Fur missing on a bucks back???
Nebraska
Contributors to this thread:
I noticed a buck this year that was missing hair by its front shoulders on both sides up towards its back bone. The missing hair was in a circular shape about 4-5 inches in diameter.
On the Ooutdoor Channel, I have seen buck on the TV shows have missing hair in the same area. Last night on the Biologic Obsession show, they shot one with patches of hair missing on its shoulders.
What is that from? When the deer I watched worked a licking branch, I believe his antlers rubbed in that area. Is that the cause?
Anybody know for sure?
I think it is from fighting. Only the bigger bucks seem to have it as their tines are longer. That's my guess, anybody else?
BTW we never used to see this until about 8-9 years ago as we got an older class of bucks in Nebraska.
It's TICKS guys. I'm relatively certain on this. About every other one of my recent bucks have had this, and each one that did had noticeable numbers of ticks on them when I caped them out. My guess is that they could scratch at them with their antlers or low limbs or whatever.
Lice or ticks, much more likely lice. Biologists have been checking at specific check stations for this parasite . The armpit area seems will hold the greatest concentration of the parasite they then move up over the shoulder area irritating the skin, thus causing the hair to fall and exposing the skin area. Biting and sucking lice are a major cause of hair loss in cattle during the late fall and winter months and the exact location and visual look are the same.
Now,, how do we teach our deer to use a cattle oiler?
Ticks and lice makes sense to me but I've always wondered the same thing as Les. Plus, I've never seen a bug of any sort drop off one of my deer. I have however, seen a pile of ticks drop off a buddy's buck from SE Ne.
Good thread.
Ticks and lice makes sense to me but I've always wondered the same thing as Les. Plus, I've never seen a bug of any sort drop off one of my deer. I have however, seen a pile of ticks drop off a buddy's buck from SE Ne.
Good thread.
Missing hair on deer can be the result of ticks and lice, even stress on the deer. Antelope loose hair rapidly while stressed, and the same applies to deer in certain cases.
Just seen a buck my nephew shot during rifle season. It was pretty bad and doubt if anyone would want to mount anything like it was!
Les, I think you're right that it is the deer's antlers removing the hair (more so than rubbing on a branch or something), but don't you think it'd take a ton of overhead branch routines to rub hair off their back? I've seen a bunch of activity at scrapes/overhead branches and never seen it to the point I think it'd rub off hair. Most of the time what I've seen has been short-lived random action.
It is too bad we can't get deer to use cattle oilers isn't it?
While caping out my Oct. 2 buck this year, I probably picked up at least 50 ticks trying to flee and I'm sure more were still in the cape when I froze it.
I know some folks who raised a deer fawn orphaned by a flood. It ended up being a spike which still came back now and then to see it's adopted parents. It was covered with ticks, etc., and they put tick collars on the thing and told me to watch out for their "pet" and not shoot it. Ha.
I live in Maryland and was looking for info about deer (buck) missing large area of hair on his back. I actually am not a hunter but have deer in my backyard on a regular basis. I mostly see does and their fawns and very young males. Now I have this buck with a good sized rack who shows up daily to eat bird seed (black oil sunflower seed) and lower branch greens at the tree line at the back of my yard.
I get a fairly good look at his back through kitchen window and it seems over the past couple of weeks there is more hair missing from his back but I don't see any irritation, wounds, etc.
I'm just hoping he isn't sickly and dies in my yard !
It is definitely from their antlers, but I'm not sure if it is due to them scratching their backs due to ticks/lice, from repeatedly working licking branches, or from fighting and getting their heads bent back in the process so the antlers rub that spot. It is probably a combination of all of those things. But it is from the antlers because you won't see those bare spots on the back on does or on bucks with little racks like someone mentioned above. Just take a big buck with a bare spot on its back and bend it's neck back, the antlers will always touch at that spot. That's why the bare spot will almost be all the way to the rump on a buck with a real tall rack and very long tines.
I've read posts on other forums where the posters tried to say it was from crossing under fences and the barbed wire repeatedly rubbing the back. That just doesn't make sense as to why only mature bucks seem to form these bare patches.
Are you guys sure its not a hair los disease? I live in oregon and its a big deal here.
It is, without a doubt from antler rubbing and the rubbing is solicited by ticks! I've mounted 3200+ whitetails in the past 33 years in west-central Wisconsin. With the tick 'explosion' of the past 20 years,it is now the norm on mature bucks rather than the exception. Ticks tend to congregate on the back and brisket areas. Bald or terribly rubbed briskets result from the deer's constant scratching with hoof to that area. If the buck's antlers allow it, he will do likewise on his back. Although the licking branch posture could lead one to believe that is the process, its not. Along the same lines, often there are small areas of 'ticking' at various spots all about the cape/neck area. They appear as dime to quarter size spots with hair cut-rubbed short. These are caused by incisors, the deer biting against palate. When you see the spots in positions on the neck the deer can't possibly get too, thats a result of mutual grooming which is rather common. It cannot come from any sort of rubbing or scratching activity as the area is too small/site specific.