Article on abnormal Kodiak bucks

[Chisana]

Seems like this topic comes up from time to time on the forum. Here's the latest:

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/wildl...ry/766513.html

[tccak71]

Is Jake Jacobson our own Brwnbr? Or is his last name different? I know he guides on Kodiak.

Odd things going on down there with those bucks!

Tim

[kingfisherktn]

Is Jake Jacobson our own Brwnbr? Or is his last name different? I know he guides on Kodiak.

Odd things going on down there with those bucks!

Tim

Jake Jefferson is brwnbr.

[millsymojo]

it is an interesting phenomena, but be careful what you read. "environmental contaminants" can mean anything really...natural or unnatural. this story was also in the daily news miner in fbx. it sounds like the research has only truly begun, and it may be quite a while before causetive agents or reasons are found, if at all. i find it peculiar that a registered hunting guide is now a candidate to claim that there are environmental contaminants causing this malformation. it could also be that the media (gasp) has misconstrued his input. journalism such as this does little to shed light on the truth, and much to stoke the fires of environmental meltdown. i'm sure chicken little is about to cluck. watch the comments section following the article burn red hot with the mother earth sky is falling crowd.

[Chisana]

it is an interesting phenomena, but be careful what you read. "environmental contaminants" can mean anything really...natural or unnatural. this story was also in the daily news miner in fbx. it sounds like the research has only truly begun, and it may be quite a while before causetive agents or reasons are found, if at all. i find it peculiar that a registered hunting guide is now a candidate to claim that there are environmental contaminants causing this malformation. it could also be that the media (gasp) has misconstrued his input. journalism such as this does little to shed light on the truth, and much to stoke the fires of environmental meltdown. i'm sure chicken little is about to cluck. watch the comments section following the article burn red hot with the mother earth sky is falling crowd.

What are you talking about? Your post makes little sense to me. The article was pretty clear that there could be a number of causes for this phenomenon, that research is ongoing and that the biologists are looking into it, but are not panicked.

[Amigo Will]

The same thing has been happening to the human male in big cities of the lower 48 for years

[CGSwimmer25]

i find it peculiar that a registered hunting guide is now a candidate to claim that there are environmental contaminants causing this malformation.[/QUOTE]

Jake has been researching this for many years and has some pretty interesting stuff to say about it. If you find it peculiar you should contact him and see what he has to say.

[Hunt&FishAK]

ahh alot like this buck we killed near karluk river last fall in kodiak...there were 4 other bucks that had that condition but not real bad like this..



we all think that he never shed his spikes...? no velvet on him, but really fat

[GAredneck]

Just catching up

Growing up in GA, I worked at our familes deer processing shop during the hunting season . I hunted and fished every day I could and usually filled all my tags. In the early days it was 3 tags and then up to 7 and several years back it went to 10, so believe me when I say I've seen numerous deer with some crazy stuff going on. Doe's with racks, deer with 5 legs, even saw one deer with web feet.:eek: I guess he came from the swamps! If you asked me, I think it's no big deal, just Alaska chatching up to the lower 48.

[mrkc]

ADN ... ugh.

ADN should have fact checked it before the reposted the AP story. The staff writer took the science there is and utterly butchered it. If you must read something, read the story written by the Kodiak Daily Mirror. They did a much better job on it. I was so disgusted by the DNM/ADN version... :mad:

No one's demonstrated anything positive yet. Latch, down at Col State, showed that it was probably not inbreeding that's causing the steer deer. That result will likely stand up. But it could be a) an epigenetic effect b) parasite or pathogen related or c) environmental exposure.

We're so far from demonstrating that it's due to exposure that I'm flabbergasted that they'd go ahead and talk about it like it was a sure thing. No one's actually found anything yet. Seaweed? SBTD are forced down on to the beaches on POW in high snow years, too. There's no corresponding increase in steer deer after it. Or none that's been demonstrated to my knowledge.

[jtm9]

Good eatin

All I know is that I have shot at least a dozen bucks close to that area of Kodiak, that had weird looking antlers and missing some nuts. The good thing is they aren't thinking of the rut and they are as fat and tasty as deer can be. The guys in the ADFG office in Kodiak know what is going on and are two of the most knowledgable big game guys I have talked to. If they aren't freaking out about it, why should I.

[Phil]

Good Heads Up

I'm going to be hunting somewhere (don't know where yet) in the southern part of Kodiak this coming August. It's good to know that these deer exist. I'll be watching out for them.

Actually I would be glassing carefully anyway as I'm hoping to shoot a deer with BIG antlers.

[trapperbob]

Here are 2 of the 4 I have taken without nads

They don't come too much weirder than this guy or it.

Both these deer were huge bodied, this one was taken in 2001 when there weren't hardly any real bucks around. He did eat good.

[jtm9]

couple from the south end

Two from the last few years. Fat, no nads.

[Chisana]

Two from the last few years. Fat, no nads.

They don't come too much weirder than this guy or it.

Both these deer were huge bodied, this one was taken in 2001 when there weren't hardly any real bucks around. He did eat good.

ahh alot like this buck we killed near karluk river last fall in kodiak...there were 4 other bucks that had that condition but not real bad like this..


we all think that he never shed his spikes...? no velvet on him, but really fat

A question for you guys who have killed weird Kodiak bucks: Were you at all hesitant to shoot one of these guys? I can't put my finger on the exact reason why, but I think I might hold off on pressing the trigger on one of these weird dudes. Sounds like the meat was good and they were healthy after the rut and I guess that would be my main concern.