The Rhinelander Daily News - Online news and information for the Rhinelander, Wisconsin region

One lucky Northwoods hunter shot the deer of a lifetime this year, but it wasn't a massive set of antlers that made the deer special, rather its white hair.

Piebald deer, which have patches of white mixed with the normal brown hair, are rare, making up less than half of a percent of all whitetails, according to DNR wildlife biologist Ron Eckstein. Still, they are not as rare as true albino deer, and unlike albinos, they are legal game for hunters.

Eckstein said he gets a report of a piebald or albino deer in the Rhinelander area only about once every other year. Albinos make up less than a tenth of a percent of whitetails, but sightings are more common than for piebalds because they are easier to spot than piebalds, which can range from having very little white on their bodies to being almost 90 percent white. Albinos are solid white and have pink eyes, noses and hooves.

Perhaps the most famous albino deer in recent memory lived in the Three Lakes area, Eckstein said. A local restaurant fed it and it was frequently seen. The large, 12-point albino even had white velvet on its antlers in summer. It was eventually struck by a car a killed in 2005.

Just down the road in Sugar Camp, there have been two reported sightings of black deer this fall. Black (melanistic) deer are even more rare than piebalds and albinos, Eckstein said, and while literature supports the presence of these animals, sightings are extremely rare and documentation is scant.

“Most deer are the right color,” Eckstein said.

Tell us what you think...

Comments »

mike kecker wrote on Feb 27, 2009 10:31 AM:

" I am a hunter. And we dont need these Piebald deer breeding with our normal herd. peta people he had supper you cant eat pictures . Plus its not against the law to shoot one. He had a tag he filled it. I would have shot it to. Guess its better to get hit buy a car and rot like that 12 point albino from Three Lakes that is mounted in the high school , Yea thats cool. Good for you hunter hope you get another one that feeds your family "

Dee wrote on Nov 14, 2008 7:54 PM:

" Members of our GA hunting club have enjoyed watching a piebald doe for 2 years now. We do harvest the 'regular' deer but collectively decided to let the piebald doe remain on the property because of her rarity. We have her on our trail cameras, too, and she is beautiful. "

Lisa wrote on Apr 25, 2008 1:04 PM:

" Funny, I guess my friends from Montana were right about Wisconsin hunters, comes down to ethics. Some prize you got there for shooting a rare piebald deer. And the press applauding your "prize" - beautiful... "

Shirley Johnson wrote on Dec 28, 2007 5:08 PM:

" Do you think there might be anything else to do with a rare, beautiful animal than kill it? Yes, quite a "lucky guy." "

Yvonne Mlady-Beaver In Piggott,Arkansas wrote on Dec 18, 2007 2:06 PM:

" Sure would have been nice to see a picture!! "

Wondering in Wisconsin wrote on Dec 10, 2007 7:12 AM:

" I wonder who this lucky guy was! "

The comments above are from readers. In no way do they represent the views of the Rhinelander Daily News.