Hunting & Fishing EHD Killing your deer population too??

B

Bloody_Tailgate

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Jul 12, 2008
244
8
Sioux Falls, SD
#1
We had this problem about 6 or 7 years ago in NW South Dakota, we're just getting back to normal populations and seeing some nice shooter deer...now it's back.

Copy/Paste from GF&P email...
<span style="font-weight: bold">
GFP has been monitoring a die-off of white-tailed deer in parts of the state due to EHD. In some areas the loss of deer has been significant.

We are taking two actions effective immediately:
• the number of unsold licenses available in some areas has been adjusted
• you are being offered the opportunity to return your deer license and tags for a refund
For now, unsold licenses will be eliminated in West River units Bennett County: 11A-09 and 11B-17; Gregory County: 30A-19 and 30B-19; and Jackson County: 39B-09. In addition, 200 licenses will be removed for Meade County: 49B-09.

Monitoring will continue and more adjustments may be made, including the East River counties of Hutchinson, Bon Homme, Yankton, Charles Mix and Brule. We will provide news of updates as they develop.

The option to receive a refund for your license will be available until the opening day of your respective deer season. Archery Deer opens Sept. 22, so Sept. 21 is the last day refunds could be taken.

Hunters seeking a refund should send their license, including all associated tags, to:
GFP Licensing Office
20641 SD Hwy. 1806
Ft. Pierre, SD 57532

For more details, please visit our web page at: http://gfp.sd.gov/wildlife/diseases/epizootic-hemorrhagic-disease.aspx</span>

Any of you guys seeing this in your area?
 
#3
Re: EHD Killing your deer population too??

Some areas in SD are getting whacked, others not so much. Its on a county to county basis, the south half of my county is toasted while the north half is spotty, just hope for a freeze.
 
#5
Re: EHD Killing your deer population too??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Bloody_Tailgate</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Well, there is no good freeze in the forecast...but how often are the weather men actually right?</div></div> True, I'd be happy with a good one In Oct sometime.
 
#9
Re: EHD Killing your deer population too??

I'm on the DNR mailing list for WI and recieved this yesterday:

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
Pockets of dead deer found in Columbia and Rock counties died from EHD
Weekly News article published: September 18, 2012 by the Central Office

MADISON – State wildlife officials have confirmed that tissue samples submitted from deer found dead in Columbia and Rock counties have tested positive for Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease, or EHD. A number of citizens in southern Wisconsin contacted the Department of Natural Resources with recent observations of small groups of dead deer. Reports came primarily from the Town of Dekorra in Columbia County, but also from Rock, Waukesha and Walworth counties.

DNR wildlife health specialists submitted the tissue samples for testing to Michigan State University’s Diagnostic Center for Population & Animal Health, which confirmed they died of EHD. Additional tests of deer from Waukesha and Walworth counties are pending and expected within the next one to two weeks.

“Our neighbor states have been seeing EHD outbreaks for the last several weeks and now it has made its way into southern Wisconsin,” said Eric Lobner, DNR southern Wisconsin wildlife supervisor.

EHD is a fairly common disease carried by midges -- commonly referred to as no-see-ums -- but the virus that causes the disease does not infect humans, according to health specialists, so people are not at risk when handling infected deer, eating venison from infected deer or being bitten by infected midges.
</div></div>

The noted counties are horizontally central and near the bottom boarder of the state. New pathogens have typically been noted to first be detected in the south-west corner of the state. This was the same with CWD. Not remembering, as this issue has been calm; I googled and the first recorded cases were back in 2002 close to the SW corner and it seemed to be localized and self-contained.
2002 was also a dry summer (this summer also in the south) for WI so I'm not sure if there is coorelation in climate.

 
#12
Re: EHD Killing your deer population too??

eastern Neb. getting hit hard too. Drought causes deer to converge at watering supplies. I think I read EHD transmitted by syliva also. Going to make me have to hunt instead of harvest.
 
