All About Albino White-tailed Deer
BuckManager.com | Deer Coloration
Albino deer. Every deer hunter has heard of one or at least thought about seeing one, but what’s the deal with albino white-tailed deer? Among the questions most often asked is “what causes some whitetail deer to be albinos?” Well, although albino deer a rare for the most part, albinism is not.
Albinism is a recessive trait found in many animals including mammals, birds, reptiles, fish and even plants! Albino animals do not have the gene for normal coloration and do not produce the enzyme responsible for skin, hair, and tissue coloration. The result of this genetic oddity is the total absence of body pigment.
In addition to the lack of body pigment, the eyes of an albino are pink because blood vessels behind the lenses show through the unpigmented irises. As you can guess, albinism is not a great trait for an animal, either predator or prey, unless they live in area with constant snow cover.
Obviously, being totally white year-round makes concealment in most deer habitat difficult. To make matters worse, many albinos in general have poor eyesight. Perhaps that is why albino deer are rare: lack of camoflauge increases deer predator attacks, poor eyesight, and a recessive, rare gene. A gene will usually only be passed on through a population if the traits that those genes control are beneficial to an animal. However, some traits, such as albinism, can be carried an non necessarily exhbited.
Because albinism is a recessive trait, both deer must carry the gene before it can occur in their offspring. An albino deer bred to another albino would have only albinos. An albino bred to a normal deer with no recessive genes for albinism would produce all normally pigmented white-tailed deer. Offspring from this cross would carry the recessive gene for albinism but would be normally colored.
When carriers of albinism breed there is a one-in-four chance they will produce an albino fawn. As I mentioned earlier, recessive genetic traits typically become less common unless they confer a survival advantage or are artificially enhanced through selective breeding.
Based on deer hunter reports, only about one deer in 30,000 is an albino! However, not all white deer are true albinos. Some white whitetails have normally pigmented noses, eyes and hooves. In that instance, it would only be a genetic mutation for hair color but not other pigments.
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My husband and my son and I saw an albino deer this evening. We live in Garrett County, Maryland. It was amazing!
Robin Moreau | Mar 24, 2008 | Reply
I have an albino deer that lives in my backyard. I live in wakeforest nc
lauren | Apr 16, 2008 | Reply
My son, husband, and I saw an albino deer in a corn field in Kansasville, WI. I thought it was a goat, until I saw it run. Very cool!
kt | Oct 25, 2008 | Reply
I just saw my very first Albino deer! I didn’t even know they existed. He was not just amazing, he was breath-taking. I just stopped and watched him. Why people can’t see the beauty in some animals is beyond me. North Carolina
Denise | Oct 27, 2008 | Reply
Hey, I shot an albino whitetail doe in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, Canada about 3 years ago. She was 110 lbs and a beautiful animal to truly see.
shane j | Nov 2, 2008 | Reply
I just saw an albino whitetail buck today. He was the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen! I got to within 50 feet of him and tried to take pictures on my cell phone, but they didn’t turn out that well. He had a very nice rack. I live in Southwestern Pennsylvania. What a rare and beautiful sight. We shall se if he makes it through hunting season.
Melanie | Nov 6, 2008 | Reply
My wife and I were traveling to Austin, Texas last Thursday November 13, 2008 and 8 to 10 miles north of Lampasas on Hwy 281 she saw a albino deer on a wheat field on the west side of the highway. We turned around and returned to the field and to our amazement their was four albino deer less than 100 yards from the highway. I had binoculars to make sure what we were witnessing. One was a spike and the rest were does. I am trying to contact our local game warden to confirm with the Lampasas game warden.
bob osborne | Nov 17, 2008 | Reply
My boyfriend hunts a good bit and he saw an albino 4 point the other morning. I also see one almost every morning in the back corner of a field right in the city limits where I work in Lousiville, MS.
Kayla | Nov 29, 2008 | Reply
This morning I saw a white deer in woods behind my house. Never knew such deer even existed. At first I thought it was a goat. Did not get close enough to be able to tell if it was a true albino, but what an amazing sight! The location is near Pittsville in Wicomico County, Maryland.
