Hoof Rot

[Dirtnap]

Went out this morning, came across two different herds of elk and every single one of them was limping badly.  It’s so sad to see.  Has WDFW been looking into this issue? Is there any for sure cause? I’ve always heard herbicides and fertilizers were suspected causes.

[bobcat]

I saw a herd of about 35 in Thurston county a few weeks ago, watched them for about 20 to 30 minutes. Could not spot one elk in the herd that wasn't limping. It was so sad to see.

[Dirtnap]

I agree it was hard to watch, I could help but imagine the end of elk.

[kentrek]

Last meat eater video about it they were working on "test" kits....30 years in and they are working on test kits

[Dirtnap]

I’m tempted to do a public disclosure request to WDFW on any in all research that’s been conducted on hoff rot since the beginning.

[kodiak06]

Went out this morning, came across two different herds of elk and every single one of them was limping badly.  It’s so sad to see.  Has WDFW been looking into this issue? Is there any for sure cause? I’ve always heard pesticides and fertilizers were suspected causes.

People blame the timber companies but, it's not that or hoof rot would be all over NW Oregon as well. The same chemicals are used here on timber land. It's a bacterial infection similar to cattle from what I've read. The cows here on the farm walk through a specific foot bath to help prevent it in the herd but on occasion one gets and treatment is pretty simple.

[Magnum_Willys]

Buddy shot at a Cow elk in the snow and we ended up tracking the bloody tracks for a couple miles until we caught up with it laying down.  He had missed it was just hoofrot on the foot - had elf hoof .  Sad.

[TitusFord]

Went out this morning, came across two different herds of elk and every single one of them was limping badly.  It’s so sad to see.  Has WDFW been looking into this issue? Is there any for sure cause? I’ve always heard pesticides and fertilizers were suspected causes.

People blame the timber companies but, it's not that or hoof rot would be all over NW Oregon as well. The same chemicals are used here on timber land. It's a bacterial infection similar to cattle from what I've read. The cows here on the farm walk through a specific foot bath to help prevent it in the herd but on occasion one gets and treatment is pretty simple.

Somebody gets it. They use the same chemicals in multiple states. And it's herbicides not pesticides like the OP mentioned. Hoof rot is a bacteria not a chemical.
Bacteria thrives in wet soils like elk tend to spend their time in, when one elk walks through that mud with hoof rot it leaves bacteria for the elk behind it to pick up.

[Dirtnap]

Why don’t deer get it?

[Fishmaker57]

And why didn’t exist prior to the early 90’s?

[HntnFsh]

Went out this morning, came across two different herds of elk and every single one of them was limping badly.  It’s so sad to see.  Has WDFW been looking into this issue? Is there any for sure cause? I’ve always heard pesticides and fertilizers were suspected causes.

People blame the timber companies but, it's not that or hoof rot would be all over NW Oregon as well. The same chemicals are used here on timber land. It's a bacterial infection similar to cattle from what I've read. The cows here on the farm walk through a specific foot bath to help prevent it in the herd but on occasion one gets and treatment is pretty simple.

Somebody gets it. They use the same chemicals in multiple states. And it's herbicides not pesticides like the OP mentioned. Hoof rot is a bacteria not a chemical.
Bacteria thrives in wet soils like elk tend to spend their time in, when one elk walks through that mud with hoof rot it leaves bacteria for the elk behind it to pick up.

There's a lot more to it than that. All of the herbicides kill the feed they need to get the copper and selenium that keeps them healthy. Ive seen it start in the lowlands a lot of years ago and slowly work it's way to the higher elevations. I feel like it was spread from the farm animals and then as the elk get infected they carried it away from the main source and keep spreading it further and further away from the original source. My observations have been that this started when the timber companies and Christmas tree farms started heavy use of herbicides in the lowlands in the very early 80s. Never saw it before that. And spread like wildfire s8nce then.

[pianoman9701]

Last meat eater video about it they were working on "test" kits....30 years in and they are working on test kits

Almost 40. First case I believe was in 1988.

[nwwanderer]

Dr. Wild's research at WSU is available to all.  Nothing easy about it

[BA Mongor]

Wanderer is correct. Finding the root cause of Hoof Rot is extremely complicated, and the WSU team, as well as others have spent years and years trying to figure it out. Even if all the researchers define what started it, we will then need to find a cure and implement it. Who knows how long that will take, and trying to distribute a cure to wild animals is going to be extremely hard.

It's sad to see these animals suffer, and I personally hope that this disease will run its course and we'll see an end in the near future. The timber companies might not like it, but I miss the large herds of elk that I grew up with!!!

[ASHQUACK]

Just a minor observation here, but it began when the burning of slash in clearcuts was outlawed.

[BA Mongor]

They still burn the slash piles.
Outlawed???

[TitusFord]

They still burn the slash piles.
Outlawed???

They no longer burn the clear cut itself just the slash piles.

[MADMAX]

Made for a fun hunt🥴