Anyone else seeing dead elk all over St. Helens tree farm?

[janttihunter]

Anyone else seeing dead elk all over St. Helens tree farm?  I called WDFW and let them know I saw three dead elk a few weeks ago.

[bbarnes]

There dieing of hoof rot caused by the defoliants there spraying start making some noise.

[cem3434]

There dieing of hoof rot caused by the defoliants there spraying start making some noise.

Is there any evidence supporting this? If so, where can we learn more about it?

[dreamunelk]

There dieing of hoof rot caused by the defoliants there spraying start making some noise.

Then why don't they have it in other areas of Washington?  Why isn't it in Oregon?  They use the same techniques.

[kglacken]

  And the deer dont get it. Thats what doesnt make sense to me!

[dreamunelk]

And the deer dont get it. Thats what doesnt make sense to me!

Just far enough removed from an evolution stand point that it currently does not.  Another brain teaser is why don't elk get hair slip? 

[funkster]

Hoof rot is a problem, but I wouldn't consider 3 dead elk "all over the st. Helen's treefarm" alarming. The tree farm is thousands of acres!

[bigtex]

There dieing of hoof rot caused by the defoliants there spraying start making some noise.

Then why don't they have it in other areas of Washington?  Why isn't it in Oregon?  They use the same techniques.

 

The Kapowsin, Snoqualmie, and White River Tree Farms in King and Pierce Counties all have good elk herds yet no hoof rot....

[sirmissalot]

There dieing of hoof rot caused by the defoliants there spraying start making some noise.

I saw 2 dead elk over the weekend, and one that I had to put down (with a game wardens approval via cell phone) and only one of them had hoof rot, which was not severe enough to have killed the elk. The one I had to put down had blood coming out of its mouth and around its bloodshot eyes, most likely was hit by a vehicle, the close proximity of the other two lead me to believe that was the case for them as well.

[janttihunter]

I saw three dead elk in one day whithin a few mile radius..

[sirmissalot]

Mine were also in one day within a few mile radius. Where were you at? I biked in at the 3100 road, was in an 05 maroon toyota.

[jackelope]

Good time of year to be finding winter kills.
 

[lewy]

 Im not surprised, we found numerous dead elk in the dec. elk seasons down that way, all of which had rotten/rotted off feet. Seen a few elk, that im sure I could have ran down and killed if I had wanted to, that could hardly get around.........sad

[janttihunter]

Two of them were off the 4100, and 1 behind a gate my wife and I hiked in. The two I saw off 4100 were suspicious, coming out of a game trail dropped in there tracks 10 feet off the road. The other was in a clear cut.

[ghosthunter]

Talked to a source today in wfwd. Told me they had three universities working on the hoof rot problem. One is in England.

He said the whole problem started in the Abernathy gum.

[HntnFsh]

Talked to a source today in wfwd. Told me they had three universities working on the hoof rot problem. One is in England.

He said the whole problem started in the Abernathy gum.

I doubt they could say that is where it started. But that is probably where they first started getting reports from. I believe Abernathy is just a part of Ryderwood or Willapa hills. Maybe both.

[kentrek]

Talked to a source today in wfwd. Told me they had three universities working on the hoof rot problem. One is in England.

He said the whole problem started in the Abernathy gum.

I doubt they could say that is where it started. But that is probably where they first started getting reports from. I believe Abernathy is just a part of Ryderwood or Willapa hills. Maybe both.

the Abernathy country is just outside castlerock,so mostly ryderwood and stella

and i know that the rot was in the stella before the Abernathy country... but at least they are in the area

[RadSav]

Talked to a source today in wfwd. Told me they had three universities working on the hoof rot problem. One is in England.

He said the whole problem started in the Abernathy gum.

So if the wfwd had just quit giving all those elk Abernathy gum to chew on the problem would have been solved! 
Vewy, vewy intewesting

 

[ghosthunter]

From what I am told the Abernathy is bordered by private timber lands on both sides?
Never been there.
He also said the rot exists in young calves and several where killed by the dept. for testing.