Dick Warren | Dec 5, 2008 | Reply
My friend and I saw an albino buck while fishing in California. It was a 2 point buck. This happened the Tuesday beforeThanksgiving in the Central Valley of California. An amazing sight! I did get some pics on a poloroid, but not very clear. Ralph Tonseth, Dec. 8, 2008
Ralph Tonseth | Dec 8, 2008 | Reply
Hi Lauren of WakeForest,
I live in Youngsville, NC and there is a true albino living my neighborhood here. I keep corn put out and I have taken many pics of him in my backyard. He comes by daily. He is a buttonhead buck and appears to be about a year old. I have seen a lot of albinos around the Franklin County area, which is unbelievable to me.
Mark | Dec 9, 2008 | Reply
I saw my first albino deer south of Charlottesville, VA. Amazing!
Bobbi | Dec 19, 2008 | Reply
Not sure where you guys live, but I have been tracking and photographing an albino doe outside of Wake Forest. The deer appears to be about 3 years old and is stunning. I hope she makes it through the hunting season.
Bobby | Dec 24, 2008 | Reply
I have also seen a buck in Youngsville, but I have not been able to get any pics of him.
Bobby | Dec 24, 2008 | Reply
After the usuall christmas dinner , king ranch casaroel ect the father and i sat down to read a few articles from buckmanager, the questions came up about albino deer , Neither one of us have ever seen such creature but the the remebrance of a solid black deer (whitetail) was brought up . Is this posible ? well If I can find the picture from about 20 years ago I will post it. The deer was takin outside of austin texas by my father. The ranch is longer there and like all other land in the area is in concrete now.
Travis | Dec 25, 2008 | Reply
I just saw an albino deer in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, PA, and it was beautiful!
TS | Dec 28, 2008 | Reply
Perhaps you did not know that albino deer are considered sacred by the Native American tribes of the United States.
Karlie | Jan 27, 2009 | Reply
I have a friend who has seen an albino deer while driving to work past my house, but I have not seen one yet. But I am hoping, so maybe this year!!
Ty | Jan 27, 2009 | Reply
I saw an albino deer this morning (2/17/09) driving to work through Leesburg, Virginia.
curt | Feb 17, 2009 | Reply
My family and I saw an albino deer Sunday morning (2/22/09) around 6:30am. We were driving east on Route 118 in Columbia County, Pennsylvania (between Rts. 239 and 487). The deer ran right in front of our car with another deer, both heading north. Awesome sight.
LE | Feb 23, 2009 | Reply
I could not believe my eyes! This morning (3/10/09) around 7:00 AM, I looked out into our woods and an albino whitetail deer was playing with 3 other normal color deer. Living here for over 20 years, my husband and I have never seen an albino deer in our woods before in Essex, Illinois. Did not get a good picture — it was too far our for our camera. What a beautiful sight and nice way to start the day.
Trischa | Mar 10, 2009 | Reply
My husband and I were taking a ride on our motorcycle in the country and slowed down to look at something in a wooded area. It was an albino deer and it was looking right at us. We stayed and watched for around 3 minutes. We live in Marion, Illinois.
Brenda | Mar 11, 2009 | Reply
I saw an albino deer on my way home from work on Tuesday March 10th around 5:15 pm. It was approximately 1 1/2 miles South of Gibson City, Illinois and about 1 mile East of Route 47. I had never seen one before and wasn’t sure what I was looking at at first. Then I saw another regular colored white-tail deer beside it, and I knew it had to be an albino deer. Truely amazing! Now I look for it every day on my way to work and on my way home in the evening. I hope to see it again. Next time I’ll try to snap a picture of it!
Lauren | Mar 12, 2009 | Reply
I just saw a albino deer tonight!!! It kind of startled me becaue I didnt know they existed, and it was dark. The deer was pretty much all white, but it had a couple of brown spots on its face and side.
Georgette | Mar 12, 2009 | Reply
Georgette-
The white-tailed deer you saw may not have been an albino if it had spots on its body. It sounds like it could be a piebald deer.
Buck Manager | Mar 13, 2009 | Reply
I saw a white deer on my way home this afternoon traveling through Alamance County, North Carolina, in a wooded area. I couldn’t wait to get home and check the Internet. I did not know that albino deer existed so it really was an awesome sight.
