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hope I find his skull....

hank4elk

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Jan 8, 2015
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Location
SW NM
Neighbor sent me this pic of a local buck feeding @ birdfeeder.
Poor guy is suffering. I set up a game cam today.

His wife still has total disconnect as to cause.
I'm not going to tell her it's basiclly the same as your cancer,but you won't stop the diet soda & proccessed food.
Besides I'll miss her brownies and her.

Folks never understood why I was telling them,"Please don't feed the wildlife" while on campground check.
Saw way too many deer with growths from eating wonderbread and camp snacks.
 

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I Don't
,but I saw many disected by G&F bio that the goiters and growths were from this type of feed, they said. Basicly cancer.
It could easily be an abcess in tooth. A blocked gland.

Somebody likes their proccessed food..............
 
I've seen deer shot a long way from any campground that have likely never seen a human, let alone eaten wonder bread, that have these types of growths. Don't know the cause, but I imagine they go through a lot of crap in their lifetime.

Not saying it's not people feeding them. I don't know what it is. But it seems like you are incriminating someone based on pretty circumstantial evidence.

I also think that people shouldn't feed the wildlife, but not because it will give them cancer. It will habituate them and cause them to be dependent on an unreliable and unnatural food source.

Am curious to hear what people with more experience have to say about these types of growths.
 
Did you see your neighbor feeding him any Redman? I'd be a lot more inclined to believe she's to blame if I learned he was getting his chaw from her.
 
People get cancer & never know why too.
It could just from being in sun sometimes .
The saying is ,it doesn't discriminate.
I am not a scientist or a animal expert either.
I made an incorrect assumption,obviously not unusual for me.
My cardiologist just assumed I was 300lbs overweight,had diabetes ,and ate bacon by the boatload after I had a heart attack out of the blue,til he saw me.....
,we now both assume it's from stress.

I should have never assumed a bonfire in Santa Ana winds might lead to a larger forest fire either.

I am also glad I don't have to deal with people everyday anymore and just wonder why ......Thanks for reminder,have a nice day!
 
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There is no way to tell what that is or what caused it without a physical exam. It could be one of several things:

"Lumpy Jaw", which is a bacterial infection of the bone. Bacteria usually enter via a wound or abrasion in the mouth and move to the bone. In this case the growth would be a hard calcified mass with pockets of infection.

Food impaction - also usually the result of some sort of mouth trauma, resulting in a huge wad of food getting stuck either under the tongue or between the cheek and gums.

Arterial worm - deer carry several parasites, one of which is a worm that invades the arteries (primarily in the head and neck). Poor circulation can result in swelling, which in turn can lead to infection, food impactions, or other things.

Tumor - I've seen a few weird ones. They can grow from the palate, pharynx, tongue, jaw or gums, and can become so large they occlude the esophagus, fill the space between the cheek and jaw, etc. No telling what causes most tumors in wild animals. It's impossible to know what all they get exposed to.

Could be some other weird thing - maybe he sustained some kind of injury fighting with another buck. Wouldn't be the first time I've seen something like that either. Overgrowth of bone after a fracture or other mechanical injury isn't uncommon either.

Feeding on forage that abrades the inside of the mouth can contribute to some of these conditions. Feeding on unnatural foods or foods that the animal isn't used to eating can cause a lot of physiological problems. Too rich of feed or rapid changes in feed can cause inflammation of the gut lining and reduce nutrient uptake. There was a deer mortality event a few years ago in Southern Oregon that was attributed to residents feeding deer something (I can't remember what it was) that was screwing up gut function and basically they were starving to death.

Bottom line is maybe hank's right, maybe not. Either way, its an interesting picture. Thanks for posting!
 
I am also glad I don't have to deal with people everyday anymore and just wonder why ......Thanks for reminder,have a nice day!

I don't think anyone was trying to be rude or calling you a liar. I for one was just curious as to what led you to that assumption. I'm no wildlife biologist either, but I find this kind of stuff interesting. I know a lot of people who feed wildlife around here, so I hope they aren't causing these sort of issues. Thanks for posting the picture!
 
I remember an episode of Wardens where they had to ticket an old lady in Seely Lake, MT for repeatedly feeding the deer....she flat out said she wouldn't stop. It's especially a problem down in Southern Colorado where they think the bears are pretty to look at...until they are in the city getting into people's garbage.
 
Sorry, no offense intended! I realize I might have sounded a little snippy in my post. It is definitely an interesting picture and something I know nothing about.

My parents were feeding a wounded deer that took refuge under their deck for a while. Each time I visited, we would have a discussion about the pros and cons of this. Each person is allowed to do what they want to (even if it is against the law), but nature is harsh and sometimes I think we spend too much time trying to avoid reality rather than learning to adapt (or allowing animals to do the same).
 
Isn't there a resident bio on this board....or a few hundred?

I'm gonna be staying at a Holiday Inn soon, so my prognosis is it's the result of global warming.

All the deer around my inlaws love their bird feeder. Never seen anything like this guy. What does that mean, absolutely nothing. Just like some world class athlete who dies in their 30's from a heart attack.

Hank, thought you had thicker skin. But since you don't like people, you're living in the right place.
 
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