Other White Deer
White deer are exceedingly rare, but they do occasionally show up around the state and in the rest of the country. Those in protected areas seem to do quite well and are fascinating to read about. Here are web articles about some of those deer.
White deer in Boulder Junction, Wisconsin
The albino deer of Boulder Junction
An introduction to the area’s white deer herd from the Boulder Junction Chamber of Commerce.
http://boulderjct.org/recreation-trails/birding-wildlife/white-deer-the-albino-deer-of-boulder-junction-wisconsin/
It’s like a white flash
“As elusive as they are majestic, white deer haunt the North Woods,” reads the subtitle. This is another excellent article about the white deer of Boulder Junction, by jsonline (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) reporter Bill Glauber.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/29281394.html
Life in the Northwoods
Beautiful pictures of the Boulder Junction white deer, for viewing and purchase.
http://www.lifeinthenorthwoods.com/Nature/Albino-White-tailed-Deer/21013431_sMTXBQ#!i=2258736109&k=SZD79Zj
The mysterious albino deer herd
Very interesting article on white deer in general. From Outdoor Life’s online website “The Big Buck Zone.”
http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/big-buck-zone/2010/05/mysterious-albino-deer-herd
White deer in other Wisconsin communities
White buck in Port Washington
Not as big a rack as the Leland buck, but quite impressive.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/albino-3v34dm5-134212838.html
Albino buck in Buffalo County
Another beauty. This one’s protected, too, so those antlers had a chance to get bigger.
http://www.northamericanwhitetail.com/2011/10/25/biggest-albino-deer-ever/
Albino deer in Buffalo County
“He is now a monstrous 10-point with candelabra antlers that appear anything but genetically inferior. People drive for miles to check him out, lining up along his favorite fields with spotting scopes sprouting from their truck windows.”
http://whitershadeoftail.wordpress.com/2008/01/11/to-shoot-ot-not-to-shoot-albino-deer-minnesota-vs-wisconsin/
White deer in Arcadia in Trempeleau County
This is the website of White Deer Lodge, named for several white deer in the area. The white deer are a special viewing treat for visitors and guests.
http://www.whitedeerlodge.com/comments.html
White deer in Rock and Jefferson Counties
A scattering of white deer have been in the Rock and Jefferson County area for some years, but first came into hunters’ sights in 2008 when protection for white deer was removed in CWD (chronic wasting disease) zones. According to one article, four white deer were registered in Jefferson County in that year alone. The killing continued at least two more years, as is indicated by these “proud-hunter-bags-rare-white-deer” stories from the Janesville Gazette:
http://www.gazettextra.com/news/2008/nov/16/rare-albino-deer-shot-rock-county/
http://www.gazettextra.com/news/2009/nov/28/janesville-man-bags-rare-white-buck/
http://janesville.www.clients.ellingtoncms.com/news/2010/jan/04/hunter-bags-rare-albino-deer/
White deer in Wood County
A small population of white deer in Wood County has prompted some hunters in the area to advocate legalized hunting, despite the extreme rarity of white deer in the rest of the state. As far as getting hit by cars (the subject of this article), white deer get hit by cars just like brown ones do.
http://www.wsaw.com/home/headlines/White_Deer_Population_Growing_in_Wood_County_114604929.html
White deer in Michigan
Albino deer a rare sight, are legally protected
This article was written two years before the repeal of Michigan’s law protecting white and albino deer. The Michigan environment is no longer so friendly to the “color disadvantaged.” (Note the former penalty for “poaching” a white deer.)
http://cns.jrn.msu.edu/articles/2006_1103/albinodeer.html
White deer in Minnesota
Twin albino deer seen in Wahkon, Minnesota
These deer have gotten a lot of press in Minnesota and on the net. It seems they are in the backyard of a hunter, but he has no intention of shooting them (even though it would be legal). The feeder is pretty cool, too.
http://www.outdooroddities.com/2008/03/24/true-twin-albino-deer-seen-in-quincy-michigan/
Father Hennepin State Park–a sanctuary…or not
A small herd of white deer inhabits this park in the eastern part of Minnesota. In 2010, the Minnesota DNR drew considerable public ire when it promoted a youth hunt in the park with the possibility of getting “one of the ghost deer.” There was outrage, angry posts, and a petition. Don’t know what happened that year, but the park was closed to general hunting in 2012 and the Father Hennepin Park website has a nice picture of a white deer on their home page (several picts rotate, so you may have to wait a bit).
