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WTF is it??

OhioHunter88

Junior Member
270
68
Perry County
My cousin sent me this pic, what in the hell is that stuff??
 

Dannmann801

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
10,640
191
Springboro
It would be right to burn a tag on him.
If you didn't have a buck tag, it would be right to take him then knock that spike off.
If you didn't have a tag at all, it would be right to cull him and leave him for the coyotes.

That's just my opinion. I might be legally wrong. I might be medically wrong - maybe it's something he'd recover from, but I doubt it.

Don't think I'd chance the meat.
 

Riverdude

The Happy Hunting Grounds Beyond
Supporting Member
10,254
115
Ashtabula, Ohio
It would be right to burn a tag on him.
If you didn't have a buck tag, it would be right to take him then knock that spike off.
If you didn't have a tag at all, it would be right to cull him and leave him for the coyotes.

That's just my opinion. I might be legally wrong. I might be medically wrong - maybe it's something he'd recover from, but I doubt it.

Don't think I'd chance the meat.

As always Dan you are correct and I agree totally.
 

RRJJ

Removed by Request.
14,062
0
It would be right to burn a tag on him.
If you didn't have a buck tag, it would be right to take him then knock that spike off.
If you didn't have a tag at all, it would be right to cull him and leave him for the coyotes.

That's just my opinion. I might be legally wrong. I might be medically wrong - maybe it's something he'd recover from, but I doubt it.

Don't think I'd chance the meat.

Agree
 

formerbowhunter1023

Now Posts as Jesse..
0
0
SE Ohio
I agree with Dan. That deer looks miserable. I'd probably shoot him and remove him from my core area. Sometimes the laws don't account for situations like this...
 

jagermeister

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
18,061
223
Ohio
It would be right to burn a tag on him.
If you didn't have a buck tag, it would be right to take him then knock that spike off.
If you didn't have a tag at all, it would be right to cull him and leave him for the coyotes.

That's just my opinion. I might be legally wrong. I might be medically wrong - maybe it's something he'd recover from, but I doubt it.

Don't think I'd chance the meat.

I couldn't agree more on this one. That poor little sucker needs to be put out of his misery.
 

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
39,721
248
Ohio
I was trying to think of what it is called. Ryan you got it. Warbels is what I read too. IF not mistaken, I believe this is like a virus that just needs to run it's course and it will take care of itself. Although it is not pleasant to look at. I also believe they said the meat would be safe to consume. I still don't think I would eat it though. just me.
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
260
It's not warbels guys. Warbels are parasitic fly larva that live in the skin and there is usually only one or two.. Commonly found on Squirrels and Rabbits and are almost always gone by first frost. The deer has warts. We killed a doe last week that had a patch one her chest and one on by her tarsal gland.. That deer however has a bad case of it.
 

RedCloud

Super Moderator
Super Mod
17,381
193
North Central Ohio
Jack is right. They are tumors/warts called Fibroma. Here is a good article about it.

Description



Wart-like growths found on the skin of white-tailed deer and other members of the deer family are fibromas. They are popularly referred to as skin tumors, or simply warts. Histopathologists identify skin tumors from deer as papillomas, fibromas, or papillofibromas depending upon the predominate type of tissue making up the tumor. Since there is evidence that skin tumors common to deer are caused by one kind of virus, and the differences that have been described for them is due to their age, all will be treated as one, the fibroma, in this discussion. An infection with fibromas is called fibromatosis.



Fibromas are conspicuous as firm, nodular masses fastened only to the skin and varying in diameter from 10 to more than 100mm. All are fleshy. Some are covered with gray or dark skin which often is scratched and bleeding. Others have a black, dry, hard surface that may be fissured much like the head of a cauliflower. The larger ones tend to be pendulous because of their weight and stem-like attachment to the skin.



Fibromas are randomly distributed on deer but occur most frequently about the eyes, neck, face, and forelegs. They may be single or multiple. A heavily infected deer may have 25 or more. Occasionally, in multiple infections, they are so numerous and close together that they join into a coalescent mass. However, the incidence of severe involvement is extremely low, judging from the fact that not more than 2 or 3 cases in the whole state are reported to us a year.



Distribution



The disease occurs statewide in Michigan, and has been reported in white-tailed deer, black-tailed deer, and mule deer over much of their respective North American ranges. Similar skin tumors have been reported from moose on Isle Royale and in British Columbia.



In a survey made in New York state it was found that the incidence of fibromatosis is highest in deer 2.5 years of age and younger, and 5 times higher among bucks than does. Records obtained for Michigan through necropsies, field reports, and check station operations also indicate this is primarily a disease of young male deer.



Transmission and Development



Fibromas can be experimentally transmitted by rubbing fibroma tissue onto the scratched skin of a susceptible deer. How transmission is accomplished in the wild is not known. Possibly, it is through contact of broken skin with infectious material, either from an infected deer or vegetation which has been rubbed or brushed by an infected deer. The fact the incidence is highest among bucks suggests that fighting is a means for the spread of the disease. Biting insects may possibly be responsible since many viruses are transmitted by insect vectors.



Clinical Signs and Pathology



The fleshy or wart-like growths attached to the skin are the only sign of fibromatosis. Infected deer behave normally unless the location of the fibromas blocks vision or results in other physical impediment to normal activities.



On cross section, fibromas show a white, tough core of uniform texture covered with a rind of varying thickness and color. Those with a thin layer of skin show a thin and lightly pigmented rind, while those with a hard fissure external surface have a thick dark rind.



Fibromas involve only the skin and have no direct effect on the general health of deer. There may be a secondary effect if the growths are particularly large and located where they cause physical difficulties as in seeing, eating, and running.



Diagnosis



Diagnosis is based on the gross appearance and structure of the growths, and the fact they are attached only to the skin, not the underlying muscles and bones. Confirmation is based on microscopic examination of the tumor tissue.



Treatment and Control



It has been learned from experiments that infections stimulate an immune response in host deer, and thus become self-limiting. In most deer, the fibromas develop to only a few mm in diameter; they abruptly stop growing, dry up, and disappear. Only in an occasional deer do they develop into conspicuous skin tumors. Results of the New York survey indicate that wild deer are exposed and develop an immunity to the fibroma virus early in life.



Treatment is not feasible for most wild populations. The disease has not been reported as a problem in captive herds. Presumably, the growths could be removed surgically if it became important. Since exposure to the virus leads to immunity, it should be possible to develop a vaccine if prevention becomes necessary. To date, clinical disease has been too rare to justify such actions.



Significance



Fibromatosis is not an important cause of deer mortality. The disease is not known to infect humans. It's main significance lies in the consternation and concern experienced by the hunter who shoots a deer covered with ugly-looking lumps. Though they don't harm the meat, fibromas are repulsive to most persons and therefore render a fine trophy aesthetically undesirable.



Some domesticated animals (cattle, dogs, etc.) are subject to "warts" common to their kind. There is no reason to believe that fibromatosis of deer is infectious to domestic animals.