Dead deer may be sign of disease on Whidbey

Though it’s still too early to tell, mysterious deer deaths on Whidbey have people wondering if a deadly disease may be sweeping through the population.

According to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, there has been a small handful of suspicious deer mortalities on Whidbey over the past couple of weeks, concentrated in the Holmes Harbor area in Freeland. This includes four unexplained deaths and one sick deer, three of which had symptoms of disease. Kurt Licence, a biologist with Fish and Wildlife, said they haven’t been able to get to a fresh carcass in time to sample and test for disease.

“So the causes of deaths are still unconfirmed but I am keeping a close eye on opportunities to investigate future mortality reports,” he said.

Ralph Downes, an enforcement officer for Fish a