Calf moose with ticks

[TAK Precision]

Hey, do you guys see many moose that are infested with ticks? I've been seeing the same three calf moose periodically through the winter and they used to be grouped up pretty tight. Lately i have only been seeing two of them together but today I think I have seen the 3rd guy. He is looking pretty white like he's covered in ticks, I'd say probably 30% - 35% hair loss from him.

[Drewski Canuck]

Have not seen a tick problem in the Athabasca area this year. It really depends on the area. Ticks can be deadly on the moose some years, and it can be really localized to an area.

Trouble is, it may be too late for the infested calf if it is a cold wet spring. If it can make it until it can get into some water and drown off the remaining ticks, then there is a chance to recover.

Seems that the best solution to ticks in an area is a forest fire. Kills out the ticks for years after.

Drewski

[sns2]

Ticks and moose are always a sad thing. Drewski is right though. They can make it.

[sweld]

We seen 3 moose last weekend north of Edson. They all looked healthy.


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[creeky]

Originally Posted by Drewski Canuck

Have not seen a tick problem in the Athabasca area this year. It really depends on the area. Ticks can be deadly on the moose some years, and it can be really localized to an area.

Trouble is, it may be too late for the infested calf if it is a cold wet spring. If it can make it until it can get into some water and drown off the remaining ticks, then there is a chance to recover.

Seems that the best solution to ticks in an area is a forest fire. Kills out the ticks for years after.

Drewski

there's a spot I know with these "ghost" tick infested moose-then just roughly 3kms north the moose you see there appear healthy.


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[Quest206]

If the calf is only 30-35% it should make it OK. I used to be involved in moose surveys every year in NE Alberta and have seen animals with 60% hair loss that have made it to Spring as long as there isn't a prolonged cold spell.

[Bub]

Didn't see this thread and made a post in another one:

Originally Posted by Bub

I did find this, which was a first one for me:



At first, I thought this cow fell off the cliff and was wondering how could that happen. Later I thought she may have actually jumped. Notice how she hardly has any hair on her and hardly any hair around. She was still fairly fresh and hardly eaten (just poked around the nose and the ear) when I found her with dozens of crows and a beauty of what looked like a young bald eagle with white and brown through out his body, but massive in size, very massive, feeding on her. Whatever happened, she definitely came from the above though. You can see where she landed and dragged herself out a meter or two. Pretty sad stuff, no matter how it went. Definitely not the best way to die.

[Smokinyotes]

You know if fish and wildlife supplied the chopper and ivomec I would gladly volunteer to shoot them out of a chopper with a paintball gun loaded with ivomec.

[chuck-the-chimp]

Originally Posted by Smokinyotes

You know if fish and wildlife supplied the chopper and ivomec I would gladly volunteer to shoot them out of a chopper with a paintball gun loaded with ivomec.

You know, I'd had roughly the same thought. I'm out and about looking for moose regularly. I'd be glad of the opportunity to stalk in close and provide a cure for those little bastards. Every moose I had on cam in 936 last spring was loaded with ticks and had significant hair loss. Feel pretty bad for the poor buggers.

[Bub]

Just wondering, can everyone see an image in my post above (post #7, I believe)? I looked at this thread on my phone and I could not see the photo in the post I quoted.

Anyway, some of them have it pretty badly. This one looked significantly worse on the other side. She/he crossed the road in front of me, but there was nowhere to go, so it turned around and ran to where it came from.