Deer heat stress?
Contributors to this thread:Whitetail Deer
From: BullBuster
17-Aug-21
All of the deer have hair loss around the property. This buck is among the worst. This doe is pretty bad too. Several of the does have had persistent diarrhea for 5-6 weeks. Their hind legs are black with liquid stool. Most otherwise look healthy. We have had unprecedented heat, drought and smoke. 15-20 deg above normal since April. Property along river so plenty water and i irrigate so plenty of green feed. What do y’all think is going on? Mites (deer mange), just heat stress, ticks, other??
From: BullBuster
17-Aug-21
From: t-roy
17-Aug-21
Hard to tell from your pic, but just looks like normal transitional shedding from their summer coats to me. They certainly get pretty ratty looking, sometimes.
From: BullBuster
17-Aug-21
No that gray is skin. No hair.
From: t-roy
17-Aug-21
I didn’t see your second pic till after I posted, BullBuster. Dang! He does look pretty rough!
From: BullBuster
18-Aug-21
Here a higher rez pic
From: Eagle_eye_Andy
18-Aug-21
Something like that here in North Central Nebraska. One buck looks diseased though. A few older does appear to have similar hair loss. Doesn’t appear to be just summer to winter coat transition.
From: Eagle_eye_Andy
18-Aug-21
Other buck with same issue as the other posts above
Other buck with same issue as the other posts above
From: WV Mountaineer
18-Aug-21
It evidently isn’t stressing them too much.
From: BullBuster
19-Aug-21
I think the stress of this brutal summer (and relentless flies) significantly affected rack growth. The buck I showed is 4 yo and should be pushing 150. His rack is barely bigger than last year and only going to hit 130.
From: Milhouse
19-Aug-21
I believe deer have to be stressed.... here in ND, it's been stupid, crazy hot, and the last rain I can remember was June 26th, about 1/2", and it was nearly bone dry prior to that. Water holes and sloughs are drying up, and the water quality in the ones that still hold water is terrible.
