Milk River Takes another hit

[kojac]

Hey guys,
 
It makes me sick just thinking about it, I have to say it is as bad as I have ever seen it.
 
We had a tuff winter and spring but for the most part the whitetail faired pretty well considering.  That is untill about 4 weeks ago or so and EHD has devistated the whitetail deer herd.  I can honestly say I have never seen it this bad-ever!!  My conservitive est. would be 90% of all adult deer have died from this virus.  I say adult deer because it seems the fawns have an imune systems that the virus cant break down or something because there are still some around. (EHD is simular to Blue Tung)  
 
I walked several miles of the river bottom on labor day weekend (archery opener in Montana), saw one fawn and tracks of maybe six other deer.  
 
On a positive note, the flooding this spring planted millions of cottonwood trees all over the river banks for miles.  When you look down the river it looks like grass is growing but in reality it is a crop of 9-10 inch cottonwood trees.  It's pretty amazing because in this part of the country trees are hard to come by and cottonwood trees grow pretty fast compaired to other trees.

[Charlie Lamb]

That's really tough bud! First winter I lived in Wyoming there was a winter kill that took out 90% of the mulies in my area. Season was closed for 5 years in some units.
They'll come back.  It'll just take time.
   :(

[YORNOC]

Devastating. When I think of a hunt to go on...Milk River always comes to mind. Never got there, I hope Mother Nature takes care of things.

[trad_bowhunter1965]

Northeastern California had a big winter die off back 90/91 it has taken about 10 years for the deer herd to come back.

[Gen273]

I am sorry to hear this!!!

[LoweBow]

We had a horrible hit around my place about 4 years ago here in KY.  We've bounded back quickly!  Mother Nature can be a real B sometimes!

[Mudd]

It's been quite a while since Missouri's last outbreak of "blue tongue" and the herd did make it back, it just took time.

It means that folks that have to hunt that area will have to hunt harder,longer and smarter if they fill a tag.

I am sorry that it happened. I am always saddened when there are massive numbers killed. (All senseless deaths disturb me.)

God bless, Mudd

[dcmeckel]

As most of the country knows,we are having a very bad drougth here in Texas.What may not be known,or thought of,is that the mast crop for this Fall is probably going to be non-existant.I am seeing HUGE Live Oak trees browning and in some cases the wind is blowing them out of the ground,roots and all!I don't know what Blue tongue or EHD does,but starvation can't be any better.Keep prayin'!!
David

[LONGSTYKES]

Brian, Time will tell. Hope the area bounces back sooner, The Milk is a great Whitetail area. In my area the Mule dear are down in numbers, also found a lot of young and older dear dead in the spring on my place. Multiple large temperature changes in the early spring. Ranging from -12 thru -28 degrees too 12 thru 34 degrees above. A lot of Pneumonia, I suspect.

[Walt Francis]

Sorry to hear that, the Milk is one of my favorite places “Come November".  I guess Barry & Gene knew what they were doing when they left for Iowa....well, at least as far as the whitetails are concerned.

[centaur]

Charlie, was that in the mid 80s in Wyoming? We had a big winter kill then, and it took a long time for the deer to repopulate. The area around the Sweetwater Rocks was never the same after that big die off.

[Charlie Lamb]

Pat, you nailed it. I spent the first season learning how, where and when and after that first winter it was for naught. I really felt bad for the deer.
There were literally dead deer in every draw and around every haystack on there wintering grounds.
That was around Pinedale.

[Charlie Lamb]

After that concentrated more on elk for the next two years and then broke my freakin neck in an accident .... became an antelope hunter until I regained my strength for humpin the mountains.
   

[Coonbait]

I had a beautiful buck (Magnus) that I raised from 9 days old that died from EHD a few years ago. He was 7 years old and extemely healthy. When we first noticed something was wrong it was only probably a week and he was gone! They get lathargic, then a real bad fever that puts them down for good! A herd can be hit hard fast. Hits really hard on hot dry years it seems.
Glenn

[kojac]

Several river bottoms here in eastern montana get EHD every year but for the most part it stays in a much smaller area and not as wide spread. But in the past it also didn't start so early in the fall (usally Oct)but this year it came in Aug/Sept and the only way to stop the spead is with a early frost.  This frost kills a natt like insect that carries the virus.

lets hope and pray this winter isn't anything like last winter.  Because this part of the Montana wildlife as a whole have taken a beating.  Antelope are vertually gone/wht-tail are wipped out/mule deer are few and far between. The birds took a hit as well.

Looks like a good reason to plan a hunt somewhere.

[sbschindler]

Hey Kojac I feel for ya,, it is pretty bad. went mule deer hunting and in 3 days seen 7 deer. 4 bucks that were maybe 3 years old though good to see, hopefuly  they will live 1 more year. I"ll go visit them again..

[kojac]

I see you've been spending some time on the water and bring home some meat with the fishing pole.  the huntin' down but the fishin' up!