Has anyone dealt with Epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD)?

[MunkMaster]

In the last 2 weeks I have lost 3 dear on my property, my neighbor has one in their woods and another one was found today at my property line.
They are just dead on the ground with no wounds or signs of struggle. Another one was found in a community less than a mile away so that makes 5 all together right now. 2 of the dear were mother and fawn and died 5 days apart. The fawn has a twin that I have alive on a trail cam this morning so I hope it makes it. DNR is saying it is most likely Epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD). No one has been able to find the deer soon after they die so they have been picked at or smell and DNR won't take it. They will if we find another one and its fresh and test it.

Has anyone dealt with this before? I finally just started getting a good deer population here and this happens.

*Edit, I am in Wicomico county*

*Edit 2, 1 more was found half a mile away and about 5 miles in a community a couple more so that's fun*

 

[Clovis]

Usually I find them dead in or near water and can assume that is what caused it as they get a fever and are trying to cool off when they die. If they weren't in or near water I would not be sure if it was EHD. At least that is my limited experience.

 

[MunkMaster]

Usually I find them dead in or near water and can assume that is what caused it as they get a fever and are trying to cool off when they die. If they weren't in or near water I would not be sure if it was EHD. At least that is my limited experience.

2 were near drainage ditches but only the one time(today) was there water in it. The third was just in the middle of the woods. Usually if we don't get a good rain the drainage ditches are empty and I have a dog swimming pool at my one stand that has water in it but no deer have been found by that.

 

[308Scout]

There is apparently an outbreak this year. The link below on VA was in the Bambi Whacking thread. There've been reports of elevated cases in other states as well. The relatively good news in terms of spread is that it is transmitted to deer from midges and does not spread deer-to-deer. It should stop spreading for the year after the first hard freeze.

https://wtop.com/virginia/2022/08/va-wildlife-officials-warn-of-viral-disease-in-deer/

DNR has a pretty good write up of the physical symptoms.

https://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/pages/hunt_trap/dd_hd.aspx

 

[Clovis]

With my limited experience with this I would be a little concerned something else may be going on as being near or in water is almost always involved, but as I say limited so it could be EHD.

 

[Doco Overboard]

Seems like every other year or so this phenomena strikes a good number of the deer population. Almost always right before archery.
I had heard of only recently some of this happening, but have not found, any dead ones local to me.
With that, here's a relatively recent daylight pic of a good thirsty buck.

 

[outrider58]

A farm I hunted the last couple years in HoCo was hit hard a couple years ago.

 

[MunkMaster]

There is apparently an outbreak this year. The link below on VA was in the Bambi Whacking thread. There've been reports of elevated cases in other states as well. The relatively good news in terms of spread is that it is transmitted to deer from midges and does not spread deer-to-deer. It should stop spreading for the year after the first hard freeze.

https://wtop.com/virginia/2022/08/va-wildlife-officials-warn-of-viral-disease-in-deer/

DNR has a pretty good write up of the physical symptoms.

https://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/pages/hunt_trap/dd_hd.aspx

Great links thanks

 

[Sticky]

They get dehyrdated with EHD and will often die near a water source. It has been bad lately with the dry weather in my area. I live on a spring fed pond that has only gone down a few times in the last 20 or so years. It has been low for the past couple weeks until the rains this week brought it back up. The spring feeding it has been drying up slowly the past month or so.

 

[justiw]

Saw one in Wicomico Co just 2 weeks ago. Standing in water, 150 yds from the house, crooked neck, head down, tongue out, confused and showing ribs. It was a nice 7 or 8 pt in felt. Got away before I could end its suffering...

 

[Johnny5k]

Is this the "blue tongue" disease??

A hunter friend of mine said it had really hurt the population a few years ago, but it was recovering.

 

[MunkMaster]

Is this the "blue tongue" disease??

A hunter friend of mine said it had really hurt the population a few years ago, but it was recovering.

Had to look it up but yes it is.

 

[delaware_export]

A bout of that went south Delaware a while back. Took a pretty good toll on the local herd. Rebounded in a couple years.

 

[MunkMaster]

A bout of that went south Delaware a while back. Took a pretty good toll on the local herd. Rebounded in a couple years.

ughhhhhhhh. I just got this heard back to decent numberssssssss.

 

[babalou]

damn. Up in northern VT something like this has hit the moose population. Winter ticks. people find then dead standing in the snow from them. My uncle used to see them all the time but they have been hit hard. Same with bats up there. He used t have tons in his barn as a holding pattern place. He places netting now to catch some for the DNR up there. White nose syndrome fungus. Seems though the bats are making a come back- at least the little brown bats.

 

[DeadInside]

Not Blue Tongue…see the following that I posted in the Deer Hunting thread:

Blue Tongue occurs primarily in sheep and sometimes in cattle, it is very rare in free ranging deer. More typically what people confuse for Blue Tongue (and what the article is referring to) is “HD” or Hemorrhagic Disease. It occurs in deer in MD every summer to some degree, just large scale outbreaks are more likely in years of drought conditions because of concentrations of the hatch of the biting midges that spread the virus. From the DNR website:

​ Hemorrhagic Disease (HD)​
Biting midges (“no see ums”) transmit this viral disease of white-tailed deer. Deer die from extensive internal hemorrhages. HD typically appears during the late summer or early fall. The appearance of sick or dead deer near water at this time of year is an indication of potential HD. Early signs of infection are respiratory distress, swelling of the head, neck or tongue and stupor. Deer may have open sores on the tongue and upper front dental pad. Deer that survive the initial infection may have reduced mobility related to lameness. Some of these deer may not live. Surviving deer show hooves with sloughing tissue. DNR monitors HD by looking for sloughing hoof tissue on deer harvested during firearm deer hunting season. HD appears annually in Maryland with varying distribution and intensity. Typical white-tailed deer mortality rates are less than 25 percent and do not occur over large landscapes. The virus is not contagious to humans and only harvested deer with huge open sores should not be consumed. Dogs, cats and sheep are not affected, but cattle can exhibit very mild symptoms. A hemorrhagic disease Q & A sheet with additional information is available on the DNR Website.​ Hemorrhagic Disease Q & A Fact Sheet​ ​ Hemorrhagic Disease in White-Tailed Deer Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study (SCWDS)​ ​ Diseases and Parasites of Maryland Deer​	Photograph of sloughing hoof tissue sloughing hoof tissue​
Photograph of ulcerated upper dental pad ulcerated upper dental pad​
Photograph showing ulcerated tongue of white-tailed deer ulcerated tongue​

Also it is now referred to as just “Hemorrhagic Disease”. Epizootic is typically no longer referenced.

 

[Afrikeber]

Seen a nice buck with it during a trip to PA last week.

 

[rgramjet]

I saw a 6 deer with VHD yesterday on my way to work. Vehicle induced Hemmoragic Disease.

What should one do if you encounter a deer showing symptoms of blue tongue or other ailments? Do deer still get Covid?

 

[MunkMaster]

I saw a 6 deer with VHD yesterday on my way to work. Vehicle induced Hemmoragic Disease.

What should one do if you encounter a deer showing symptoms of blue tongue or other ailments? Do deer still get Covid?

I'd give DNR a call. They might want to take it and check for it or at least keep track of where it is. As for the Covid thing uhhhhh....... Dunno.

 

[GutPile]

My understanding is it is bad in all of region b this year.