Deer Condition

[ksherm]

My husband and I took our yearly July trip to the San Juan and Blue Mountains last week and was completely horrified by the condition of the deer herd. Five bucks we saw have the same condition as the buck pictured. This little guy just has the more severe case of the five. I was hoping to run into a Fish & Game Officer to ask what in the hell is going on but no luck there! I did email the Fish & Game but have not gotten a response. Does anyone know what condition this is. I was thinking maybe ticks but not positive.

 

[kzkammo]

Looks like tumors

 

[dogdoc]

I believe they are warts, and likely caused by a virus, but not 100% sure.

 

[TOPGUN]

Looks like tumors of some sort to me too, and the one starting around his right eye is going to screw his vison up on that side pretty quick.

 

[rmanwill]

Not sure, but some ugly stuff there. Would hate to punch a tag on that deer or one with that condition.

 

[pinny14]

I saw a deer with tumors like that (not as bad) at the Book Cliffs a couple weeks back. It is pretty sad to see the deer like this.

 

[stillhunterman]

Yeah, nasty looking things for sure. They are called both warts and tumors; the clinical word is Fibroma, and there are a few varieties, depending. They are only attached to the skin, and don't affect any other tissue on the critter. They are found on Whitetail, Blacktail, and Mule deer.

They don't cause any health issues unless located in areas like the mouth or eyes and the critters can't see or eat. It's not known exactly how it's spread (and yeah, it's a virus), but this condition mostly affects young bucks, though doe will get them. Open wounds, sores, etc. can be a point of entry for the virus if the tumors are rubbed against them, or even insects going from one critter to another. Soooo, though it's ugly as hell, it's not a health issue for the deer, mostly.

www.unitedwildlifecooperative.org

 

[BOHNTR]

As previously mentioned they are called cutaneous fibromas. or more commonly named, deer warts. Fibromas are benign tumors that are composed of fibrous or connective tissue and are tumors which involve the skin. They are caused by a virus specific to deer. The virus is thought to be transmitted by various biting insects. However, another possible means of transmission of the viral agent is direct contact through any assortment of contaminated objects, which may scratch or penetrate the skin of the deer.

Rarely do fibromas cause deer any problems but occasionally the location of a large single or multiple clumps of fibromas can interfere with sight, eating, breathing, or even affect the ability of the deer to walk. The attachment of the fibroma is limited to the skin and no evidence of it can normally be found in the muscle. Fibroma presence is typically indistinguishable after skinning the deer. No human infection from cutaneous fibromas has ever been reported or discovered. Most of the time it is safe to consume the meat of a deer as the tumors only involve the skin. The only concern one should have is when the deer has severe secondary bacterial infection within the warts. Occasionally the larger fibromas acquire a bacterial infection through a break in the skin, which would render the deer unsuitable for human consumption. Therefore, you should discard any carcass and contact the local F&G if the fibromas look like they have been injured or have a foul smell. They are nasty looking warts for sure!

BOHNTR )))---------->

 

[ksherm]

Thanks for the feedback! I have been pondering for days what this condition could be and if it could be spreading throughout the herds. I still think this little guy needs to be put out of his misery! My nephew took a buck not far from this buck last year that was missing an eye. Makes me wonder if he could of had this condition. He didn't have any tumors "warts" on his body, just no eye. Is it possible for them to recover from this condition?

 

[chewyman55]

So are these fibromas a relatively new thing or have they been around a long time? Pretty nasty looking stuff.

 

[stillhunterman]

>Thanks for the feedback! I have
>been pondering for days what
>this condition could be and
>if it could be spreading
>throughout the herds. I still
>think this little guy needs
>to be put out of
>his misery! My nephew took
>a buck not far from
>this buck last year that
>was missing an eye. Makes
>me wonder if he could
>of had this condition. He
>didn't have any tumors "warts"
>on his body, just no
>eye. Is it possible for
>them to recover from this
>condition?

In most cases the deer do recover. It seems the deer develope an immunity to the virus once exposed and the tumors dry up and go away after a few months. Sometimes the tumors will develope a bacterial infection which causes additional problems for the deer, but that is on the rare side. The wildlife researcher who first discovered the virus is R. F. Shope; sometimes the tumors are reffered to as "Shope's fibroma".

I'm fairly sure this virus has been around for a long time, but only in recently history was it identified.


www.unitedwildlifecooperative.org

 

[Rizzy]

I harvested a small buck in california in 2006 with tumors all over his face like that. I called the DFG and they told about Fibromas and that the deer was safe to eat. I ate it and it tasted fine.

 

[Gator]

My son shoot one on the Blues 15 years ago that had Warts like that, Had one that was the size of a baseball on his neck. So they have been around a long time down there. It seem we see one or two every couple of years that we hunt it.

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