Sick Deer?

[Thomasc19]

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

 

[jsasker007]

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.

 

[Derek Reese 29]

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.

 

[Buckly]

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.

 

[T-Max]

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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[PatinPA]

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.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

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.

 

[Thomasc19]

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.

 

[swat1018]

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.

 

[Feelslikefar.]

She does look very thin, but it could also be the lighting angle making it look worse that you're used to seeing.

So many of the does I was getting pictures of in May, early June I was surprised how bone-y they looked.

 

[Feelslikefar.]

Here's a skinny girl from today.

 

[Angus 1895]

IMO that deer in the first picture is sick or has very bad teeth.

 

[b116757]

Couple years ago I was up at my brothers in Northern Wisconsin after they had a very long hard winter with heavy snowfall it was painfully obvious the deer suffered because they all looked terrible we jumped one mushroom hunting and it took a couple jumps turned back to see if we where following and since we where not she stumbled away slowly after that every deer I saw that week was in poor shape

 

[Feelslikefar.]

Thinking about my skinny deer today, wondering why since we had a fairly mild winter two years in a row.
Then I thought, maybe THAT's the reason? When there's snow , but is not real deep, doesn't stick around and develop a pack to it, they can't get to the higher browse? A double edged sword kind of thing?

 

[Telemark]

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


View attachment 79010

That looks like a deer that is starving to death. Probably no more teeth left. I would shoot it. Starvation is a grim way to die.

 

[Telemark]

Here's a skinny girl from today.

View attachment 79571

Hard to tell, but it seems like it's probably ok. Maybe call around to universities and other institutions to see who collared her and send them the pictures. In any case, I would not shoot it.

 

[Feelslikefar.]

That's the head of a stalk of rye, not a necklace. :D

 

[Telemark]

That's the head of a stalk of rye, not a necklace. :D

Gotcha. Not the first time a trail cam tricked my eyes.