SPOONER, Wis. — People around Spooner, Wisconsin are remembering the life of a local legend.
An albino buck known to many as “The King” passed away a couple of weeks ago and locals estimate that he was about 15 years old.
“Around 2009 is the first time we saw him in the area. My dad actually saw him down the road a couple miles when he was a fawn,” Brian Danielsen said.
Growing up hunting and fishing near Spooner, Wisconsin, Brian and Megan Danielson thought they’d seen it all. But that was before “The King” came strolling through their property.
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“It was really exciting and then we just started carrying a camera all the time. Because as soon as we would see him everybody would call, ‘Oh, he’s over here. He’s over here,’” Megan Danielson said.
Over the years, the couple and their kids would take pictures of the buck whenever he passed through. He was like a friendly neighbor they got used to seeing. And because albino deer are protected in Wisconsin, this is one buck hunters couldn’t touch. In the end, the king died of old age.
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“Driving up the driveway, look there’s the albino buck. It wasn’t moving and so we went up and found it was the end of an era. It was pretty sad to see,” Brian Danielson said.
“I was thankful that he had a peaceful death. It wasn’t poaching or getting hit by a car,” Megan Danielson said.
Since he was found on their property, the Danielsons took the buck to a taxidermist and they’ve been thinking of ways to keep the legend going.
The plan is to put the buck’s full body mount on display at a Spooner restaurant or business so both locals and tourists can see him.
In the meantime, they have a lifetime’s worth of deer stories to tell, and in this case, all of them are true.
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“It’s really special this is part of a process that our kids are growing up with. And it also teaches them conservation,” Megan Danielson said. “And it teaches them appreciation for what we live in and what we have locally here.”
Locals estimate that at his peak, the albino buck was a 12-pointer who weighed close to 300 pounds. He was given the nickname “The King” by a Spooner newspaper reporter. About one in 30,000 deer are albino.
John Lauritsen
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John Lauritsen is an Emmy award-winning reporter from Montevideo, Minn. He joined WCCO-TV in late-July of 2007. Two days after he started, the Interstate 35W bridge collapsed.
Dr. Greg DeMuri, a pediatric infectious disease doctor from UW Health, joined Wisconsin Live Desk to talk about cyclosporiasis. There are now 61 confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis in Wisconsin — and we need to keep safe.
Manuel Franco claims his $768 million Powerball jackpot
Manuel Franco, 24, of West Allis was revealed Tuesday as the winner of the $768.4 million Powerball jackpot.
Mark Hoffman, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The Wisconsin Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
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Here’s a look at July 16, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Pick 3 numbers from July 16 drawing
Midday: 2-7-4
Evening: 1-0-9
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from July 16 drawing
Midday: 8-3-9-8
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Evening: 2-8-1-2
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning All or Nothing numbers from July 16 drawing
Midday: 01-05-06-09-12-13-14-15-17-19-21
Evening: 01-03-05-07-08-09-13-15-19-21-22
Check All or Nothing payouts and previous drawings here.
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Winning Badger 5 numbers from July 16 drawing
03-05-17-26-31
Check Badger 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning SuperCash numbers from July 16 drawing
14-18-25-29-37-39, Doubler: N
Check SuperCash payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
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Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
Prizes up to $599: Can be claimed at any Wisconsin Lottery retailer.
Prizes from $600 to $199,999: Can be claimed in person at a Lottery Office. By mail, send the signed ticket and a completed claim form available on the Wisconsin Lottery claim page to: Prizes, PO Box 777 Madison, WI 53774.
Prizes of $200,000 or more: Must be claimed in person at the Madison Lottery office. Call the Lottery office prior to your visit: 608-261-4916.
Can Wisconsin lottery winners remain anonymous?
No, according to the Wisconsin Lottery. Due to the state’s open records laws, the lottery must, upon request, release the name and city of the winner. Other information about the winner is released only with the winner’s consent.
When are the Wisconsin Lottery drawings held?
Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
Super Cash: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 3 (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 3 (Evening): 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 4 (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 4 (Evening): 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
All or Nothing (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
All or Nothing (Evening): 9 p.m. CT daily.
Megabucks: 9:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
Badger 5: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
That lucky feeling: Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
Feeling lucky? WI man wins $768 million Powerball jackpot **
WI Lottery history: Top 10 Powerball and Mega Million jackpots
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Wisconsin editor. You can send feedback using this form.
