Hunting Washington Forum
Big Game Hunting => Deer Hunting => Topic started by: Slamadoo on April 23, 2008, 05:19:16 PM
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Do any of you guys know anything about the louse that was going around in Yakima and Kittittas Counties? I heard it was taking a heavy toll on the Mule Deer populations :( Is it still going strong?
Thanks
Slamadoo
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Um it hit the coast a few years ago I believe and has just recently hit yakima area. Biologist I talked to on monday told me a little about it but not alot. He said for now all they can do is watch it and see what ahppens but they are not wanting it to travel. HE said ivomec like what you put on cattle will kill the lice but there is no way to administer that to a bunch of deer. They are worried about it though because it was killing blacktails in the winter months(hairloss-make them cold) and we get harsher winters over here so they dont know whats gonna happen but it is no good. As of right now they are just keeping a close eye on it I guess. Guess it hasnt hit them really hard but it is happening.
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The blacktail deer around my house have the louse. Both of the deer we see commonly, have it.
Heres a pic sorry kind of blurry.
(http://C:\Documents and Settings\brian\My Documents\My Pictures\2008_04_12\the deer.jpg)
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I deer hunt in the cascades and i have seen it on a regular basis. And i think it is getting worse.
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Sorry the picture didn't show up. I'll try it again.
Its going to be an attachment I cant figure out how to post it.
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I talked to a biologist out of Yakima this past fall about the deer hair loss syndrome which is caused by louse. He said they did a survey in the Taneum and noticed it quite a bit, i think this was in 2005 though and then in 2006 their count of the population was way down and a lot of deer appeared to be dying from it. He said it was in the Teanaway as well but more prevalent South of I-90. I've never noticed it though, but those guys know more than me and actually look for that stuff.
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It seems to be more prevalent around farmed areas and lower elevations. Also, it affects the younger deer as their immune system is not as developed as the older deer. I believe hypothermia from the hair loss is what actually kills them...could be wrong. I see them around Elma etc...."farm deer". Hike a few hundred to a thousand feet up and it disappears. Its a shame its spread to the deer in C. Washington....winters are bad enough as it is.
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2007 Trend report has a lot of information in it
http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/status/
The Bios who wrote their section are blaming quite a bit of the Mulie die off on the Lice.
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When i took my 07 buck to the taxidermist he was caping the deer and i freaked . I said dude you got ticks all over you and he said, nope louse. they look just like ticks.that buck was in the teanaway.
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Has not been confirmed in Chelan Co yet, BUT deer around Wenatchee are showing hair loss for the first time this year - does NOT look like regular shedding of the winter coat.
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The louse have spread all of the way down into klickitat county. Looking to be a very serious thing. I have heard that the northern part of the cascades have not been hit.
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I have seen it more this yeer then I ever have. We saw three deer on Pilchuck tree farm north of Arlington with it a couple of week ends ago and I regularly see a couple of deer out in Machias wth it.
Dave
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Went on a ride up the Nanum today. Saw well over 50+deer. 10 of which looked to be yearling's and were without large patches of hair and were very emaciated. Was a sad sight.
Filmed 15 - 20 deer closer to home in Cle Elum and all looked healthy with no signs of hair loss. (South of I-90)
(Cougeyes by grandpas place)
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Yeah they're always out in those fields all along that road. He had a nice 5*4 up at his place, I tried to find the sheds one day but came up empty handed. Turns out the neighbor found one side of it in his yard.
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That little group looked good. Saw another 15 plus on the back road. Also very healthy.
cougeyes, saw your dad and Linda on the HD today. Looked great in their leathers. I also posted a you tube video of the backyard bulls in Billy's field. They are back.
