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How to Kill Ticks on an Elk

Winter ticks affect bison, deer, moose and elk. These tiny parasites attach themselves to the animal in the late summer. According to the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre, the ticks remain dormant until midwinter. The cold triggers the ticks to molt and start sucking blood from their host. A single elk can carry as many as 40,000 ticks that suck up to 40 liters of blood. Removing these ticks from the elk may save its life.

Things You'll Need

Corn feed
Ivermec

Instructions

- 1
  Place bait corn in areas where the elk herd congregates. Start placing the bait in the late fall. Replace the bait corn daily to attract the elk to the bait station.
- 2
  Treat 10 lbs. of feed with 1 cup of Ivermec. The medication remains on the outside of the corn. According to the Yukon Environmental control, it does not seem to affect the taste of the feed.
- 3
  Place the treated feed in the bait station in late January through February and March. This is feeding season for the tick.

Animals & Science