Hls

[Rauly]

How come you never see elk or bears with this afliction? I have seen more deer this year than ever with it. Last weekend Dave Smith and I saw 2 yearlings that had almost no hair at all!!! Whats the deal how come other animals don't get it? Or have I just not seen it yet on others??????

[scottishsetter]

Bio told me it's because the lice are 'very' specific to the deer. It's why deer don't get human headlice. It did spread really fast on it's way north.
But I would also think elk would tend to be the same as deer???

[baltz526]

bears will get mange, i have seen picture of nearly hairless bears

[Rauly]

I think mange is different. I have seen cattle and have shot coyote with mange.

[Bull7x6]

Originally Posted by Rauly

How come you never see elk or bears with this afliction? I have seen more deer this year than ever with it. Last weekend Dave Smith and I saw 2 yearlings that had almost no hair at all!!! Whats the deal how come other animals don't get it? Or have I just not seen it yet on others??????

Were those 2 yearlings on the way to St. Helens?

I just got a glimpse of them as I passed that field and thought that was what I saw.

[Old Soldier]

If ever see a close up picture of a deer with the lice it is unbleavable. 200 lice per square inch. The deer pull the hair out digging at themselves.

We have four deer here in our neighborhood and one has it.

[scottishsetter]

We have two in the area, I get to see 'em at about 30' many times. One doe looks like an elk she's so tan sided. Two others have some signs also making four total I guess.

[Blacktail Slayer]

I just spent a week locating big horn sheep for ODFW in the Leslie Gultch area and spotted a yearling mule deer with hair loss at 3100ft I believe. I got the location saved on my GPS and gave it to the Bio's. It had no hair from the front shoulder back, except for a mohawk going down its spine. The Bio's were really freaking out if it was HLS. We saw about 50+ mule deer in the area and that was the only one that had it.

[Rank Amateur]

Originally Posted by Blacktail Slayer

I just spent a week locating big horn sheep for ODFW in the Leslie Gultch area and spotted a yearling mule deer with hair loss at 3100ft I believe. I got the location saved on my GPS and gave it to the Bio's. It had no hair from the front shoulder back, except for a mohawk going down its spine. The Bio's were really freaking out if it was HLS. We saw about 50+ mule deer in the area and that was the only one that had it.

That would be very bad news if you saw HLS over that far East. What you describe does sound like a late stage HLS. Let's hope it was something else.

I wonder if the Bio's would put it down just to confirm what it was? I think I would.

[BrianMaguire]

Originally Posted by Blacktail Slayer

I just spent a week locating big horn sheep for ODFW in the Leslie Gultch area and spotted a yearling mule deer with hair loss at 3100ft I believe. I got the location saved on my GPS and gave it to the Bio's. It had no hair from the front shoulder back, except for a mohawk going down its spine. The Bio's were really freaking out if it was HLS. We saw about 50+ mule deer in the area and that was the only one that had it.

We have had HLS on the east side for 5 years and OFW still has thier head in the sand. Downright criminal, they should be calling in everyone, once this hits eastern whitetails its going to get bad. Ron - your on point and I don't see any action - its your fault right now.

[sunshinefisherman]

Originally Posted by Rauly

How come you never see elk or bears with this afliction? I have seen more deer this year than ever with it. Last weekend Dave Smith and I saw 2 yearlings that had almost no hair at all!!! Whats the deal how come other animals don't get it? Or have I just not seen it yet on others??????

Saw a blacktail near my house at Fischers Mill and one at McIver Park this January. I reported them to the biologist at the Clackamas ODFW. He told me that the lice are specific to cervids and that they usually don't hear about them until somone calls to report a dead deer in their carport. He says the deer are so desparate for warmth that they will even go near humans to try to survive. He also said that most of the severely afflicted die from exposure.

When you see them, call the ODFW and let them know, it helps them track the "disease" Please see page 25 of the 2008 bag game regs for more on this.

[PIR8 Hook]

Just last night caoming home from pizza with my grand-daughter we had three deer in your yard...two had HLS!!! Funny though I see it this time of year but by hunting season they are all furry again....

