Michigan wildlife officials may allow hunting of albino deer

INDIAN RIVER, Mich. (AP) - Michigan wildlife officials may drop a rule that forbids killing albino deer.

The Michigan Natural Resources Commission is scheduled to consider the change during a meeting Thursday in Lansing. It's among several proposals about deer on the agenda.

It's been illegal to take all-white deer in Michigan since the 1980s.

But state officials say there's no scientific reason for the ban because albinism comes from an undesirable genetic mutation.

Also, it can be hard for hunters to distinguish between albinos and piebald deer, which are mostly white but have a few brown spots.

A hunter from Indian River filed a defamation suit after he was accused of killing an albino in 2004. A state investigation determined the man broke no laws.