have itchy bites after handling deer

[Sean B]

We found an old, dead stag Sunday. I had to handle it quite a bit moving it, and I had a bunch of small, itchy bites on various parts of my body within a couple hours. I found a flea while examining myself, and showered and washed all my clothes. The next morning I woke up with more, apparently fresh, bites. No sign of more fleas after thorough examination. I suspect some kind of louse or mite. I've done quite a bit of web-searching since, and though I turned up many articles on "deer lice", louse-flies, so-called "deer keds", etc., they mostly say these are found on deer in the southeast. No mention of them in CA. I'm not concerned here with ticks; I've dealt quite a bit with both sheep- and deer-ticks in my life. But this is an uncomfortable hassle, and I want to remedy it decisively. Has anyone around here (Seb) had experience with this?

[Tars]

Are you reactive to poison oak? Deer rub against it all the time. Poison oak itches like bug bites.

[chollie]

Although it is probably not the case, you should be concerned about ixoides ticks on deer. A small precentage carry lymes disease. I have been covered with fleas bites from the non-native deer that used to be thick in Point Reyes and the Vedanta center. Charlie

[Cheingrand]

I have been covered with fleas bites from the non-native deer that used to be thick in Point Reyes and the Vedanta center. Charlie

I'm assuming you are talking about the introduced Axis and Fallow deer on the Point Reyes peninsula, but I can't figure out how you might be close enough to them to get their fleas. While still pretty thick, they aren't too easy to get close enough to share fleas. Are you part of the depredation program?

[chollie]

Although it seems farfetched, the Axis and fallow dear at Vedanta were so thick you could pick up the fleas in the grass. The non native deer so effected the landscape that they inhibited tree regeneration. If I remember correctly no killing was allowed at Vedanta but there are a few remaining collared and neutered deer deer there.