Community Chat

[Spurt]

ohhh I want to hug them all....

[itsmagic]

@MamaWick   I just looked online and Texas does have a problem with chronic wasting disease in deer and they are trying to manage it.  Maybe you could consult with your state game warden and possibly send a picture to them for identification?

[Leggett28]

@MamaWick  I’m so sorry you’re beautiful deer are going through this, I know how much you love them 😔

[RedTop]

From the very first picture I noticed these deer are thin compared to the West Virginia deer I see daily.

Yes, ALL deer have parasites because they eat grass laden with fecal material. They are forever in that continuous cycle of parasite infection. These deer likely have ticks on them as well, which do not make for healthy deer.

Chronic wasting IS NOT visible to my eye, in any deer in this herd. It is extremely noticeable on the face, neck, and body, and sick deer are not usually allowed to remain with the herd. I have also looked at the deer to see if any had the appearance of lumpy jaw, and I don't see that either.

I think these deer are thin due to their west Texas food sources. West Virginia is lush and green from April into October, so grass is plentiful. The deer also have fruit and tender leaves, flowers, berries, and gardens all summer. Grass, acorns, leaves. roots and bark sustain them here ALL winter.

It's good these deer are protected, as hunters would kill the bucks just for their racks. However, by body weight, the meat yield from these deer would be low, with questionable quality, so many hunters would not waste a shot on one of them.

[vsm]

Not just skinnier -- emaciated.  Very sad.

[fthunt]

@vsm I only looked at her pictures once in a while and it's shocking

how rapidly they went from looking  healthy ............to this current state.

Encouraging that many deer to stay together seemed questionable from the beginning.

[Drythe]

@MamaWick 

THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR BABY PHOTOS.💙

[ValuSkr]

They don't look healthy.  Are they very dependent on you for food?

[luvzchiz]

@MamaWick   Thank you for sharing these pictures.   Is this the same group that looked more robust a few days ago, or is this a different group?  
Is it only the females?

I thank you for trying to help them with healthy food. I hope no one outside your area is trying the opposite. 

Would the air from the fires in the west affect them? I'm asking because my cousin who is in California told me that the deer who are visiting her yard are now the grey of the sky instead of the usual color. 

Perhaps the suggestion of getting professional opinions on the deer might help.  Part of me is afraid that the PTB might suggest or do something I wouldn't want them to.  

I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that their health news is good. 

Woofs to Cricket. 

[MamaWick]

They visit every day, but I do not feed them every day (sometimes not even every other day), so they really shouldn't be dependent on my house for food.  I have spoken with our county game wardens and I'm sorry to say, it doesn't seem they care.  Our area seems over populated with deer.   I guess I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't.