In an incredibly rare sighting, a hunter in south Illinois witnessed an albino whitetail stag Tuesday. Wes Jackson was reportedly scouting for the upcoming hunting season when he saw the beautiful male deer with a coat of pure white.

The hunter in White County could not believe his eyes and recorded the rare animal munching the leaves around him. The video shows the stag was accompanied by another non-albino deer.

As Jackson tried to get a better view of the rare animal, his companion saw the hunter and stayed still as stone. But after a minute, the non-albino deer became less fearful and began to munch leaves as well.

Jackson reportedly said this was not the first time he saw the rare albino stag but never had a chance to record the encounter. Due to their rarity, it is illegal to shoot albino stag in Illinois, as well as in some area of Montana, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.

Earlier this year, an albino whitetail deer was spotted by a hunter in Chapel Hill, Tennessee. The hunter was able to take a few photos of the deer before it disappeared into the woods.

Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency wrote about the rare sighting at the time and also clarified the differences between an albino and a piebald deer. The signs of a true albino are pink eyes, a pink nose, and pink hooves. These rare creatures could have brown stains on their heads from rubbing on trees.

white deer
A white stag runs with his herd in a snow covered field in Moosrain near the lake Tegernsee, Jan. 21, 2014. Reuters/Michael Dalder

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