#16
Re: EHD Killing your deer population too??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Stranded</div><div class="ubbcode-body">eastern Neb. getting hit hard too. Drought causes deer to converge at watering supplies. I think I read EHD transmitted by syliva also. Going to make me have to hunt instead of harvest. </div></div>


Transferred by a biting midge. Cattle and sheep can carry with out any harm to them. The abnormal temperatures help the midge and they also prefer stagnant water as most of the rivers and streams in the area have just pockets of water left. The local DNR guy says it will take 5-7 years to build our population back up.
 
#17
Re: EHD Killing your deer population too??

For those of you seeing large numbers of deer dying off, are you still planning on hunting, or do you think it would be better for numbers to lay off them for a year?

My biggest fear is that we have another drought year and the remaining deer population takes another big hit...then where will we be?
 
#18
Re: EHD Killing your deer population too??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Bloody_Tailgate</div><div class="ubbcode-body">For those of you seeing large numbers of deer dying off, are you still planning on hunting, or do you think it would be better for numbers to lay off them for a year?

My biggest fear is that we have another drought year and the remaining deer population takes another big hit...then where will we be? </div></div>

Most of the guys around me are going to hunt but we all think its best if we do not shoot does.
 
#19
Re: EHD Killing your deer population too??

it so is location dependent in the two countys i will hunt this year dewey west and walworth east river it has not hit that bad. I wathced over 60 deer from a hill this morning and have not found any dead deer when out grouse hunting yet but things could change. the real killer can be winter if we get a bad winter after an ehd die off that can spell deer numbers like perkins county has had for the past few years. We have another open winter they will bounce back pretty fast. I wish the gfp would have listened when people were saying the same thing was happening a few years back. It went from seeing alot of deer in perkins county to seeing one or 2 a day but still handing out triple tags and mowing the last few ones down
 
#20
Re: EHD Killing your deer population too??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Kurt</div><div class="ubbcode-body">it so is location dependent in the two countys i will hunt this year dewey west and walworth east river it has not hit that bad. I wathced over 60 deer from a hill this morning and have not found any dead deer when out grouse hunting yet but things could change. the real killer can be winter if we get a bad winter after an ehd die off that can spell deer numbers like perkins county has had for the past few years. We have another open winter they will bounce back pretty fast. I wish the gfp would have listened when people were saying the same thing was happening a few years back. It went from seeing alot of deer in perkins county to seeing one or 2 a day but still handing out triple tags and mowing the last few ones down </div></div>

We've been hunting Perkins county for quite a few years now too. The first few years there were deer everywhere you looked, then the EHD wiped them out about 7 years ago. The numbers are coming back but I agree that the tag numbers should be lower, and there should be no double doe tags sold.
 
#24
Re: EHD Killing your deer population too??

Clinical Signs

Clinical signs of EHD and bluetongue are very similar.

White-tailed deer develop signs of illness about 7 days after exposure. A constant characteristic of the disease is its sudden onset. Deer initially lose their appetite and fear of man, grow progressively weaker, often salivate excessively, develop a rapid pulse and respiration rate, and fever (affected animals frequent bodies of water to lie in to reduce their body temperature) and finally become unconscious. Hemorrhage and lack of oxygen in the blood results in a blue appearance of the oral mucosa, hence the name 'bluetongue'. Eight to 36 hours following the onset of observable signs, deer pass into a shock-like state, become prostrate and die.


damn..3 days after exposure...dead
 
#25
Re: EHD Killing your deer population too??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Teamor</div><div class="ubbcode-body">i was told that cattle can get this same EHD. we haven't lost any cattle but the game warden claims were at 50% loss on the white-tail. im in west river bennett county and it isn't good here </div></div>

Cattle and sheep can carry but are not efficted. Some spots in Southern Iowa are looking at 50-70 % loss as well
 
#26
Re: EHD Killing your deer population too??

just talk to the game warden again this morning and they were predicting 75-90% loss by first good freeze (late Oct.). i am near a wild life refuge which you are allowed to hunt archey and it did hold some awsome white-tail 180+. the game warden gave me the heads up if i find any dead buck in there they are pressing charges if you pick them up so be careful about doin it cuz they were setting up cameras. any of you guys finding any nice ones.
 
