White Deer: Ghosts of the Forest

by John Bates, Jeff Richter

A lucky few of us have chanced to see the white whitetail--the albino deer--in the wild. We remember where. It's a sight like seeing a ghost. We have to stop and look. Drivers pull to the side of the road to peer into the woods, following the apparition with their eyes, and lingering in hope of a repeat visitation.

Perhaps no one has spent as much time following these white ghosts of the forest as photographer Jeff Richter. Jeff has been privileged to hunt the deer with his camera on lands where they seem to have concentrated by some fluke of nature. He has committed hundreds of images of white deer to film over many years, and is finally sharing the best of these here.

Award-winning outdoor writer and naturalist John Bates weighs in with his own impressions of these fascinating animals. John references historical accounts of white deer in northern Wisconsin, and wisely tempers the subject with an explanation of the genetics of albinism and a discussion of the implications of this phenomenon.

Join Jeff and John for the first ever exploration in book form of the elusive, startling, white deer.

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

John Bates has worked as a state forest naturalist for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. He is the owner of the naturalist guide service Trails North and he organizes outdoor classes for Nicolet College, the University of Wisconsin Extension, and for the North Lakeland Discovery Center.
He is also a columnist for the Lakeland Times in Minocqua, Wisconsin.

Reviews

[Denise Chojnacki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an older book but being as how this is something we may see in our area, I picked it up. Jeff Richter actually spoke at our library years ago and was great. Wondering now if he has switched into the digital age as he was very much into film at the time (rightfully so!) and not a fan of digital.

[Susan Fetterer · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're the least outdoorsy you'll find the photographs of these elusive creatures, sited in northern Wisconsin for probably more than a century, just amazing. Accompanying text includes Native American legend referencing the spiritual significance of white and albino deer. What a joy it would be to have an encounter with one of these beautiful animals.

[Susan Fetterer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an amazing and beautiful book filled with photos and text describing a herd of white deer found in northern Wisconsin. Rarely seen and even more rarely photographed, this small book instructs and illuminates nature's rarities in a beautiful manner.

[Lizzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Jon bates’ writing and Richter’s photography.