I understand that the yakima herd spring mule deer counts were way down this year. I also understand that it is being attributed to hair slipage. The loss of hair means a loss of insulation and deer become more suseptible to the cold. As a result the antlerless permits for that herd were cut in 1/2 and the archery harvest for the first 2 weeks in Septmber had the antlerless part dropped. All moves, shared by all user groups, to increase the population.
The bio for that area is Jeff Bernatowicz. You can contact him at the Yakima WDFW office. At this point they are unsure if it is a short or long term problem with this herd. The department, on their web site has a section on hair loss syndrom however it states that it is "being updated" probably in response to the Yakima problem. Hair slipage takes a heavy toll on fawns. Not good. In examining the dead deer, researchers have found an abundance of chewing lice which are not native to the pacific northwest. The loss of hair may be from self mutilation by the deer themselves as a result of the lice. Most dead deer also have a high amount of inner body parasites, show extreme weight loss and can be suffering from lung deficiencies. The heavier snow at higher elevations which pushes deer into closer proximity to one another may be the reason it surfaced in the Yakima herd this year. Lets hope it is a short term situation.
