Louse Flies on Grouse

Hunter7

Hunter7

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Anyone else have to deal with these creepy little ba$tards or is this just a Manitoba thing? They look like a grey flattened housefly. I call them spider flies because they come off the grouse feathers when you are cleaning them and land on you buzzing and running sideways like a spider, also like crawling up the inside of your pant legs, and on the back of your neck and into your hair, creepy as hell and practically need a sledge hammer to kill them too. Tough as hell. Years ago I never saw one but I’d say the last 5-10 years they are almost always on every grouse I shoot like clockwork. Even though I clean my birds in the garage it never fails that a few always seem to make their way into the house too.
 
I’ve noticed them once in a while in The Okanagan, they are hard to kill. You can swat them or squish them, and they seem to come back. Not really something you want living in your truck for the next week.
 
Have never seen such flies in these Eastern parts. More worried about Lyme infected red legged ticks on grouse as I carry them in my game pocket. Still not sure if this is a real risk, however I do lightly spray all such pockets with permethrin and also bag the grouse before putting them in.
 
I clean my birds on the spot. Don't even need a knife. I take the breast and the wild critters can have the rest. Ain't no creepy crawleys makin' it back to my place!
 
Hippoboscid flies - I've encountered them in NB, but not for 10-15 years now, although I've heard from others nearby that run into them. My birds don't come in the cab, learned that lesson from these guys.
 
I just find it odd that I have been hunting grouse for 50 years and until about 5-10 years ago have never seen these things yet now are on pretty much every bird I kill.
 
Hunter7 said:
I just find it odd that I have been hunting grouse for 50 years and until about 5-10 years ago have never seen these things yet now are on pretty much every bird I kill.
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Hey we did not have ticks here at all 10 years ago and around when they started to show up. Now the woods are infested with them in the months of May/June/July ....

Things change ...

15 years ago my area was infested with beavers ..... and I mean infested ... and nowadays I can hardly find any fresh signs of beaver activity .... all those beavers are gone .... who knows why?
 
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Hunter7 said:
I just find it odd that I have been hunting grouse for 50 years and until about 5-10 years ago have never seen these things yet now are on pretty much every bird I kill.
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You shouldn't find it odd. Increasing average temperatures are allowing a lot of things to move north that weren't around 20 years ago, and it's only going to get worse from here.
 
Grouse Man said:
Are you talking about bird lice? I've found them on ducks for sure, never noticed them on grouse.
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I've seen bird lice on ptarmigans, but never heard about these flying things until reading this thread.
Fleas on rabbits. Caribou with warbles and tape worm cysts.
I suppose most any critter can have parasites.
 
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