Sick Deer?

Thomasc19

5 year old buck +
This is the first deer I've ever seen on my property in PA that looks sick like this - what's the possibility of it being CWD/EHD? Anyone ever have just a lone sick deer and have it not affect the herd? The area I'm in is pretty far from any confirmed CWD cases but seeing this worries me


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Have you seen it walking around? If it's not acting strange I wouldn't be too worried. It's really thin but hard to say what the problem might be.
 
Might have several fawns it’s feeding? I had a doe near my house (Northern PA) that looked pretty skinny like that but she had twins that she was trying to keep fed. She ended up getting fatter as the fawns began eating regular forage and the summer went on. I think this happens more so with younger does.
 
I agree that it’s probably just stressed because of fawns. I’ve seen them look pretty skinny before. She should fatten up as time goes on. By the way, looks like a very old deer to me.
 
Could for sure be fawns. I had a doe a few years ago that looked a little worse than that. She ended up dying and I found the carcass. She was so old her teeth were pretty much gone. Basically starved to death due to old age.


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I had one like that running around all year last year. I'm in a CWD area. I wanted to shoot it, just to get it tested but I never actually saw it live. It appears to have moved on or died over the winter.
 
Too early for EHD (I think). Could be CWD. Could be because of fawns. I don't think I have ever seen a nursing doe have so underdeveloped front and rear quarters, though. To me, that isn't just a lack of fat reserves, but an overall wasting away for whatever reason.
 
Thanks for the responses guys; haven't seen the deer in person but might have a sit on a field one evening to try and get a glimpse. Maybe the lighting is making it look worse too.
 
There are lots of reason deer get thin or ill. A little wet and early this year for EHD. Everyone thinks CWD when a deer looks poor. Could be old age or any number of things.
 
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