Monique | Mar 13, 2009 | Reply
I believe you are correct. It did look more like the piebald deer than an albino.I was trying to get a picture of it but it was too dark and I was kind of startled. Had not seen a deer like that before. I saw the deer in West Point, Virginia.
Georgette | Mar 15, 2009 | Reply
I first spotted an albino deer in our woods last summer. We have watched it grow and have enjoyed it very much. I’m afraid “Whitey” won’t survive each season, but there she is back again and again.
June | Mar 20, 2009 | Reply
I was privileged enough to watch an adult doe and its three fawns, one of which was an albino. They gradually made their way down a tree-covered hill side into a small field, across a road with a drainage ditch on either side, and between two houses–grazing the entire way. The process took roughly 20 minutes and it was worth sitting still for that long! It was simply amazing watching the amount of protection the three “normal” deer were providing to the albino. So cool. This took place in the city limits of Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
Josh | Mar 21, 2009 | Reply
I saw a white deer with black spots about the size of my hand at the eastern entrance to The Great Smokey Mountains National Park on March 23,2009. It was going up the bank and I was not able to see if it was a buck or doe.
Shirley | Mar 26, 2009 | Reply
I have seen an albino deer in Youngsville two times. Both times it has been seen off of Hicks Road near Cedar Creek Middle School. My wife and I watched it for five minutes. We were amazed! The albino deer was with two other young doe both times, but the other two were normal whitetail.
Scott
Scott | Mar 29, 2009 | Reply
My aunt has an albino deer in her back yard. Beautiful and unbelievable. She lives in middle Tennessee.
crystal | Mar 30, 2009 | Reply
I just saw a lovely piebald doe just a few minutes ago drinking at my pond (4/5/09)! She had a dark nose, eyes, and hooves. The deer had these caramel colored spots just like an Appaloosa, two caramel ears, two large caramel spots encircling her eyes, white front feet, and striped hind legs, perfectly symetrical, with a large black oval spot on her tail. Amazing!!! The piebald was with a group of does, but clearly not part of the pack. She did not know what to make of the goose floating toward her in the pond and bounded away, only to come back and check him out again with curiosity.
Felicity | Apr 5, 2009 | Reply
I just saw my first white deer. It was standing in the woods along Blackburn Road in Sewickley Heights, Pennsylvania. What an amazing animal to see! It’s like a life changing feeling you get. I feel blessed to have seen this beautiful deer.
Tammy | Apr 16, 2009 | Reply
Last evening, I saw for the first time an albino deer. The doe was in a field along Ridge Road in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania. What a stunning sight!
Cheryl | Apr 19, 2009 | Reply
On May 2, 2009, my wife and I, alerted by our dog, saw a pure white deer in our back yard in Eagles Mere, Pennsylvania at 6:00 a.m. The locals told us that it is a common sighting on the mountain, and about 20 years ago there were quite a few in the vicinity. It was an unforgettable sight.
jim | May 3, 2009 | Reply
We saw a white albino deer in Hillsborough, North Carolina, very late at night in March 2008 at Orange Grove Road and Eno Mountain Road.
Jane | May 19, 2009 | Reply
There is an albino deer in my neighborhood in Forest Hills, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville. Three to four times a week I see it in my front yard with his siblings. I have been able to take many pictures. The deer was born last year and it’s always a treat when he’s around.
Jon | May 20, 2009 | Reply
My wife and I live in town in Columbia, Missouri. The back of our lot is wooded and we see whitetail deer there frequently. A couple of nights ago we spotted what appeared to be a newborn albino fawn with its mother.
George | May 26, 2009 | Reply
My husband and I live in Dandridge, Tennessee, area and we recently saw an albino deer. It was the first white whitetail deer we have seen in this area. We hope to see it more often.
Ellen | May 29, 2009 | Reply
I read an interesting report of a herd of deer which had apparently rejected an albino member, refusing to allow it to travel with them. It stayed nearby, but alone. Interestingly enough, the local wolves left it alone, stalking the normal colored weak and old of the herd. It seems they did not recognize it as prey because it was white and not part of a herd.