[Dutchie]

Saw three winter kills i the tout last weekend, thougth nothing of it. Two of them were a couple weeks old and pretty ripe, didnt checl the hooves.  Ill have to pay closer attention.  Thought just winter kills, maybe its all linked together.

[heavy hauler]

i plan on going to st helens this weekend. i will take a walk and get back to everyone

[Huntbear]

There dieing of hoof rot caused by the defoliants there spraying start making some noise.

Hoof rot is a Bacterial issue... not a chemical issue..  After talking to someone with a degree in agricultural herbicides and pesticides.. Not the defoliants causing this.

[bobcat]

There dieing of hoof rot caused by the defoliants there spraying start making some noise.

Hoof rot is a Bacterial issue... not a chemical issue..  After talking to someone with a degree in agricultural herbicides and pesticides.. Not the defoliants causing this.

Well maybe not directly, but couldn't it be an indirect cause? Perhaps the elk are not getting the proper nutrients they need, which would fight off the bacteria?   

[bobcat]

From what I am told the Abernathy is bordered by private timber lands on both sides?
Never been there.
He also said the rot exists in young calves and several where killed by the dept. for testing.

Abernathy is not a GMU. (nor is it gum, that I know of)   

Just FYI

[madmack76]

unfortunately reporting it to wdfw does not help, they never get back to you or come check it out, I got a group out here have told them they can come observe them from property and they have never responded. found 2 dead ones within a week this year.

[TONTO]

 Why yes I did find a dead elk just SW of St Hellens back in January


 

The WDFW took some sample elk harvests to study not long ago. I believe they took them in the abernathy area. I saw my first hoof rot elk probably ten years ago right here in my own backyard, and believe that the hoof rot started right here in the Longview area. More specificly in the columbia hights area right on the outskirts of town. It is sad to regularly see 20+ head at a time with well over half of them limping. I would love to help anyway I could if they could just figure out what is causing it.

[bullcrazy]

Is that a bullet hole in that elk?

[SkookumHntr]

I watch elk in the wildwood area everyday and when there by the road they dont even run.. Its like there saying phuck it just shoot me! Watching every elk in the herd limping like that makes a guy just wanta cry.. Ive talked to the bios and game dept, they have absolutly no clue whats causing it or a fix! They said there talking with vets from all over the world on it! I just cant believe how much its spreading now!

[TONTO]

Is that a bullet hole in that elk?

 Yeah I don't think he died of hoof rot.

[kentrek]

The WDFW took some sample elk harvests to study not long ago. I believe they took them in the abernathy area. I saw my first hoof rot elk probably ten years ago right here in my own backyard, and believe that the hoof rot started right here in the Longview area. More specificly in the columbia hights area right on the outskirts of town. It is sad to regularly see 20+ head at a time with well over half of them limping. I would love to help anyway I could if they could just figure out what is causing it.

thats not more than a few air miles from where we first started seeing the rot..in the stella unit between westside highway and Hazel del rd,first in the late 90's i believe

[ghosthunter]

From what I am told the Abernathy is bordered by private timber lands on both sides?
Never been there.
He also said the rot exists in young calves and several where killed by the dept. for testing.

Abernathy is not a GMU. (nor is it gum, that I know of)   

Just FYIh

 

[elk247]

Is that a bullet hole in that elk?

 Yeah I don't think he died of hoof rot.

That looks like a healthy bull that was poached for his horns. Too bad that d bag didnt get caught. With the herd in danger of the hoof rot they need all the healthy animals they can get. Dosent make any sense when that animal would have dropped the horns anyway. Just disgusting!

[swwaoutdoorsman]

Bet if no one bought hunting licenses next year they'd solve the problem pics from today seen several others over the past few weeks. None seem to have the worse hoof rot I've seen but none the less they died

[gotcha]

Saw five dead ones three days ago. No hoof rot on any. Said to see. Need the green to start growing for them. Saw two herds and they looked skinny.

[moonvalleyranch]

We have hoof rot all over here in the Willipa Hills unit. It is really bad here in Wahkiakum County. Game department has no answers so far. Knowing them all the elk will be dead and gone before they find a solution.