Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Deer Hunting => Topic started by: NOCK NOCK on April 22, 2018, 08:10:44 PM

Title: Hair Loss Syndrome ?
Post by: NOCK NOCK on April 22, 2018, 08:10:44 PM: That's what I'm guessing but don't know much about it. Quick research only turned up that it affect mostly BT. This was up the Entiat.
Title: Re: Hair Loss Syndrome ?
Post by: banishd on April 22, 2018, 08:46:28 PM: No, those are zombie deer!
Title: Re: Hair Loss Syndrome ?
Post by: zwickeyman on April 22, 2018, 08:53:06 PM: Quite a few with slip here in North Bend
Title: Re: Hair Loss Syndrome ?
Post by: bobcat on April 22, 2018, 08:58:24 PM: They say it's in the Yakima and Kittitas county areas but apparently no reports of it further north than that.

https://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/health/hair_loss/
Title: Re: Hair Loss Syndrome ?
Post by: fish vacuum on April 22, 2018, 09:10:12 PM: Every spring, when deer are blowing their coats, people start claiming to see a bunch of hair slip. Most of the deer I've seen lately have looked pretty shaggy too. It's spring.
Title: Re: Hair Loss Syndrome ?
Post by: fishnfur on April 23, 2018, 12:15:15 AM: :yeah: Shedding winter coat. They'll look good as new in a couple of weeks.
Title: Re: Hair Loss Syndrome ?
Post by: NOCK NOCK on April 23, 2018, 06:04:00 AM: This is not shedding. Hair is gone.
Title: Re: Hair Loss Syndrome ?
Post by: Jpmiller on April 23, 2018, 06:56:15 AM: We have bt around my place that seem to have half their hair all winter. Looks pretty similar to those pics. Doesn't really seem to bother them though, we see the same deer with it year after year.
Title: Re: Hair Loss Syndrome ?
Post by: CarbonHunter on April 23, 2018, 07:59:18 AM: I talked to a biologist a few years ago about the hair slip around the Naches area and he said it had already spread as far north as Chelan. But it is spring and I’m seeing lots of deer that look like that so I would give it a month before you’ll know for sure.
Title: Re: Hair Loss Syndrome ?
Post by: DOUBLELUNG on April 23, 2018, 10:00:03 AM: Quote from: CarbonHunter on April 23, 2018, 07:59:18 AM
I talked to a biologist a few years ago about the hair slip around the Naches area and he said it had already spread as far north as Chelan. But it is spring and I’m seeing lots of deer that look like that so I would give it a month before you’ll know for sure.
That is correct. It is a different exotic louse than the one that causes it in BT, and may have been introduced inadvertently by releasing a fawn that was being kept captive by migrant workers in Yakima County - it was learned later they had picked up the fawn in California.

Nock is correct, this is hair loss not shedding.
Title: Re: Hair Loss Syndrome ?
Post by: NOCK NOCK on April 23, 2018, 10:58:28 AM: Thanks sir. Knew without doubt that it wasn’t shedding since all of the hair is gone, just hadn’t heard of HLS in Chelan county yet.
Title: Re: Hair Loss Syndrome ?
Post by: W_Ellison2011 on April 23, 2018, 04:33:07 PM: See it this time of year on the yearling BT. First spring shed seems to almost always look like that on them. The full grown does don't do it. Could be wrong but I've watched deer on my parents property out in Onalaska that the yearlings look like that for a couple weeks then back to normal.
Title: Re: Hair Loss Syndrome ?
Post by: Jpmiller on April 23, 2018, 09:15:57 PM: Quote from: W_Ellison2011 on April 23, 2018, 04:33:07 PM
See it this time of year on the yearling BT. First spring shed seems to almost always look like that on them. The full grown does don't do it. Could be wrong but I've watched deer on my parents property out in Onalaska that the yearlings look like that for a couple weeks then back to normal.

It definitely seems more prominent in the younger deer but a few of the mature does around my place have it too.
Title: Re: Hair Loss Syndrome ?
Post by: W_Ellison2011 on April 23, 2018, 09:21:25 PM: Quote from: Jpmiller on April 23, 2018, 09:15:57 PM
Quote from: W_Ellison2011 on April 23, 2018, 04:33:07 PM
See it this time of year on the yearling BT. First spring shed seems to almost always look like that on them. The full grown does don't do it. Could be wrong but I've watched deer on my parents property out in Onalaska that the yearlings look like that for a couple weeks then back to normal.

It definitely seems more prominent in the younger deer but a few of the mature does around my place have it too.
I really hope our deer herds aren't getting some sort of ailment. With hoofrot really hitting hard on some of our elk herds I would hate to see the deer getting hit with something as well.
Title: Re: Hair Loss Syndrome ?
Post by: fishnfur on April 23, 2018, 10:41:20 PM: Quote from: NOCK NOCK on April 23, 2018, 06:04:00 AM
This is not shedding. Hair is gone.

On second look, I agree with you. The hair loss pattern seems to be consistent with Hair Loss Syndrome. The hair loss occurs on body areas where the deer can excessively groom themselves. If they can't lick it excessively, they still often still have hair attached. It is not considered to be a fatal condition, but the hair loss reduces the affected deer's ability to stay warm/healthy in winter or cold wet weather, which may often lead to death. Here's the WDFW page on the louse induced syndrome: https://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/health/hair_loss/

Here's a couple of pics from last May of a yearling displaying the same appearance. From what I've seen in the woods, if they survive the winter, the coat comes back and they appear normal within a short period of time.