Will Shirley | May 31, 2009 | Reply
I live in Dandridge, Tennessee, also and I saw an albino deer this morning in my neighborhood.
Carol | Jun 3, 2009 | Reply
I live in Arlington, Tennessee. I saw what I think was an albino deer this morning playing with some other brown deer in the tree line outside in the back of my house this morning. I had heard of one by some neighbors, but had not seen it until this morning. It was an awesome site. I didn’t get close enough, obviously, to see if it had pink eyes, but it was pure white snow.
Kerry | Jun 3, 2009 | Reply
I saw an albino whitetail deer at 5:00 pm this evening along the side of the freeway near Holly, Michigan. I wasn’t sure what it was at first. I got to watch him for about 10 minutes before he moved on. Very cool.
Pat | Jun 20, 2009 | Reply
My daughters and I just saw an albino whitetail deer at 8:40 pm CST in southern Cook County, Illinois. It was a doe. This really was the most beautiful animal I had ever seen. This doe was about 10 feet away from us and white as snow. There is no hunting in Cook County, so I plan on seeing her again.
Pamela | Jun 22, 2009 | Reply
My husband and I were coming back from Erie, Pennsylvania, on 6/22/09 – while driving though southern tier expressway on the side of the guardrail we spotted an albino deer that was waiting to cross the road. I am very happy to say that he waited. Perhaps it is because I bought my husband a set of those deer whistlers to put on the front of his truck. Not sure, but a good looking ablino buck!
Laura | Jun 23, 2009 | Reply
I keep seeing a huge albino whitetail buck every summer, but then when the season rolls around and the snow is on the ground, he is nowhere to be found. I am in Long Island, New York.
Rich | Jun 29, 2009 | Reply
Upon traveling the 20-25 minute trip home from Westerville, Ohio to Centerburg, Ohio on 7-2-09, I was commanded to a sudden stop (with an unusually long line of traffic behind me!), when a doe appeared from the woods, about to cross the country road. Behind her followed a very normal pigmented fawn and a second fawn which astonished me….an albino. With a Father and brother who were avid hunters and conservationists, I was surprised that I had never heard any conversation about albino Whitetails. But in a conversation with my brother shortly following my encounter, he said that yes they do exist, but I gather that he had never seen one (Adirondack area) other than one or two in captivity. My brother emailed me with this website for more information!
Ann Jensen/ July 5, 2009
Ann Jensen | Jul 5, 2009 | Reply
I saw a white deer Friday July 24. It was on near Crozet. I had to do a double take, it was beautiful.
Shelly Williams | Jul 27, 2009 | Reply
I don’t know if these are considered Albino deer but we have these two deer that are babies , all white except for their heads , they are brown. I have never seen anything like them. I tried to get pictures of them grazing, but they run, of course. I will keep trying. They are amazing to see. We live in Wawa Pa.
PHYLLIS PORTER | Aug 8, 2009 | Reply
On August 8th 2009 I saw an Albino doe at the Reynolds Drive in off 18 at Transfer, PA around 3:30pm. My husband has told me that the saying is it is bad luck to shoot a albino deer. Maybe that is why so many keep seeing the same deer come back every year. Also my son’s girlfriend told me that to see a albino deer brings you good luck. It is a legend that it is suppose to be mythical. I was speechless and amazed to see such a beautiful animal.
Debbie Kimmel | Aug 9, 2009 | Reply
Can’t believe anyone would hunt such a beautiful animal! We saw one in Eagles Mere PA crossing the road. It was amazing! I read that their eyesight (and perhaps their hearing too) is not great. So where is the “sport” in killing this animal?
David | Aug 16, 2009 | Reply
We have about a dozen whitetail deer that come in our back yard everyday. Today I saw a young abino about two months old with two other deer. It was about two hundred feet away. Locust, North Carolina.
