Hunting & Fishing Deer diseases in Texas

[Jmilera]

Okay gent WTF is going on in Texas. First west Nile then anthrax cases in uvalde county diseases, then black death and now deer wasting diseases caused by prions. Prions are proteins that act like viruses, these are in the same category as mad cow disease. Even though the deer prions haven't shown to be able to infect humans, who will take a chance. Oh and by the way cooking the meat well will not denature these virus like prions.
Now I have my wife saying that I can't go hunting for fear I will contract some fucken disease.
So here is the question who can speculate as to why these diseases are occurring with more frequency? Overpopulation, hot climate ?

 

[Nortex]

Re: Deer diseases in Texas

I haven't looked into it much as most cases seem to be in west Texas and I thought at the last i heard so far it was only mule deer that had been confirmed. May have to look a little more into it just to learn something new, definitely gonna go hunting though helps that my wife doesn't pay attention to anything news related so no worries there.

 

[Nortex]

Re: Deer diseases in Texas

Looks to be just 2 confirmed cases in far west Texas and both were Mule deer.

http://www.cwd-info.org/index.php/fuseaction/news.detail/ID/ae0c4e99b39fc1d31d1b90ab9283942e

 

[a220stw]

Re: Deer diseases in Texas

I also have been thinking that anthrax and blue tongue have been showing up more often.
alot of times it gets swept under the carpet

 

[Jmilera]

Re: Deer diseases in Texas

Anthrax is native to Texas soil, but with the low rain fall there is no wash away effect on the bacteria. We have also seen an increase of vector born diseases in Laredo .

 

[Teamor]

Re: Deer diseases in Texas

We are seeing the white tail here in SD dropping dead. They are saying its from hemorrhagic which comes from an insect bite that the deer are picking up around stagnant water. It got pretty chilly here the last couple nights so maybe that will slow it down.

 

[txgw]

Re: Deer diseases in Texas

There are more cases showing up partially because they are testing for different diseases more, not necessarily because they are just now coming out. The CWD testing was brought on because there was a case found in New Mexico right on the state line in the area where they tested. CWD has been known in New Mexico and Colorado (and a few other states but I can't remember which ones right now) for a long time so it's not a new thing.

Lack of rain, which leads to lower health/immune system, overpopulation, confinement to pens, and a whole bunch of other things can also contribute. Not sure what the deal is with West Nile, but just like everything else it seems to go in cycles there was a bad one back in the 90s.

In my opinion a LOT of it has to do with the media and what they decide to run with. It's amazing what happens on a daily basis but no one knows until one story hits the media, then all of a sudden it's a national tragedy/epidemic.

 

[shamrockcattleco]

Re: Deer diseases in Texas

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Teamor</div><div class="ubbcode-body">We are seeing the white tail here in SD dropping dead. They are saying its from hemorrhagic which comes from an insect bite that the deer are picking up around stagnant water. It got pretty chilly here the last couple nights so maybe that will slow it down. </div></div>


We are seeing alot going down to EHD here in Iowa to.

 

[Jmilera]

Re: Deer diseases in Texas

I believe the solution in Texas would be more liberal hunting seasons. There is definatly to many, thus leading to diseases

 

[a220stw]

Re: Deer diseases in Texas

Virulentus
With alot of ranches being on MLD programs and the large number of deer that get taken, what else do you think should be done?
the high number of deer are only in certain parts of the state
just wondering what you got in mind to help out?

 

[bassani]

Re: Deer diseases in Texas

bad things in the soil

bad droughts followed by heavy rains

this type of phenomenon is whats speculated to have wiped out the Aztecs

 

[Jmilera]

Re: Deer diseases in Texas

I participate in two ranches with MLD permits one ranch is 30,000 acres and the other is 940 acres. There are many free ranging white tail deer in our city especially at Texas A&M , where they instinctively know they won't be shot. Especially with the new tree hugger generation emerging on campus. I frequent the hill country and see an overpopulated area with whitetails. Uvalde county where the anthrax / deer waiting diseased was discovered is home to a ranch called Four Aces. Never in my life have I seen such an unmanaged ranch. We used corn to lure deer to a paved road on the ranch that is approximately 300 yards , there must have been one deer per every 10 feet" I am not exaggerating " my solution would be to make deer hunting to the average blue collar worker or low income person more available. 95% of Texas land is privately owned, so this places the average hunter who wants to hunt but does not have the monetary means todo so at a disadvantage. If we want our children to continue hunting and promoting second amendment rights we need to facilitate this for them. How do we do that? Well I don't know, but there are multiple ranches such as 4 aces that could use a good management program, and I would be first in line to try out my AWs on them.

 

[a220stw]

Re: Deer diseases in Texas

i am all for making it easier for folks to go hunting.
but with the dollars that places are making off of hunting, i doubt if that changes. to me it seems the cost just keep going up.
and i know what you mean about the hill country being over run with deer. i was in a place called Lago Vista- nice community. deer EVERYWHERE. the deer didnt care about people being around. it was not to lond ago the state paid some ranch to dart the and haul then to the own ranch land.
seems there could have been a better and more economic way to handle it

 

[downhill]

Re: Deer diseases in Texas

In reality the biggest problem with the deer over population in Texas is too many people just hunt for antlers. My family shoots for the freezer. We always try to tag out on does. Most counties here have raised bag limits to deal with deer over population. If you are going to take a buck take at least one doe also! With so many deer-the drought and as a result dimished food sources, problems with the health of the deer population have arisen. Not to mention the explosion of the feral pig population-but thats another F'ing subject!

 

[a220stw]

Re: Deer diseases in Texas

Downhill,
Those were all good points you brought up.
and i am a horn hunter. but in the 7 years that i have been hunting horns,all the places i hunt we kill the does as well.
and your point about the pigs is a bigger problem than most folks know