Infested

[Yokel Matt 918]

I was out the other day with Tim to go lamping on some farmland where foxes were still causing problems with some late lambs. Had an hour or so daylight available when he arrived so I dropped him off at a spot of mine he been to several times before and I went somewhere where sadly I can’t take guests. Unfortunately for Tim shortly after I left a walkers dog coursed a deer right out in front of him and then the only house in the area decide to hide a noisy bbq. He managed a fox and in the circumstances was lucky to get that!

I had a bit more luck and had only gone 100m up the estate drive when the button buck that gave me the slip last time decided to stand and watch me 25m off the track. The cover inside the vehicle allowed me to un-slip, load and aim the rifle off the wing mirror and when the put his head down to nibble something i shot him in the centre of it. He hopped and jumped around like a headshot rabbit (but 6ft in the air!) got so close to the truck I was worried it was going to jump through the windscreen! 

I had a proper look at him at the gralloch sight and he looked healthy enough but it’s only when I came to take him out the chiller to skin him I noticed the less and ticks clustered and the hock ends. The hide and mead damage done by the ticks though!! Fortunately examples ive seen like this are few and far between! 

Watch yourself out there fellas!

 

 

[ArchieHood 3,692]

That's crazy.

[Stavross 13,713]

That poor little beggar has been getting hammered 

[The one 8,396]

It looks like a bad dose of  fluke but the meat would show that , ive never seen that many ticks on one deer  

[foxdropper 17,092]

Tick bites for sure. Need to get numbers down fast mate .

[forest of dean redneck 11,183]

Better watch your legs an arms when your in the area ?

[Yokel Matt 918]

Too right - it ain’t good. 

[sussex 5,776]

That is what you call infested ! ..Cant think I’ve ever come across one quite as bad as that Matt . I fcuking hate ticks and keds .

[Deker 3,450]

I think its all but impossible to find a deer without ticks (certainly round my way), but that is bad!

Edited April 27, 2018 by Deker

[j j m 6,480]

not good at all

[biriuck 257]

did you find any ticks on the other side? If that is a tick infestation then you should also found many of them fixed in the skin.

I'm not familiar with the deer parasites from UK but this kind of skin is similar with the ones I have seen in the past. In my case it was another parasite that could be found as larva under the skin during the winter but will exit and fly away when will be warm enough outside. 

Also, ticks are usually infesting areas that are not easy to reach/rub by the animal. It looks weird to me to see this :|

Edited April 27, 2018 by biriuck

[Yokel Matt 918]

Warble / bot fly? I know they have it further north in Scotland but I’ve never seen it in the west country. It wasn’t obvious but by parting the pins on the other side of the blisters you could see the bloated ticks?.

... all this is making me itch again!

[biriuck 257]

This is how it looks in winter. The meat is not affected but the animal is weakened and a predator will have more chances  to put him down

[Yokel Matt 918]

Jesus... think I prefer ticks!!