Been seeing some sick deer

[Naches Sportsman]

I was up driving around and noticed really sick deer today at the nile feeding station. 3/4 of the hair gone on 5 deer plus a doe had a new born fawn with her that was also losing hair. this is bad news especially when the deer numbers were starting to rebound a little bit.

[Kowsrule30]

They will probably die.... Not good news... 

[passing-thru]

I saw several when I drove up to Oak Creek. Feeding station last weekend. Ask the biologist about it and he told me it was "fallow lice" Came into country with the fallow deer to exotica ranches. Doesn't effect the fallow deer, but is epidemic in the native deer population. Doesn't effect health, but the can't get rid of it. Said we won't see end of it in my lifetime (I'm 43) Sad 

[ghosthunter]

It dosent help the problem when they are all down on the feed station together.

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

Beginning in 2003, WDFW began to receive reports of deer from the Yakima area of south-central Washington with clinical signs similar to HLS. These reports were of deer occurring in the black-tailed/mule deer intergrade zone in the eastern foothills of Cascade Range, and were the first reports of apparent HLS in eastern Washington. Reports of more severely affected deer were received in 2004. In March 2005, lice were collected from four affected deer and identified as Bovicola tibialis, yet another exotic old world species with fallow deer as the normal host.

During the early spring of 2006, WDFW received numerous reports of dead deer, especially fawns, in the Yakima area with hair loss. The geographical extent of reports received in 2006 had expanded greatly compared to previous years and included occurrences of the condition in mule deer. Aerial surveys and harvest statistics suggest that the deer population in Yakima and Kittitas counties has declined by about 50% since the arrival of the lice.  It is unknown if Bovicola tibialis infestations are the sole reason for the drop in deer numbers, but they are suspected to be a factor.

Bovicola tibialis is also associated with hair loss in deer in Klickitat County. In Chelan County, the occurrence of Bovicola tibialis was documented in 2009, and by April 2010, deer affected by hair loss were observed throughout the county's mule deer winter range.   

Neither species of the exotic lice described above affect humans or domestic animals.

In captive settings, deer have been successfully cleared of lice infestations with the use of medication. However, in free-ranging situations, there is no practical method for delivering effective doses of medication to large populations of wild deer.

[Boss .300 winmag]

Wow new born fawn. Isn't it a little early for fawns?

[norsepeak]

My deer have actually come out of it.  Got a couple does who had it real bad two years ago, and they slowly got over it and now they are healthy and have healthy fawns each year....so far.

[ribka]

2 to 3 years ago saw about thirty  per cent of deer in 340 and 342 with hair loss.

have not yet seen a deer with hair loss in 2011 and 2012.

hope it is a positive sign

[coachcw]

I was told that wild turkeys caired the lice ? my guess is that the wdfw wouldn't point towards turkeys . i dont see to many fallow deer in the nile 

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

I was told that wild turkeys caired the lice ? my guess is that the wdfw wouldn't point towards turkeys . i dont see to many fallow deer in the nile 

According to what I heard years ago, when they allowed Archers to take antlerless again for all of September (after it was closed, then half season)..it was some private landowners that bought some (european Fallow Deer) , and native deer got infected so they increased the season to  attempt to control the spread..
but you know how rumours go...

[Wacenturion]

I was told that wild turkeys caired the lice ? my guess is that the wdfw wouldn't point towards turkeys . i dont see to many fallow deer in the nile 

Heck, if that doesn't work, they can blame Bush. 

[colockumelk]

Wow new born fawn. Isn't it a little early for fawns?

This is what happens when you have an extremely low buck to doe ratio. Does that are not bred the first time will come into heat again a month later, if not need they will come into heat a month later.

But good thing they don't give out doe permits since that wouldn't solve anything.   The biggest problem with that deer herd is the buck to doe ratio. In the LT Murray in the winter I will see over 100 deer a day. Maybe 2 or 3 will be bucks. And the bucks I see are usually small. They need to thin out some does in there.

[biggdogg]

clockum are you saying that the fawn is actually from not this past rut but from the previous rut? not quite understanding that part of the post. If so can u explain in more detail I find that hard to believe.

[coachcw]

that small fawn must have been bread really late last year. I dont see why taking any doe's out will help rebound numbers , if the late fawns make it they make it .

[Dslayer]

We've seen 20 plus deer the past several outings in the 340/342 and all have been good.  Saw more legal bucks last summer in the 342 than I have seen in many years-nothing spectacular, but good to see.  Spent a lot of time scouting/hunting 346 and didn't see any with the fur rubbed off.  I've been relatively encouraged by what I've seen the 6-8 months. We did see an extremely small calf elk with spots run across the Selah Ellensburg Road three weekends ago.