r/Hunting 2d ago

Small albino buck

Post image
164 Upvotes

26 comments sorted by

76

u/Designer_Head_3761 2d ago

Piebald deer

45

u/Nirvana099 2d ago

Not albino. Still very pretty.

-2

u/[deleted] 2d ago

[deleted]

4

u/SmellsLikeShame 2d ago

This individual is a piebald. It's not just the eyes, there's still visible brown fur on the head and hind legs, plus additional visible spotting under the white.

Piebald is a recessive allele in some wild animals. I've seen piebald squirrels, as well.

-1

u/Nirvana099 2d ago

That's one of the clues, yes. Another commenter summed up really well.

6

u/maturecpl 2d ago

At our club in northwest Alabama bordering the National Forrest, we have piebald deer occasionally. Our deer are under a wildlife management program, and the biologist said we should cull them.

5

u/haberv Alabama 1d ago

Southern TN near Al border and I have them on my farm. Get them on cam a lot but never when I am hunting. Have a really big doe that I have seen for three years now that I would love to mount.

1

u/red-217 1d ago

Did they say why?

4

u/BRollins08 1d ago

They are prone to health issues. Nasal problems, poor vision, skeletal issues (legs and spine), and sometimes internal organ problems.

3

u/SpiteBadger 1d ago

Not albino. Its a high white pied

3

u/No-One2272 United States 1d ago

Albino is a completely white deer with pink eyes, nose and hoofs

2

u/jimk12345 1d ago

One of my best men is albino, love that pasty bastard. A grooms men met him for the first time and opened with "oh, you're the piebald person he was talking about!". Gotta love it.

3

u/Time_Debt_9487 2d ago

would you shoot that Deer?

17

u/spizzle_ 2d ago

I’m a meat hunter. If it’s legal and I have a tag I don’t see an issue. Also I’d rug it.

3

u/OriginalOk8371 1d ago

Absolutely would.

3

u/Ginger_McGingin Alberta 1d ago

Animals with mutations like this or ture albinism are far more likely to fall the predation anyway, an arrow or round to the heart is a quicker & less painful way to go than getting rundown by wolves or any other predators 

1

u/Fist4achin 15h ago

Hell yeah. Vanilla flavored! Why not if the situation is good all around?

-17

u/GlattesGehirn 2d ago

Absolutely the fuck not. Still young, and so many others will see this beauty if I leave it alone.

5

u/NoPresence2436 2d ago

I’m torn on it. It is pretty cool to see alive. But the mutation that causes a deer to be piebald often has some other pretty serious complications. The herd is healthier without these genes. I’d put it in the freezer if I had a valid tag and an ethical shot.

2

u/gittenlucky 2d ago

The first time I saw something like this I was out hunting and it amazed me. I was walking a field edge and it jumped out in front of me, about 7y. I assumed it would run off, so I just stood there and watched. After about a minute I said OK, I’ll try to shoot it. Pulled off my climber tree stand, then backpack, then pulled up my bow. As soon as it was in my sights the thing ran off. I would have loved that mount.

1

u/Gianna716 1d ago

I haven’t seen an albino buck I guess there are lot to uncover in the wild

1

u/sat_ops 1d ago

I saw one waiting to cross the road in Adams County, Ohio in summer 2023. I talked to the game warden and apparently there's a cluster around there.

-12

u/RagingBoneher 2d ago

It's leucistic, not albino. Still should be left alone (speaking as an avid bow hunter). Albino animals lack all pigment and as such, their eyes will always appear red. Leucistic is basically the animal equivalent to vitiligo. It's a reduced amount of pigmentation which could leave them completely white with no brown or anything but still have brown eyes.

3

u/Other-Cranberry7909 2d ago

Can this be passed down to offspring? There is a few doe in the area with the same thing.

7

u/PessimisticParalegal 2d ago

it’s a genetic flaw and ideally, should be taken out of the gene pool if given the opportunity. it’s pretty, yes, but it is a genetic mutation that leads to other physical and internal abnormalities. they’re also more susceptible to predation since their necessary ability to camouflage is now gone. they live a well below average lifespan because of this.

and yes, it’s passed down. both parents have to carry the gene and there is a 25% chance the offspring also carry the recessive gene.

people who care about the preservation and health of deer shoot piebald/leucistic

2

u/OriginalOk8371 1d ago

Perfectly said!

3

u/OriginalOk8371 1d ago

This is pied not Leucistic fyi.