Its July here and plenty hot. This is the time of the year we like to take our young deer hounds out and condition them for long hard runs. At the same time the scent on the ground is harder to smell for a hound and this will seperate the true noses in your pack from the followers with great voices. Training is always the key to a great pack of hounds. Well yesterday I jumped a fine buck just off an old logging road deep in near the river and to my surprise was able to get ahead of them near a clear cut to see the deer as it ran from its cover of the thick hardwood bottom that runs along the river. Pure White and the lightest set of antlers I guess I've ever seen in these parts. None the less a beatiful site. I stood there where the buck had entered the clear cut for about two minutes to intercept the hounds as they left the bottom to proceded after the buck. Managed to capture three of the six that I had started in the race and proceded to head for the next crossing to attemp a catch at the other three. My hounds are pretty good about cutting off a race when they here me holloring to stop but a hot scent freah in their nose is a temping disauader. Missed them at the next road crossing and not having ever seen this Buck before wasn't sure where exactly he was headed. Most deer follow established trails and escape routes so I gambled and headed for what I knew was one of those old favorites most of these old wise bucks use when avoiding a pack of persistent hounds. Took out my tracking unit when I got there and for sure the dogs were headed this way. Hadn't got an ear on them yet but there were many draws and casums between were I had last seen them and where I was now. The faint sound of hounds driffted up the draw when all of a sudden there he stood looking straight at me with as near as I could tell were redish to pink eyes I never even thought too try and count his points all I could do was stare at those crazy eyes, what an animal, He took one more look back and accross that logging road he sprang. Except for the dirt and wetness from crossing creeks that buck was as white as a sheet. The dogs were plenty tired when they finally arrived at the crossing as hot as it was about eighty five by then. Catching them was hardly a problem at all. 
    Here in lies the Problem. I don't want to harvest this deer not now not ever. I'm a part of a very large Hunting Club which controls over 40,000 acres of prime hunting property. It will undoubtedly be seen eventually by some other hunter. Now I am One of the senior members of the Club and maybe passing a rule to protect this buck might save him while he's on our property but then WE can't speak for the surrounding areas. Do you think I am taking the chance to harvest a grand animal away from someone by doing this or do you agree with me and to preserve this deer is a far better idea ? I really don't know what to do I've only told one other trusted member about the deer's presence, and no one else to our knowledge has so far seen this magnificent creature. Near as I could say this Buck was at least a three year old he had heavy shoulders and heavy antler growth from what I could tell from his velvet rack it was going to be wide and fairly tall. Do true Albino's shead their racks every year ? If it crossed the River then it came from Texas if its always been hear then it hides very well. I 'll name him the Ghost of Sabine bottom and may he thrive there forever.....

In the state of Iowa it is illegal to shoot a white deer, maybe you need to talk to your DNR about the possiblity.

Was the deer white or albino??

Its legal to take deer of different color in Louisiana, I saw the eyes of this deer pretty good He was close ( within fifteen feet of me ) But I'm pretty sure he was sporting velvet on his antlers. I don't know if true albinos drop their antlers every year. He deffinetly had the redish to pink eyes of an albino...

Over 40 years ago an oldtimer told me to never shoot an albino because it is 7 years bad luck. I took his advice with no regrets.

If he had pink eyes, he was a true albino- but other than their eye and hair color, they differ in no other way from other deer. In my opinion, I would do what I could to preserve that buck- genetically by chance the odds of seeing another one are 1 in a million; allowed to pass on his genetics, the chance of offspring like him is increased to about 1 in a hundred- they can get to the point of having like offspring every year, as the albino trait is passed on, it becomes more predominant- I say let him live, so that others may see them more often, and possibly allow limited draws for that "special tag" if they become numerous! But that's just me....