EHD - Milk River

[Tatonka]

EHD has hit here again... For those who aren't familiar with this desease, it affects whitetail deer. It is transmitted by gnats and causes the deer to hemorrage to death internally. I would assume it's a slow, agonizing death. When deer get it, they usually head to water as the bleeding causes extreme thirst... they will usually die within 36 hours from what I understand.

I picked up these two heads yesterday on some property owned by our local golf course. The property borders land that is pretty much closed to hunting. The deer congregate there, of course, which sets the stage for a die off when EHD hits. Around here EHD will usually hit some areas hard and other areas not at all.. It's not uncommon for it to wipe out 75% of the deer in one section of a creek bottom and a few miles upstream or downstream it doesn't hit at all.

Hopefully this desease hasn't followed the Milk River north into Alberta, although it could have and if it hasn't it might... It's showing up in many areas of the U.S. and when it hits it can wipe out up to 90% of the whitetails. Oddly enough, it doesn't seem to affect other big game, domestic livestock, humans, etc. It hit the area of the Milk River between Malta, MT and Glasgow last year and pretty much wiped out the whitetails in those areas.

[Frans]

That would be aweful! How can you tell it's EHD?

[goldscud]

More info:
http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases_bc/EHD.htm

Perhaps as our province warms/dries it might move up here from Montana

[saddleup]

Thanks for the heads up will keep watch a little more closely now here on the 49th.

[Tatonka]

Originally Posted by Frans

That would be aweful! How can you tell it's EHD?

The Fish and Game Dept. examine the dead carcasses and make the determination. EHD and Blue Tongue are two deseases that will cause a die off....they are used interchangeably, but from what I've read they are similar but separate deseases. Around here if it hits, it's always in late August and into September. Once the weather cools off and the gnats are gone, the problem is gone. Every buck I've found has been in the velvet with the antlers pretty much fully developed, so I assume they died prior to around September 10 as the vast majority of the bucks have shed their velvet by then.