[Capin' Dan]

Folks this time of the year is when the deer are shedding their winter coats and going to summer coats. This is what the st. helens deer are doing I have seen them several times in the last few weeks. Every year at about this time we hear how bad HLS is I live in Deer Island and watch the Deer Shed every year and wait for the reports to start to fly. I think our deer Herd is healthy in hte scappoosse unit and around where I live. I know I see a lot of them on my way too and from my home.

[blacktail519]

Originally Posted by Capin' Dan

Folks this time of the year is when the deer are shedding their winter coats and going to summer coats. This is what the st. helens deer are doing I have seen them several times in the last few weeks. Every year at about this time we hear how bad HLS is I live in Deer Island and watch the Deer Shed every year and wait for the reports to start to fly. I think our deer Herd is healthy in hte scappoosse unit and around where I live. I know I see a lot of them on my way too and from my home.

If your refering to the doe and two yearlings in between St.helens and Scappoose, your wrong. Those two yearlings have looked like that since November when i first started seeing them. Clearly an unfortunate case of HLS, and not shedding.

[Trick]

Can't say for sure, but I was over at Sand Island last week and there was a dead yearling....It wasn't a predator (I don't think there are any on the island?).

It was decaying and void of much hair. Wasn't very much around it either.

[ehunter]

Deer can 't get lice above 500 feet??? That is what we told???

[sporttpoc]

Can a person buy something like a cattle dusting bag to help deer get rid of these things. Anybody have an idea if they would even use it?
I can't stand watching these deer and how miserable they must feel.

[scottishsetter]

I asked the Bio that...He said the treated deer would just get it from the others. He also added that fact that it came from Europe and spread from the Calif. border to the Columbia in one year.(Might have said three I'm not good with memory and it was hard to believe one year now as I recall.. but I do remember the time to spread was obscene.)

[sporttpoc]

So is there a product that would work. Just because I might get another cavity later doesn't keep from fixing the one I have now. Is there a biologist with information to help these animals. I have called Fish and Game a number of times with no response back. Would be great to give these local animals some relief.

[Blacktail Slayer]

I believe that the lice is found in Asia and Africa, not in Europe. It started in WA in 1995 and worked down to Oregon and not from Cali.

[Capin' Dan]

I am talking about the one I see jsut prior to scapoossee on the right before you enter and the ones on the left in the field just at the dip in the road in the big field. I have watched deer in that area for the past five years usually start seeing this as early as Feb. I have also noticed it up Canaan rd. for the past five or six years used to think it was HLS myself until it was pointed out that it was normal shedding

[ehunter]

Well Dan I don't know any thing about those deer but I have lived in this area for 51 years and have been hunting for close to 40 and there is a big difeerence in the deer numbers now from 10 years ago. I am in the coast range almost every weekend hiking and I can tell you the deer numbers are down big time very big time. I used to see any where from 5 to 10 deer per cut. My best day in Rainier was 20 years ago I saw 30 deer in a mile and half. If you can show me a group of 10 deer in a cut in the scappose unit I will be happy to buy you lunch and a cup of coffee.

I know that the buzz word is habitat but I can see a lot feed in the 2 year cuts. Something has happened in the Wilson, Saddle MT and Scappoose unit. My family in Rainier hardly see any deer any more. There are pockets but not wide spread numbers like we used to see.

Again I don't mean to pick bones with you but HLS is real and is happening to our costal deer.

Originally Posted by Capin' Dan

I am talking about the one I see jsut prior to scapoossee on the right before you enter and the ones on the left in the field just at the dip in the road in the big field. I have watched deer in that area for the past five years usually start seeing this as early as Feb. I have also noticed it up Canaan rd. for the past five or six years used to think it was HLS myself until it was pointed out that it was normal shedding

[Blacktail Slayer]

I am out year round scouting, hiking, hunting and have noticed a huge difference in the blacktail deer numbers from HLS. I stick with the Alsea and Willamette units and they have been hit extremely hard by this lice. The bio's get calls in the winter with people having problems with hairless deer trying to get in the garages and houses from the lice. I think that this past 2 years have looked better to me. I guess the lice have wiped out the weak deer and the strong ones have survived. There will still be deer dying, but I hope that they evolve and become use to this little enemy. I have been putting out 100lbs of feed a week in a spot that I use to get every deer in the area with HLS. Not a single deer had it this year with all the feed. I knew it was going to be a cold and wet winter, so I planned on feeding them from Dec. to May. Should help the bucks grow some decent antlers at the same time. Keep them fat all winter, so all the nutrients go towards antler growth and not trying to gain body weight back after the hard winter.

