hunting buddies have dropped a white/piebald deer and I watched them go several seasons without a kill, missed big bucks, etc. You ask them now, and they will never ever do it again. They are convinced it was bad luck because of shooting one. As for me, I'm not risking it.

I take in a white/piebald deer about every two to three years to be mounted not that rare to see. I do remember having 4 come in during one year. To me they are ugly look more like a goat.

thats using yer head boys. A DEAD deer affects live deer, your wife and your driving abilities. Sorry but superstitions are pretty silly to me.

The only true white deer or albino that seems to be the one Highpockets posted, and Hawk-eye, the rest are pie-bald. I'm not saying I'm that much superstitious, however, I know one individual in my family that shot a white deer, maybe it was all the talk about the bad luck, and he convinced himself, that he was having bad luck but for two years, he missed easy "gimmie" shots at deer, with rifle ,shotgun, muzzleloader and bow. The poor boy was ready to pull his hair out, he was actually sick on his stomach, missing some of those shots. I bet I could offer him a $1,000.00 to shoot another white deer, and he would say hello No, not going though that again! Maybe it's just a rash of bad luck these individuals have went through after killing a white deer, which might have happened to them anyway, but to convince them otherwise, would be a waste of breath! As for me, I've had several chances, but haven't shot any. First of all the true albino deer is beautiful, and should be enjoy by all, it would be be a shame to deprive others from seeing it in the wild, as far as the pie-bald, I think they are for a deer, not very good looking, puts me in mind of a horse or goat, and I'd rather shoot a natural colored deer. MO

There isn’t such a thing as a “true albino”. Albinism is due to lack of melanin (pigment), a trait caused by recessive genes, and of different degrees in the animal kingdom, even types of “yellow”, “brown”, or “red” albinos. Pigmented or colored eyes but no skin pigment type of albinism is called “leucistic”.

Attached is a leucistic fawn that hasn’t a dark hair on it, transparent hooves, and blue eyes.

Pink eyes

Transparent hooves, pink eyes, carmel colored.

ive never shot one but me and my bro were walking in the wood he saw what he thought was a turkey we walked round the trail to see a white deer running in the opposite direction

I often see hear of leusistic birds from my fellow birders, and have seen a leusistic robin.

We had an albino doe that used to feed in our fields one summer. Never saw her after late summer though. As for superstitions, the idea that a dead animal will supernaturally affect your hunting prowess is really kind of absurd if you think about it. The only thing I'd worry about is whether to get it mounted. Besides, they are genetically mutated deer and should be cleaned out if you want a healthy deer herd.

Birdhunter – Yeah, from what I’ve researched - albinism it occurs more frequently in birds than mammals but survival rate is much lower due to predation.

I've seen a couple over the years, beautiful animals. Never killed one. Never really had the opportunity. Would I? Not sure, I'd have to be in the moment. Of course, it's illegal in TN to shoot an albino.

years ago I seen a white doe in the regular gun season, but I was too busy ducking bullets to get a shot at her myself.

I killed a piebald buck a few years ago.

i shot a piebald back in 83.

Has anyone ever seen a melanistic (black) deer? I've seen this trait in gray squirrels and a red fox,but never deer.

Yes I have seen one Melanistic doe.

Illegal in Iowa to shoot one. Wouldn't even if it was legal ! Not superstitious. They're a rare and beautifl creature that needs to be appreciated and enjoyed, not killed. Plenty of other deer out there.!

Oh hello, maybe I'm not scientific enough, but from little up, an albino was a deer with no natural pigmentation, simply all white, pink eyes, transparent hoofs. Webster defines" albino" a person,animal, or plant lacking natural pigmentation. That alone leads me to believe that an all white deer, pink eyes, and transparent hoofs does not have natural pigmentation, thus to me is an Albino.

Once again Old Crow - "Albinism is due to lack of melanin (pigment), a trait caused by recessive genes" There are different degrees of albinism...

Research it

Photo taken last week of melanistic eastern gray squirrels on my back porch. They are commom in my area.

Wanted to add - above, those squirrels are kinda unique they have silver guard hairs and reddish colored tails. Most are jet black like the on in this photo taken in my yard a couple winters ago.

A melanistic deer from TX (that was the best info I had). Photo was posted on this site back in 2004.

why wouldn't that creature have a black tail?

photo shop

melanism - "the condition in which an unusually high concentration of melanin occurs in the skin, plumage, or pelage of an animal"

Although I haven't researched melanism, I imaging it occurs in different degrees like albinism.

Some of the melistic deer photo's I seen have the white underbodies as normal colored whitetails as the photo I first posted, and some do not.

If I remember correctly when I saved this photo of buck without white underbody, it came from a nature preserve in the Houston TX area. I guess the gene is prevalent in the area more than most other places because they are protected. Happens when selective breeding occurs, much like the white deer at Senica Army facility in upstate NY.

