I got my first pictures back from the stealth cam tonight. First I was thrilled that I had deer and one racoon on the pictures. Then I noticed that the ribs were REALLY sticking out on one of the deer and when I looked closer I saw that the hips kinda stuck out on several of them and I could see the backbone on one. I didn' t see any bucks. We have no known cases of CWD in VA and I can' t imagin how it would get to central VA without being seen in other parts first, but I' m concerned about it. I' m probly gonna contact the game warden tomorrow to get these pictures to someone who can tell me I' m just an idiot. If they are not sick, I can' t figure out how the deer could be this thin. I know it' s here around my house, but there are 30 acres back there and woods all around and hundreds of acres of forest about half a mile from here.I' ll try to get the pictures scanned tomorrow.

I am completely bummed out.

David

You are not an idiot. More people should be as cautious about many things. Contact the appropriate people and let them investigate.

If there is no agriculture in your area and the deer population is out of whack it' s not uncommon.Deer are living soley on browse during the summer(no acorns).

CB

Well There isn' t much in the way of edible agriculture around here. Lots of woods. Some tobacco farms within a couple miles, but mostly woods and neighborhoods. I am still going to call the number I saw on the Virginia department of Game website. I took a doe out there last year and she was small but she didn' t look like this. We' ve had so much rain this year I would have thought the deer would be nice and fat. When I get these pictures scanned I will post them for others to see.

David

Neither did we a year and a half ago.[:' (] I' ll keep my fingers crossed for ya and hope for the best.

Even in areas with plenty of agriculture you' ll see a lot of deer this time of year that appear a bit scrawny.... especially the does. They' ve gone through some serious weight control problems with nursing the young etc. Most of the nutrients they take in go out in the form of milk to make those young bones grow so fast. They should be starting to pack on some weight in the next month..... but some are slower than others. You may indeed have a sick deer or two around. Watch for actions more than look for a big fat deer. You won' t see them butterball fat this time of year in the Southern climates.

I did a little snooping around and found an article about hemmorhagic disease. Read the article at the link. If it sounds like what you' re seeing, then you might need to report it.

www.dgif.state.va.us/newsroom/pr-092402-HD.html

If your deer have hemmorhagic disease you' ll know it right quick. Chipped and or split hooves, pair spots on their knees and brisket where they drag themselves around. You' ll be able to probably just pull gobbs of hair out with no effort etc.