Blue Tongue

[MaD1521]

Found two up near tum tum today no wounds on bodies I'm sure this is the cause

[bearpaw]

I was told there have been over 200 dead deer removed from the city of Colville now. Deer sightings are way down, many bucks that hunters have been watching for rifle season have just disappeared. The are areas around alfalfa fields that have a stench to them. Bear have been found feeding on dead deer carcasses.

Bearpaw I have asked this question in the thread but the more I read I am increasingly curious as a new-ish hunter: I have a Palouse white tail rifle hunt in November and as a considerate hunter I am seriously thinking about canceling my hunt so as not to add more pressure to an already suffering population. What are your thoughts on this as a veteran hunter?

If you keep the tag hunt it, one person sitting out isn't going to really make a difference. It's the does that build the future of the herd, hopefully WDFW doesn't allow antlerless hunting next year, that will make the biggest difference.

[PA BEN]

I was told there have been over 200 dead deer removed from the city of Colville now. Deer sightings are way down, many bucks that hunters have been watching for rifle season have just disappeared. The are areas around alfalfa fields that have a stench to them. Bear have been found feeding on dead deer carcasses.

Bearpaw I have asked this question in the thread but the more I read I am increasingly curious as a new-ish hunter: I have a Palouse white tail rifle hunt in November and as a considerate hunter I am seriously thinking about canceling my hunt so as not to add more pressure to an already suffering population. What are your thoughts on this as a veteran hunter?

If you keep the tag hunt it, one person sitting out isn't going to really make a difference. It's the does that build the future of the herd, hopefully WDFW doesn't allow antlerless hunting next year, that will make the biggest difference.

[ljsommer]

Thank you!

[nwwanderer]

The biologist need to survey now and curtail doe hunts where applicable.  You can expect predator changes, moving wolves, more cat conflict, bears in your garbage and a slow response from WDFW.  Not for a month or more, lots to eat right now.  Sure hope I am wrong about WDFW

[LDennis24]

I just talked to some folks at WDFW and they have been taking samples of the dead deer North of Spokane but it's mainly for testing for CWD and not about the blue tongue. The dead ones are just easy pickings for samples.

[nwwanderer]

Good, Bad and Ugly.
Couple of cool nights, cheat sprouting allowing deer to spread with great feed and high water content

Watch deer daily, my normal 30 to 40 is now under 20

The 15 or so bucks I watched all summer are now about 5

Please hunt accordingly, it appears WDFW is looking for CWD and not responding to reality

[Pathfinder101]

Drove from Kettle Falls to Spokane last night, going through Addy, Arden, Chewelah and Loon Lake right around the witching hour.  I only saw 3 deer (and I was looking).   

[Rutnbuxnbulls]

My normal stand site I’ll get 15-20 whitetail does and fawns and a half dozen legal bucks in cam all summer.  This fall getting maybe two to three does a night if that, no bucks all summer/fall. Mule deer seem to be doing better I’m getting more of them this year. Unit 127.
I’m focusing on a mule deer buck. Period. WT need a rest. As a sportsman and conservationist I’ll let the whitetail walk this year. Unless he’s over 140”!!

[Ridgeratt]

I have not seen a single deer in the pasture in over 2 weeks. Not even anything tripping the motion lights after dark. 

[hunter399]

Haven't seen any thing decent on cams,Alot of dinky WT bucks. Here in my backyard went from about a dozen deer,down to about just two. That come in regular.
Coyote was going crazy last night,we are just getting some colder nites and they are yipping like wildfire.

[turkeyfeather]

We are in Stevens county. We are not seeing as many deer on cameras. Neighbor has found 6 dead deer (3 bucks) in the last 3 weeks.

[hunter399]

We are in Stevens county. We are not seeing many as deer on cameras. Neighbor has found 6 dead deer (3 bucks) in the last 3 weeks.

We had 3 bucks on our backyard cam,haven't seen any for awhile now.
Not sure if this hits older deer harder,cause have seen little herds of fawns or yearling.

[buckfvr]

Drove from Kettle Falls to Spokane last night, going through Addy, Arden, Chewelah and Loon Lake right around the witching hour.  I only saw 3 deer (and I was looking).   

Yesterday afternoon til evening (5+ hours glassing) in a spot I have in the past seen several mules and whitetail in the same session, looking for any kind of movement at all ( elk in particular), I saw zero anything move in a very large area.  Once I hit pavement, (Addy/Cedonia), if I didnt see 60 deer on the road home I didnt see a one.  Nearly every field, even a couple young branch antlered wt bucks.  Yes, I was shocked, but Im still seeing lots of does and fawns at my place with 6 bucks from spikes to 4 1/2 yr old. This is at and above 2400 ft.   

Ill add out muzzle deer in 101 and 121, few deer sighted up to over 5k ft, and not a single elk so far.

[MooseZ25]

It's still killing deer.  I had to have Stevens County Sheriff come kill another one on Sunday in my back yard just outside of Colville.