Abnormal Whitetail Deer Coloration
BuckManager.com | Deer Coloration
We all know what normally colored white-tailed deer look like. Sure, the color of their hair may change seasonally, and even vary a bit between individual deer, but whitetails tend to be some shade of brown combined with white on the throat, belly, and under the tail. However, some color variations exists, and here they are:
Piebald: Piebald whitetails have patches of white hair but are otherwise normally colored. Piebalds are thought to be more common than albinos, and I have seen far more photos of piebald deer than albino deer. Depending on the part of the United States you are from, piebald deer are sometimes referred to as pintos.
Melanistic: Melanistic white-tailed deer are very dark, often approaching totally black. Melanism results from overproduction of pigment and is far less common than albinism. Hunters do see dark deer with some frequency, but to witness an actual melanistic deer is rare.
Left: A melanistic 8-point buck.
Albino: Albino white-tailed deer are totally white, and true albinos have pink eyes from a lack of pigement in their eyes. Albanism results from recessive genes and is more common than melanism.
Note: Protecting piebald, melanistic, and albino deer from hunting would concentrate those genes in a closed environment, but would probably have little to no biological impact in an open system (and probably would not result in an increase of these traits).
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Can you come up with a piebald with out have piebalds in the back ground some where. or Albino?
Jr | Jul 25, 2008 | Reply
Just had two of our bottle fed fawns killed by neighbors dogs—insurance adjustor is sending check in the mail. Could someone help us out in our loss with info etc. to possibly replace them with two albino deer? We live in northern Minnesota (Warroad) Thank You, Jim H.
Jim Hamlin | Sep 22, 2008 | Reply
This is the wierdest thing I have ever seen in all my life. But I guess things happen. Like the almost pitch black deer. If they are going to be called white-tailed deer, then shouldn’t they look like one?
Riley | Feb 18, 2009 | Reply
We just saw 2 piebald twin fawns in northern Baltimore County, Maryland. Deer are very thick up here, but have never seen this coloration!
Heather | Jul 28, 2009 | Reply
We have a piebald deer in our backyard in Monroe, North Carolina. Took a long time to finally get a picture so everyone would believe me when I told them we had a deer that was spotted. Friend at church told me it was a piebald. Looked it up and fits exactly.
Christine | Nov 22, 2009 | Reply
My son shot his first deer today and it was a piebald button buck. I had never seen a deer like this before today. It is so exciting that he got his first buck, and it was a piebald to boot! Great job, Cory!
RhondaM5 | Dec 6, 2009 | Reply
I need some information. I have a whitetail on my property that I truely have no idea what is wrong with it. It’s super tiny really light brown and the places on the hind quarter that are suppose to be white are jet black, including the tail. If anyone has any info for m,e please post it thank you.
Ryan | Dec 16, 2009 | Reply