Trail Cam Picture - something wrong w/this deer?

[bdg146]

I've had a trail cam set up at a corn feeder for a while now. We had a deer on it whose fur was kind of messed up. When we first saw it, it was towards the end of winter, so I thought maybe it was the coat changing. The deer has been like this for a couple months, and we've seen multiple deer that look similar (maybe 3 of them). Is there something wrong with this deer? Anyone think I should contact the game commission? I've attached one of the better pictures, but we have others (although I lost the one that showed multiple deer with a similar look).

 

[Grizfire]

Good question, my first thought was its shedding its winter coat considering the picture is stamped in March. I've never heard of problems that would look like that, although I have seen deer with weird white patches in their fur.

 

[bdg146]

We've had similar pictures as late as mid April. I'll try and track down when the deer was first noticed on camera. Could they really be shedding their coat for 1+ month?

 

[atblis]

LOL at the coons in the feeder.

 

[rcmodel]

Well, the photo is stamped as 40 degrees by the trail camera.

You want him to freeze to death?

I don't know how it was there, but spring was a long time coming this year in Kansas.

rc

 

[mongo4567]

It is just losing its winter coat. We see it a lot earlier here in central Texas.

 

[dagger dog]

Must have backed out of a black berry patch! All your seeing is the hair turned backward from the original growth pattern.

 

[Oro]

Well, the dramatically different coat on the younger dear to the right suggests something else to me:

Hypothyroidism.

It causes an uneven coat and late shedding in animals like that. It is a fairly common disease and also more likely since that deer looks older to me (but I am no expert in deer). I do not think it's anything to worry about or call the game and wildlife people. You see this a lot in older horses, too. People who have it get diagnosed early and treated (it's very simple to treat).

PS - can anyone tell me where to look up information about trail cams? (how they work, how to install them, how much they cost?) I might like to install one for watching domestic animals, actually.

 

[gimlet1/21]

She may have some age to her; the older they are body systems slow down, including the ability to shed efficiently. I have a 13yo rottwieler that sheds right up too fall.

 

[buck460XVR]

She obviously looks healthy in all other regards......I wouldn't worry about it. Maybe just a bad hair day.

 

[cottonmouth]

I thought those were called pieballs?

J.B.

 

[sneedb82]

Good possibility she's with fawn (pregnant), and laying quite a bit in the heat of the day in heavy brush, keeping her hidden and such.... they do that down here in West Texas too... mostly in the Mesquite and joshua-trees.... they look that way in the fur

 

[ccsniper]

I see raccoons

 

[uvausmc]

looks just like my German Shepherd's coat when she is shedding. she gets tufts of the undercoat (insulation) that come off.

 

[3pairs12]

Could it be that she is one of those does that likes to fight with other does. Maybe her hair is jacked up a little bit from the last fight she was in. Those does get nasty with each other from time to time.

 

[cat9x]

looks like evidence of deer sex to me. Rub marks from the front hooves of a buck having a good ole time.

 

[surjimmy]

Could be ticks, I've had them push up fur like that on deer but are ticks out in 40 degrees?

 

[Nevertoomanyguns]

I see this all the time around here. The deer is just losing it winter coat.