Jesse | Aug 21, 2009 | Reply
I`M DEER CRAZY AND LOVE THE OLD COLOR ONES THE BEST. I HAVEN`T SEEN AN ALBINO ONE FOR A WHILE NOW, BUT IN THE PAST 2 TO 3 YEARS I HAVE SEEN ALOT OF PIEBALDS. THIS YEAR MY HUSBAND AND I HAVE SEEN A NEW COLOR. IT WAS A DOE ABOUT 8 MONTHS OLD AND WAS A VERY LIGHT GOLDEN COLOR, ALMOST A CREAM. THE DEER IS ONLY ABOUT 2 MILES FROM MY HOUSE, SO I HAVE BEEN KEEPING AN EYE OUT FOR HER TO GET SOME PHOTOS. SHE HAS THE NORMAL WHITE MARKINGS OF THE REGULARLY COLOR WHITETAILS, BUT SHE IS A VERY VERY LIGHT GOLDEN CREAM COLOR. I KNOW IT WILL BE HARD FOR HER TO MAKE IT THOUGH HUNTING SEASON FOR WHERE I LIVE. I AT LEAST HOPE TO GET A PHOTO OF HER.
ANNE | Aug 27, 2009 | Reply
Today, I saw a beautiful albino deer at the Richland Country Club in Nashville, Tennessee.
Victor | Sep 19, 2009 | Reply
I saw an albino deer while I was in the woods in Grant County, Maryland. I live in Garrett County.
brandon | Sep 23, 2009 | Reply
We are lucky to have an albino doe come up the back lane in the evenings while we were doing chores. During the hunting seasons I’d pray she’d make it, then this year she surprised us with albino twins! Sandy Lake, PA.
Tracey Donop | Sep 27, 2009 | Reply
Recently I saw my first “white” deer in a rural area in Anderson County, Williamston, SC. It was awesome! But, after contacting the Wildlife Association in my state, it saddened me to learn what I did about Albino deer. This is what was sent to me by a wildlife biologist:
“True albino deer (including the pink eyes) are rare. In most cases deer that have abnormal amounts of white or appear all white are actually referred to as piebald. The amount of white associated with piebaldism is determined genetically and is an inherited trait. Those animals that appear all white received a “dominant” dose so to speak.”
In cases of true albinism and for the slightly more common piebaldism, the animals typically have reduce survival rates. Typically and particularly for piebald animals, there are a number of abnormalities in addition to the aberrant coat coloration. The piebald anomaly as it is called, tends to produce animals with varying degrees of skeletal problems including a “parrot jaw” or overbite, as well as malformed legs and joints. Additionally these animals may suffer from scoliosis (curving of the spine) and malformations of various internal organs.
Still, I feel blesssed to have seen one!!
Dawn Brooks | Oct 14, 2009 | Reply
I have heard of many albino deer in Wayne County, Illinois, but I finally got to see one for myself. The doe was as white as snow.
Dena | Oct 15, 2009 | Reply
I have seen an albino deer near my house. Thinking about letting him live on. Hopefully he makes it, but bow season started 2 days ago. We will see. I live in Steuben County, New York.
Markus Larson | Oct 19, 2009 | Reply
Just saw an albino 4 point in Seven Fields, Pennsylvania. The deer has lived here for a while, as we have spotted it several times over the past few years.
Dawn | Oct 30, 2009 | Reply
November 4, 2009: Earlier today, I saw a nice albino doe standing right off of I-85 just south of Greensboro, North Carolina. One of the most amazing sights I have ever seen!
Jerry Furr | Nov 4, 2009 | Reply
These deer are all really big.
Mark Moore | Nov 6, 2009 | Reply
I saw a 6 point white deer tonight on my way home from work. I would not say it was Albino becasue I am pretty sure the eyes were dark, but it was white as white could be. However it had 2-3 very small brown spots and it hair was longer and shaggy unlike the common deer. I almost think it might be a hybrid of some sort.
Michelle | Nov 8, 2009 | Reply
Hey Lauren, I live off of 98 going towards Bunn. I am a hunter and saw a completely white doe. You didn’t lose yours did you? I watched her and let her go. I mostly hunt just to enjoy the wildlife.
Junior | Nov 13, 2009 | Reply
I saw a deer today that had a white neck, totally white belly, and white legs. It’s back was brown. Saw it coming from a long ways off.
Raygunn | Nov 18, 2009 | Reply