The Pennsylvania Game Commission is investigating the apparent shooting of a deer in East Hempfield Township that had a rare genetic condition that made its coat almost all white.
Dan Keener, 68, of East Hempfield Township, said he called the game commission Saturday morning after finding the dead piebald deer on a section of the Farmingdale Trail. He said a neighbor told him where to find the carcass, which a game commission warden removed that day.
Piebaldism is a genetic condition marked by reduced pigmentation in the skin and hair. Piebald deer differ from true albino deer, which have pink eyes, pink hooves and pink noses.
Travis Lau, a game commission spokesperson, said the deer “appeared to be shot, and it was recovered in an area where hunting is not allowed.”
Keener, who lives near the trail, said the deer had a wound in its chest, and it appeared someone had unsuccessfully tried to cut off its antlers.
“They didn’t take the antlers or the head, they didn’t get anything out of it,” Keener said. “I have to imagine whoever did this has a bit of remorse for killing such a beautiful animal.”
Keener said he subsequently learned from another neighbor that someone saw the dead deer Friday evening.
A piebald deer runs along the Farmingdale Trail in East Hempfield Township on April 14, 2025. The Pennsylvania Game Commission is investigating the apparent shooting of the deer, which was reported on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2025, to the commission.
DAN NEPHIN | Staff Writer
‘It’s a real loss’
Keener said he and his son Sam would regularly walk the trail to catch a glimpse of the rare juvenile buck, which was about 3 years old.
Lau said piebald deer are generally reported at rates of under 1% of the overall deer population.
“While the percentage is small though, piebald deer sightings are rather common because piebalds are out there among the population,” Lau said.
While most piebald deer develop additional deformities, such as crooked limbs or spinal conditions, Keener said the deer appeared to be healthy. He and his family had watched it grow from practically a fawn into a buck with seven pointed antlers this summer.
“It’s the closest thing I’ve experienced to losing a pet,” Keener said. “It’s a real loss.”
Keener said his son regularly took photos of the deer, and proudly displays one of his photos in his college dorm room.
“It was a hard phone call to make,” Keener said, “to tell him what happened.”
‘It’s just a tragedy’
Lancaster County Judge David Ashworth, who also lives near the trail, said the deer was always a welcome sight, even when it was eating the bushes in his backyard.
“The deer was sort of like a neighborhood mascot,” Ashworth said. “It’s just a tragedy.”
The deer would regularly wander from the trail and Noel Dorwart Park into nearby neighborhoods and didn’t seem to mind being around people, Ashworth said, describing it as all but a pet.
Ashworth said he and many of his neighbors were distressed when they learned the deer was killed and left near the trail.
“That’s not sporting hunting, that’s vandalism,” Ashworth said.
Ashworth said he would be worried if someone is hunting or using firearms near the popular trail.
“There’s adults, there are kids, that area is always busy, especially with the improvements done to the trail,” Ashworth said. “To have people hunting in that area just isn’t safe.”
The Pennsylvania Game Commission urges anyone with information about the dead piebald deer to contact its 24-hour dispatch center at 833-742-4868, or its Operation Game Thief hotline at 1-888-742-8001. Reports also can be made here.
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