There is a very dark colored doe on a property I hunt which I would consider melanisic. She has the white underbodies.

Here's a melanisic muley

Most hunters don't care what degree of albinism or melanisic it is, it's either white/albino, pie bald, pinto, or black.

1)Albino are white critters, and peolpes with pink eyes, and white plants with pink something or others- maybe thorax or pistils? (I once caught pink eye at school, and I was an albino for a solid week.) 2)Pie bald are when ya don't put a crust on top of the pie (i.e. pumpkin pie and sweet potato pie are piebald. (Some folks consider lemon meringue to be piebald also.) 3)Pinto are beans, and Busty can't have any! 4)Melanistic is them lil' bitty sugar baby watermelons...they are almost regular melons but not quite...

Whatever Old Crow…. Was only trying correct your term “true albino” while clarifying the misinformed, like yourself…

On the property that I grew up on, every fall we would have a nice bachelor group of bucks feed in our field every night. One year we had a group of 7 or 8 that was led by a monstrous buck that was all white except for a brown spot on his flank. The group went from the giant "whitey" all the way down to a toe head. We got to watch them every night for a month. I will never forget that. I haven't seen another "albino" since then until last season and my hunting partner and I spotted an all white squirrel which was pretty neat. Also their is a jet black moose that hangs out in my area. I mean most moose are pretty dark I suppose, but this girl is JET BLACK! Pretty cool.

A deer is a deer is a deer is a deer.

Okay I apologize for being "misinformed" about degrees in albino, layman's terms and Webster's Dictionary should be corrected so we are not all misinformed or lead astray of the "correct" wording and degree of Albino. From now on, I took the word Albino and pitched it!

From now on it will be white, white as snow.

Unless my dogs are playing in the snow and then there would probably be a different degree of whiteness, more like some yellow snow. LOL

Okay , Three cheers for white deer, may they live in peace, and may hunters and non-hunters enjoy what nature produced.

8^)

illegal to kill an albino deer in tennessee, piebalds are on their own. :^) have seen exactly one albino crow, several squirrels, & one piebald doe that ate under an apple tree not twenty yards from a house, 15 yards from the road. cool critters. an albino buck would have to be pretty @#$% big for me to shoot him, even if legal. pondscum

Well here in NC the Wildlife management encourages killing off any white or piebald deer in the herd.They think it is best not to have them breeding.They taste just like the brown ones so when I get a shot at one they go in the freezer.Most get killed as fawns or as yearlings because they show up so well and are easy to spot.They and seldom get much size.A few that stay in town or other places where they can't be hunted live untill they get run over on a road and might get some age on them.

Maybe I beating a dead horse and should not have apologized to early, from my research and I poured over a good bit from different sources, and if these sources are wrong then maybe we should throw out all this scientific jargo and go back to laymen's terms. Here's what I've found from Wikipedia and biologist, so if I'm wrong, so are they. True Albino; is all white, with pink eyes, pink ears, pink hooves. Leucism; can be all white, but have regular eye color, hooves. Leucism animals have normal eye color. So from my "research" there IS true ablino deer! But maybe these biologist and Wikipedia are "misinformed". Nuff said. From now on I'll call a white deer... white, a duck a duck and so forth

Piebald whitetails are no uncommon. Sometimes they pop up in a population for a couple years and disappear. As noted above they are caused by a recessive gene that occurs naturally in about 3% of the whitetail population. Due to the gene's recessive nature, there is little chance piebalds will ever be more than an oddity.

I've encountered 6 different piebalds over the years, all were found in two localized populations that disappeared within a couple years. I helped them. :)

I once missed the daily double in Columbia county, Georgia. Missed a 1.5 year old piebald doe the first evening and two days later killed a 1.5 year old buck. According to the resident caretaker of the property they were litter mates. The year previous he and I encountered a mature piebald doe while looking for a trespasser.

I had previously taken a piebald doe in Chatham county, Georgia with a rifle. There were at least three other color variations on the hunting club property I managed, identified by members. One of the deer, a nearly white fawn, one I'd seen on two occasional made the mistake of attempting to cross I-95 and met its demise.

I've seen a piebald doe and two piebald squirrels. Pretty cool! Someone once told me that Bass Pro or Cabelas pays a lot for a white deer. I wonder if it's true.

I think killing stuff is pretty serious business, but I like to eat venison. I must confess, however, that I would happily shoot a large antlered deer even though I know the meat may not be as good. Could that have something to do with the "dichotomy of man" the guy in Full Metal Jacket was talking about?

Is shooting an animal for its hair color any different than shooting it for its antlers or horns?

I'm not normally this serious, but it beats getting work done today. LOL

Bob Newhart bagged the "great white buck" with his car . . .

This one was about 150 yds out of my side yard last summer. Haven't seen it since..... Tom I.

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