#27
Re: EHD Killing your deer population too??

funny the gfp only care if you pick up a nice one and not a 2x3. that is bullshit that if some one finds a dead deer on there land they cant have the horns.
 
#28
Re: EHD Killing your deer population too??

Nebraska has really taken a hit. In addition to the others mentioned, my buddy that lives in North-Central NE has several dead deer on his property. It's a real shame what this will do to the population and I sure hope this drought isn't a multi-year (or longer) issue. If it is, we could ALL be in big trouble!!
 
#29
Re: EHD Killing your deer population too??

Have had calls or found 70 deer in 2 of our 5 counties we run in southcentral SD! Who knows how many that have not been seen! Sure I will find a bunch more when I go out tomorrow!
 
#30
Re: EHD Killing your deer population too??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Kurt</div><div class="ubbcode-body">funny the gfp only care if you pick up a nice one and not a 2x3. that is bullshit that if some one finds a dead deer on there land they cant have the horns. </div></div>

roger that shit
 
#31
Re: EHD Killing your deer population too??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: blackrifleops</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Have had calls or found 70 deer in 2 of our 5 counties we run in southcentral SD! Who knows how many that have not been seen! Sure I will find a bunch more when I go out tomorrow!</div></div>

how many booners have you and bbear found......are you finding any dead mule deer?
 
#32
Re: EHD Killing your deer population too??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Teamor</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: blackrifleops</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Have had calls or found 70 deer in 2 of our 5 counties we run in southcentral SD! Who knows how many that have not been seen! Sure I will find a bunch more when I go out tomorrow!</div></div>

how many booners have you and bbear found......are you finding any dead mule deer? </div></div>

I haven't found much and the bucks I have found were dinks. No mule deer, in fact mule deer pops look better than they did last year. I know Matt's got some pics of a few good bucks that died. One of them has some insane mass, maybe he'll post them or if he wants I will. I got an email of this buck that died down by Pierce NE, supposedly a 200 incher.

IMG_1275.jpg
 
#33
Re: EHD Killing your deer population too??

No Booners yet! Some very nice deer though! As I looked in the river the other day at three bucks piled up in one spot something caught my eye! I went back to the truck and put the glass to it and it was a massive non-typiclal with mass like you never see around here. No tine length with 17" beams, all mass! Talked to a nearby landowner who has been getting this deers shed for the last 3 years around the place but said he has never seen the deer alive!
 
#36
Re: EHD Killing your deer population too??

Well, (fingers crossed) it looks like we're in for some cooler temps in the next 5 days. Lows reaching the mid 20's over night. Anyone know how cold and for how long the temps need to be below freezing to kill off the damn midges that pass this virus along?
 
#37
Re: EHD Killing your deer population too??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Bloody_Tailgate</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Well, (fingers crossed) it looks like we're in for some cooler temps in the next 5 days. Lows reaching the mid 20's over night. Anyone know how cold and for how long the temps need to be below freezing to kill off the damn midges that pass this virus along?</div></div>

It's the first freeze of the year that kills them, it's probably impossible to tell if every midge is killed off after that first freeze but it will help the problem significantly. Temps where I'm at are predicted to drop to 25 degrees the next two nights with the possibility of some precipitation. I guess we'll know more by the weekend but it looks promising.
 
#40
Re: EHD Killing your deer population too??

I have heard of a few cases in Missouri where I hunt and just tonight my mom was telling me that she had a nice 10 point buck in the lake. She called the deputy that lives just down the road and he called the game warden to see about shooting it because of the way it was acting. By time he got the ok to shoot it he took off.
 
#42
Re: EHD Killing your deer population too??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: shamrockcattle</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Teamor</div><div class="ubbcode-body">i was told that cattle can get this same EHD. we haven't lost any cattle but the game warden claims were at 50% loss on the white-tail. im in west river bennett county and it isn't good here </div></div>

Cattle and sheep can carry but are not efficted. Some spots in Southern Iowa are looking at 50-70 % loss as well </div></div>

Turns out Im an idiot. Me and the local vet did some research and Cattle have a much higher tolerance to the disease but can contract it.
 
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