Mysterious deer die-off in Montana ?!?!?

Founder · Sep 20, 2013

103 dead deer along a river in Montana. It's a mystery for wildlife managers. Very strange. Says it looks like it drops the deer right in their tracks.
Crazy or what?

http://news.msn.com/science-technology/wildlife-managers-track-mysterious-deer-die-off-in-montana

Brian Latturner
MonsterMuleys.com

dreaminbouthuntin · Sep 20, 2013

I'd say due to it being Whitetail, its not much of a mystery at all.
found near water one of two things happened.

Disease attackes the liver or its blue tongue.

hate to see this. such a waste of a good resource.

chewyman55 · Sep 20, 2013

If it were muleys...then I would worry

Cornhusker · Sep 20, 2013

EHD wiped pockets of out on the South Loup river where I live last year, 90% according to the game commission. That would be my first guess for these Montana deer. The fever they have makes them bunch up around water where they die in a day or two after suffering a lot of misery.

ZIGGER · Sep 20, 2013

"The deer appear to drop dead in their tracks," said agency educator Vivaca Crowser......lol.....like versus waking up dead in ICU for deer?????

Gator · Sep 21, 2013

My guess would be a type of Blue tongue.

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8mmMag · Sep 21, 2013

SE Montana has had Blue Tongue more than once over the last 20 years. It seems to happen alot in areas that has little to no water/dry years. I have seen this in Kentucky and Ohio before. Small creeks and small farm ponds carry disease from stagnet water.

mtmuley · Sep 21, 2013

LAST EDITED ON Sep-21-13 AT 01:49PM (MST)[p]It's not blue tongue. It is EHD. The disease is transferred by gnats. It seems the outbreak is limited to a fairly small stretch of the Blackfoot River outside of Missoula. mtmuley

nfh · Sep 21, 2013

Hopefully they get a good freeze soon to kill the gnats.

wyflyguy · Sep 23, 2013

A similar thing happened to an elk herd in New Mexico about a month ago. They found about 100 head of elk dead all within a square mile or so. No bullet holes in any of them. They suspected EHD with them. Very sad to see.