Sep 19th 2011, 05:56 AM
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#1 |
May 2009 Northwest Illinois |
I do not speak from much experience here, but the 2 confirmed cases of antler infection in my bucks this year started with exactly the same symtoms. And it is these symptoms that I want to bring to light so others can be on the lookout for them in the future. Each one of my bucks started by showing a loss of appetite and quit showing up when the rest of the deer did at feeding time. The next physical signs they both showed was the ''fuzzies''- (their hair not laying down, hair standing up as if they have goose bumps). They also wagged their tail excessively, and I mean excessively. And they both had that ''distant look'' in their eyes.
I know that these symptoms I have described are/can be indicative of sick deer that are sick for other reasons other than an antler infection, but if we keep an extra careful eye out on our antlered deer during late summer, which seems to be prime time, maybe we can catch more of them in time and save them. By 'keeping an extra careful eye' I mean- look for the telltale signs mentioned above, and count them every day to make sure they are all there. And if they're not there, go look for them and see what's going on and don't wait till tomorrow. I count them often, but not everyday. But I can tell you that next fall, especially in August, and especially the last 2 weeks in August, I will count EVERY day. As I look back into the past, I believe that some of my buck deaths that I have experienced in the month of August have more than likely been do to antler infections. I have heard that they can die very quickly, and that fact lines up with why I never noticed these bucks sick prior to their August's deaths. I would come down to the pen and there they would be laying...dead. I'd be like ''What happened to him??!! And then I'd remember consciously seeing them not long before finding them dead and be blown away.
I'm sure there are others out there with more experience with antler infections that will hopefully add to this thread. God Bless All!
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