[scottishsetter]

The Bio said that some deer with comprimized Immune systems delelop the hair loss. In my sighting this doe had twin fawns two years ago. I watched them grow up;;; nearly every day. I watched her lose hair from last Nov. to present, along with two others outside her brood.
She now is devoid of hair from her mane back. Like I said she looks like a bay sided elk. I see these dee on a daily basis they move about 1/8th mile total daylight to dark.

[ehunter]

Does any one know do they develope a immune system to these lice? That seems strange only because it is not a virus No question some of the deer make it but if they live does that mean they will not ever get them again?

Originally Posted by scottishsetter

The Bio said that some deer with comprimized Immune systems delelop the hair loss. In my sighting this doe had twin fawns two years ago. I watched them grow up;;; nearly every day. I watched her lose hair from last Nov. to present, along with two others outside her brood.
She now is devoid of hair from her mane back. Like I said she looks like a bay sided elk. I see these dee on a daily basis they move about 1/8th mile total daylight to dark.

[scottishsetter]

I'd contact "my" Bio on Sauavii Island(Call the Clackamas Dept.; they don't have a current Bio.} He'll give you the info. No Doubt.

I watched "my" doe raise those fawns since they had spots. They hung out at my 'backdoor'.

[klr kut]

I've never seen an animal "shed" its winter hair down to bear skin.

[KingSlew]

Bios suspect underlying cause of HLS is a lung worm. Infestation depresses immune system. Alien louse attacks deer with lowered resistence. Worm is thought to be hosted by slugs. Small slugs are ingested during browsing. Louse infestation causes stress, hair loss. Young deer subject to hypothermia. Blacktail may never return to former numbers. Remains to be seen.

[ehunter]

Thanks Kingslew good info.

Originally Posted by KingSlew

Bios suspect underlying cause of HLS is a lung worm. Infestation depresses immune system. Alien louse attacks deer with lowered resistence. Worm is thought to be hosted by slugs. Small slugs are ingested during browsing. Louse infestation causes stress, hair loss. Young deer subject to hypothermia. Blacktail may never return to former numbers. Remains to be seen.

[Rank Amateur]

Wow we are all over the map with HLS. Love it kir kut, I haven't seen a deer shed down to the skin either.

I have watched HLS closely, probably ever since it first enterred Oregon. This is what I have been told by Bio's and researchers out of OSU.

1. HLS originated on Washington state and has traveled south to California. It has had a high rate of spread, it is not only animal to animal, but most likely has been spread via transportation.

2. Deer fed a high nutrition diet will seldom develop a full blown case of HLS, this was found out by the OSU researchers while conducting the Mule deer/Blacktail infection study. So providing high protein diets supplements will help.

3. Lice treatments used for domestic livestock will work for infected deer, but treating the deer is problematic at best. I have heard of people using Ivermectin on bread (they could hand feed the fawn) or injecting apples has been some what successful. Deer can be reinfected, but usually they are by then close enough to summer to make it to the higher nutrition time of year which will bring them out of the HLS problem.

4. It is theorized that some deer have a resistance to HLS, but this mechanism is not understood. Whether this resistance will be passed on to offspring is conjecture.

5. WSU vet school theorized that the lung worms were the causitive agent with HLS. The OSU research has reversed that belief and believe the lung worms are because of the weakened immune system from the deer fighting the lice. This is where the myth that HLS is elevation dependant was formulated. The original testing for HLS involved sampling the deer droppings for the lung worms. The higher elevation deer were clear from the lung worms, which may be more directly linked to domestic stock than HLS. I have obsverved both HLS deer and the classic beds of hair (no bones) at elevations exceeding 1,200 feet.

6. Take a look at the hunter success rates for the westside units. This paints a very impressive picture of what HLS is doing to Blacktail populations. Starting at Northwest Oregon the success rate gets higher as you travel south and east, interestingly it is only by one or two percentage points per unit.