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2025 EHD?

The antlered doe we had on cam didnt survive the epidemic. Drove my usual loop and smelled death all 3 times I was at a creek crossing. Not a buck to be seen and we saw a fraction of the deer that I usually see on that drive. The local "What's Happening" page on FB is full of reports of dead deer. It's not looking good fellas. 🤕

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giles said:
Going thru this multiple times will change a fella. Very obvious that nature doesn't want the same deer on the land that I do. This is just a huge waste. Other animals dont even eat them. (That part throws my tin foil for a loop) Just a big waste and it bothers me. So I hunt different than I used to.
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Not a buzzard in the sky. Super weird...
 
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Informative article. Also a plug for the EHD Fense products to help control the midge breeding environment.

www.northamericanwhitetail.com

Hemorrhagic Disease: How to Combat the Deadliest Deer Disorder - North American Whitetail

The primary mode of transmission are midges, and there are now water and soil treatment chemicals that kill or impede them.
www.northamericanwhitetail.com www.northamericanwhitetail.com

I still think using something like these in water sources can help. If it kills mosquito larvae and other gnat larvae then it likely would impact the gnat/midge causing the EHD.

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I get trying to help them, but it seems like a tall task to wander the woods looking for every possible water source to drop one of these in there. Thinking of our farm, for example, the pond makes sense, but we have over 3,000' of creek, so it feels like the needle in the haystack approach.
 
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bowhunter1023 said:
I get trying to help them, but it seems like a tall task to wander the woods looking for every possible water source to drop one of these in there. Thinking of our farm, for example, the pond makes sense, but we have over 3,000' of creek, so it feels like the needle in the haystack approach.
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I know walking our creek there some spots that get stagnant pools, I'd treat those first. Many places where the water keeps moving well enough, maybe the conditions don't exist for the midge to thrive. Or treat the furthest upstream pools and rely on the moving water to help cover that longer stream bed. I'd say one here or there can't hurt there and especially in ponds with real shallow entry.
That article also talks a bit about water troughs and the possible benefits over shallow ponds when it comes to the midge breeding grounds. That could be an option for future plans.
 
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My main property and hunting area was hammered three years ago, we are just now starting to recover in my mind. Found 18 on under 200 acres and for sure missed some others that I smelled. Ended up finding 3 mature bucks couple smaller ones rest were all does. One thing I can say, it seemed like it balanced the doe to buck ratio and last year I had the best "rut" activity I have ever had there. (which I attribute to the reduction of does from EHD years prior) Perhaps mother nature has a way of calibrating albeit cruel but if for sure made for a couple slow unexciting seasons. I still have not harvested a doe in the area since the EHD outbreak, just trying to do my part.
 
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