Albino elk in AZ?

105Coues · Sep 1, 2004

Has anyone else seen an albino elk in AZ? I video taped a raghorn bull that is totally white a few weeks ago. I had never even heard of anyone seeing one before.

bullwidgeon · Sep 1, 2004

There is one in unit 1. I have seen pictures when it was a yearling and talked to a few people who have seen it since then.

Bret M.

KO · Sep 1, 2004

my friend has seen a few of them in 4a, one of them was a nice bull

PinonPaul · Sep 1, 2004

I think there is one that is close to Albino on that new video from the San Carlos Res.

GoBigOrGoHome · Sep 1, 2004

One of my achery clients passed on a rag horn albino last year in unit 1 we have the whole sequence on video.

huntazido · Sep 1, 2004

I never have seen an albino elk. I have seen 2 albino deer in unit 20A. The first was about 20 years ago and the 2nd was about 15 years ago. I also saw an albino turkey (hen) in unit 27 during a 1993 archery elk hunt. It would come into an area I was sitting every evening. I had a friend who used to hunt the quiet area in unit 4A and he told me how he had seen an albino elk on more than one occasion. This was about 8 - 10 years or so ago.

Lv2hnt · Sep 1, 2004

Let's all agree that there there definitely is a difference between a true albino animal and a white(ish)-phased one. Albinos have a lack of pigmentation that readily shows as pink at the eyes, nostrils, etc.

Although elk albinos may be very occasionally seen, I'm pretty sure most white elk are not true albinos. And if I remember correctly, albinos are much more common among white-tailed deer (don't recall the probability with muleys).

The white-phased non-typical 7x7 seen in the tank at the beginning of the San Carlos video isn't an albino. BTW, it's hard to believe, but none of the guides on the San Carlos had any idea that bull existed and, as far as I know, it wasn't seen afterwards ...

Lv2hnt

beaner · Sep 1, 2004

About 10 or more years ago, I used to hunt 4A quite a bit (when it was easy to draw), and I saw a white elk two years in a row. First year he was a small calf with mom that used to frequent a fenceline we would hunt, and the second year he was a spike. Saw him more than once during the seasons. I heard a small white raghorn was shot in the same general area a year or so later...I assume it was the same elk. There used to be a pic of white elk in Bear Mtn. Havent been there in years, so I dont know if it still exists.

S/F

BBWALLOW · Sep 2, 2004

I HAVE VIDEO OF A WHITE BULL IN UNIT 1. HAVE NOT SEEN HIM IN A COUPLE OF YEARS. BOBBY

Henry Montoya · May 29, 2023

Last year my brother, sister in-law and I saw a true albino cow elk in area 5b by elks picnic. It was in August during the over the counter archery hunt. There was nothing brown on that elk at all!