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/father_hennepin/index.html
The mystique of the white deer
Joel Patenaude, editor of The Mille Lacs Messenger, speaks eloquently of his first encounter with a white deer at Father Hennepin State Park in Minnesota: “But it wasn’t until we were driving out of the park that my first white deer appeared. As white, serene and graceful as can be, I couldn’t have been more mesmerized it if it had been an actual unicorn.”
Joel relates a hunter’s experience near the town of Wahkon: “(He) had a large white buck locked in his rifle sight. Keeping a hunter’s oath – informally held by many in the Mille Lacs area – he chose not to kill this wonder of nature.”
Joel further quotes from a letter sent to the paper earlier from an area resident: “(The white deer) should be saved and treasured (as) a part of (the natural world) that has value way beyond any venison roast, hide or mount.” Joel concludes: I share his desire “that we agree to let these beautiful creatures live and thrive in the area.”
http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/200211/18_robertsont_whitedeer/
White deer in Iowa
Residents saddened: white deer poached
Another hunter pleads “ignorance.” From whotv.com (Channel 13, Des Moines, Iowa).
http://whotv.com/2013/12/19/deer-poached-residents-saddened-by-loss-of-white-deer/
White deer in Illinois
The white deer of Sangchris Lake (near Springfield)
This story has a familiar ring: white deer seem to generate awe and respect wherever they are seen.
http://www.prairiestateoutdoors.com/index.php?/pso/article_print/9103/
White deer “look-alikes” at the Argonne campus near Chicago
This article is actually about fallow deer, which are an introduced species, but they are also enjoyed by white deer watchers and this is a very interesting article.
http://darien-il.patch.com/articles/argonnes-white-deer-dwindling-but-not-departed
White Deer In Ohio
Chasing down the elusive piebald deer in Avon Lake
Three piebalds have been spotted in Avon Lake and they’ve become a hot item for those carrying cameras.
http://patch.com/ohio/avon-oh/chasing-down-the-elusive-piebald-deer-in-avon-lake
Avon Lake mom shoots rare white deer (with a Nikon)
What a great story–and a terrific calendar picture, too!
http://www.cleveland.com/tipoff/index.ssf/2011/12/avon_lake_mom_shoots_rare_deer.html
An unfortunate end
But at least he wasn’t shot…
http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2014/12/04/one-three-piebald-deer-dies-avon-lake/
White Deer In Tennessee
Hunters, beware: Rare albino deer protected by Tennessee Law
Mike Organ of The Tennessean (Nashville) writes about white deer in Tennessee. In 2001 the Tennessee General Assembly voted to make it illegal to deliberately kill or possess albino deer.
http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/environment/2013/12/23/hunters-beware-rare-albino-deer-protected-by-tennessee-law/4173227/
Shoot this deer only with your camera
Mike Organ’s story (above) is combined with an Iowa story and goes national in USA Today:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/12/23/albino-deer-hunting/4175181/
Snowflakes’ visits warmed Unionville hearts
Residents of Unionville, Tennessee mourn Snowflakes’ death, which makes headlines in Shelbyville Time-Gazette and across the country.
http://www.t-g.com/story/1796482.html
In New Jersey
Rare white deer appear in Jersey woods
Although the deer in this article are not piebalds, they aren’t deformed, and the estimate of 1% of the state’s deer population is highly unlikely, the story has wonderful pictures and shows how special a white deer sighting was for one lucky commuter.
http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/White-Deer-Alibno-Appear-Jersey-Woods-226373081.html
A “hands-off” to Hanover hunters
A culling movement to rid a New Jersey neighborhood of “garden-eating, shrub-grazing, tick-carrying, car-colliding” deer doesn’t include two “mostly white deer that have become favorites among township residents.” Although this article starts with a warm beginning (“I think everyone that sees a white deer is in awe of it”), it takes a major dive at the end, where so-called “experts” do their best to diminish the value of these animals (“I know it’s rare, but it’s nothing more than that”). Sigh…even the trophy hunters would disagree.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/09/two_white_deer_deemed_offlimit.html
White deer in Seneca Falls, New York
The Seneca white deer
A very, very nice website with detailed information on efforts to save a large and unique population of white deer in a decommissioned Seneca, New York army depot.
http://www.senecawhitedeer.org
Seneca White Deer, Inc.
