CSI this deer....

[ALCOAR]

Lots of great info, thanks all

The deer was placed on the tree so that I could find it more easily when I had returned with the camera.

Here are a few pics I recently took of some doe in my front yard...appear to be quite healthy.

[usmc1371]

If it was poached there is a good chance you will find evidence of a bullet strike in a bone some place. Can't see any on the skull so check the lower neck area and shoulder blades and ribs. A billet to the spine or skull pretty much means it died where you found it. If it was shot with out a bone being struck like a gut shot it could have come from a long ass ways a way. Coyotes will take down perfectly healthy deer if they get so inclined. I fully believe it happens more than people think. A young buck that got his ass kicked enough to have a broken horn would be an easy target for a pair of coyotes.

[va4runner]

Did you find the deer right near a water source? No more than maybe 25-30 feet away from the source of water?

[ALCOAR]

Yeah he was was within 25-30ft. of a drinking source...i.e. several small creeks/runoffs. He was also within 500yds or so of a river that has been known for some time to be heavily polluted.

[va4runner]

Yeah he was was within 25-30ft. of a drinking source...i.e. several small creeks/runoffs. He was also within 500yds or so of a river that has been known for some time to be heavily polluted.

I would look up Chronic Wasting Disease and see if your State is known to have it in their deer population.

Deer will seek a water source and will stay there while they slowly die a miserable death.

Contact your Department of Wildlife (Game Warden). They maybe very interested.

Hope this helps you.

[va4runner]

Forgot to mention, deer will also seek out water source and not leave if they have Hemorrhagic Disease also. Someone mentioned HD in a previous post.

Your State Game website should have more info on each.

[ALCOAR]

Great info, and thankfully Alabama seems to be immune thus far from the chronic wasting disease.



Now the bad news....Alabama does seem to be infected with Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD).







Damn I really hope that this EHD hasn't crept into my locale. What a shitty way to die!

[jmnielsen]

Great info, and thankfully Alabama seems to be immune thus far from the chronic wasting disease.



Now the bad news....Alabama does seem to be infected with Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD).







Damn I really hope that this EHD hasn't crept into my locale. What a shitty way to die!

Yeah, nebraska got hit real hard this year. Pretty much whitetail but it killed tens of thousands of them. If I were to guess I would bet that is what killed your deer.

[ALCOAR]

More evidence this could be indeed the case......my deer died most likely late summer, early fall:

"The peak season for HD is late summer to early fall, so here’s a guide to understanding and identifying HD in case it strikes deer where you hunt.

HD is an infectious, blood-borne disease of deer and elk that is transmitted by biting midges or flies, which are most active in late summer; it is caused by either of two closely related viruses, epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) virus or bluetongue (BTV) virus. Since the symptoms produced by both of these viruses are relatively indistinguishable, the general term “HD” is often used. The Southeast is most affected and outbreaks occur annually, but the disease ranges as far north as New York and New Jersey in the Northeast, across the Midwest to Montana and southern Canada, and to Washington, Oregon and California on the west coast."

Sourced here:

http://www.qdma.com/articles/know-th...rhagic-disease

I read about the terrible news in Nebraska just now too....

"From this story on norfolkdailynews.com:
Drought and an outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) in 2012 caused significant reductions in whitetail deer populations, permit sales and harvest...Deer permit sales in 2012 declined 13 percent to 122,214. Total deer harvest fell 30 percent to 60,548. The whitetail buck harvest fell 29 percent to 26,309; whitetail antlerless harvest dropped 36 percent to 24,974; mule deer buck harvest declined 3 percent to 7,325; and the mule deer antlerless harvest fell 8 percent to 1,940.

According to the story, while the statewide harvest was down 30 percent, some areas experienced a 50 percent decline. Overall, the combination of drought and disease knocked back Nebraska's deer population to what they were a decade ago. "

Sourced here:

http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/...ion-nebraska-4

[ryan]

I didn't even think of that, mainly because you see more than one.

Farm in Camp Hill (I can PM you the farm name Trident) found 15-20 dead from ehd this year, couple nice bucks.