blue tongue

[1-Shot-1-kill]

We've had 12 cases of blue tongue in my area that I know of,..the cause,..a fly larva that due to no rain almost all summer,..had conjested what watering holes there where that still had water,..this larva is injested by the deer and causes their tongues to swell,..most dont last too long once effected,..but we have been watching 1 doe close to the house that showed all the signs of blue tongue,..but now she is starting to gain weight again,..,..she has not yet changed her coat as the other deer in the area have,..she has twin fawns.
When I first see her I called the conservation office,..because she really looks like a good candidate for CWD,..due to so many calling in concrning finding dead deer looking like CWD victims,..I was told that if I found her dead,..they would test her but the most likely cause,..as found with other dead deer in the area would be "Blue Tongue"

I'll post a photo of her off my phone

 

[1-Shot-1-kill]

I think this is the right photo

 

[tarheel]

She does look a bit on the poor side. We've been having quite a few in several counties to my north, but nothing on the scale of Montana and the Dakotas.

 

[sbhooper]

The hemorragic diseases are usually fatal to white-tails, but not so much to mule deer. We have had some around here this summer, but not too bad. It happens every time that it is hot and dry. Some areas have a higher number of deaths than others, but there is nothing anyone can do anyway.

If that deer had it, it got lucky and survived. Maybe she had something else bothering her.

 

[1-Shot-1-kill]

Thats possible sbhooper, our conservation web site has a list of ailments a whitetail has the potential to be subject to, if it is something other then blue tongue, she was still nursing 2 fawns at the time of the photo, they looked pretty good then, hopefully momma doe doesnt pass it on.

 

[sbhooper]

I did a lot of depredation hunting this summer. I shot does that did not look good at all that were dry. I think that even though the food was there, the dry, hot conditions took a toll on them. They tasted fine, though!

 

[DBear]

We have had a 40-60% herd kill of whitetails from bluetongues cousin/hemorrhagic fever in the area I hunt in the NC mountains this year. That is the estimate. They have found over 1000 dead, and this country is tough to find anything....where they used to run moonshine. Looks like deer season will turn into 'yote season...