A Facebook version of the Seneca website.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Seneca-White-Deer-Inc/179614835395560
Like shooting your family dog…
From Seneca Falls, New York, an unfortunate story with a mix of white deer issues. Somewhat dated, but another example of how hunting and conservation motives can sometimes collide.
http://blog.syracuse.com/outdoors/2009/11/seneca_white_deer_president_la.html
Viewing the Seneca white deer
From a travel site that advertises the unusual.
http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/seneca-white-deer
The “Depot Deer”
An update and overview of the white deer at the Seneca Depot.
http://www.ithaca.com/special_sections/white-deer-exit-removal-of-seneca-depot-fence-could-disperse/article_c93d44bc-39c4-11e4-b00b-47315767a8d3.html
In North Carolina
Duke Forest looks to protect albino deer
An older article about the safety of white deer in a culling hunt in the Duke Forest near Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2008/09/14/193494/duke-forest-looks-to-protect-albino.html
In Virgina
Summer of the white deer twins in Danville
Danville is a city rich in Civil War history, but the “ghosts” that are getting the attention in this story are twin white fawns. They have become the major topic of conversation on the popular hike-and-bike Riverwalk Trail, where the recreation includes, hopefully, catching a glimpse of these unique deer.
http://www.wsls.com/story/20862767/summer-of-the-white-deer-twins-in-danville
Albermarle County buck
What a shame that this beautiful buck may not have survived hunting season in a state that does not protect its white deer.
http://www.readthehook.com/108774/white-deer-prowl
County woman works to save rare white deer
A “stare-down” with a white deer creates a special moment for one woman and spawns an organized effort to protect Virginia’s white deer.
http://www.timesdispatch.com/goochlandgazette/county-woman-works-to-save-rare-white-deer/article_b5d12b30-2990-11e4-9a11-0017a43b2370.html
Around the world
White deer In both the U.S. and Europe
White deer show up around the world, but remain a rarity wherever they are seen.
http://psycheskinner.hubpages.com/hub/The-White-Hart
General information on white deer
Dear deer—when white ‘mutants’ have a selective advantage
This is a very good article on white deer. The information presented is very comprehensive. It is written from a “creation” perspective, which we take no position on, but is very interesting and informative reading. The article includes a section on the famous white deer at Seneca Falls, New York.
http://creation.com/white-deer
How about a black deer?
Color me black
Here are some mom and fawn pictures, photographed near Austin, Texas, that are the exact opposite of some of our white deer photos on the “Pictures” page. The fawn is a genuine white-tailed deer (see mom and sibling), but with excess melanin or pigment. White deer are extremely rare, but black deer are even more rare.
http://butterbean-butterbean.blogspot.com/2011/05/black-fawn.html
A white moose?
When one man’s trophy is another man’s sacred animal.
Why you need laws to protect white animals.
http://www.treehugger.com/endangered-species/sacred-white-moose-killed-hunters.html
And there’s even ghost bears…
When black is white
The “Kermodes” or ghost bears (also called “spirit bears”) are considered a subspecies of black bear, which makes them, in a fun contradiction of terms, white black bears! Very similar in name and coat color to white deer, their recessive trait is more concentrated on the isolated British Columbia island where most of them live. Although considered sacred by the native people and protected by law, their numbers are currently being threatened by logging.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/ghostbear/html/intro.html
National Geographic goes looking for white bears
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/08/kermode-bear/barcott-text
A Kermode website
Lots of info on Kermode bears, plus a bear cam, too. (If you think you’re groggy in the morning, see how a white bear wakes up after a winter’s sleep.)
http://bcspiritbear.com/
