EHD Missouri

[Hoytvectrix]

I'm not sure, I always thought it hit the bucks worse than does but it doesn't seem that way. When I first bought the place it was 3 years before I shot a deer and I've had several stretches of tag soup seasons. Probably won't shoot any unless a 150" or better shows up. What will suck is not seeing deer from stand. We were actually to a point where we were ready to start taking some does because numbers were way up. I'm still holding out hope that something is keeping them out of the plots. Wishful thinking maybe.

Silver lining with lower deer numbers is that you may have better luck getting perennial plots and fruit trees established.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

I wonder if deer know to avoid a carcass in an area. It is a horrible smell to us, surely they can smell it as well. Maybe they are avoiding the area if they are healthy? It would be interesting to see if you start seeing more once temps cool off and these carcasses begin to break down.

 

[Bill]

I wonder if deer know to avoid a carcass in an area. It is a horrible smell to us, surely they can smell it as well. Maybe they are avoiding the area if they are healthy? It would be interesting to see if you start seeing more once temps cool off and these carcasses begin to break down.

Time will tell. They certainly do stink

 

[bwoods11]

How many dead deer have you found?

 

[Bill]

How many dead deer have you found?

I've found 7. The neighbor found 3. The other neighbor is hunting in Colorado. Friend of mine south of me has a friend that's found 11 but that's hearsay and inadmissible.

I can see Iowa and guys are sayin S Iowa has an outbreak there also.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

I've found 7. The neighbor found 3. The other neighbor is hunting in Colorado. Friend of mine south of me has a friend that's found 11 but that's hearsay and inadmissible.

I can see Iowa and guys are sayin S Iowa has an outbreak there also.

Through the grapevine heard of a couple in western ky.

 

[bwoods11]

Luckily nothing yet on my Iowa farm, but I’ve heard some EHD reports in Mercer County MO. I am really crossing fingers that it’s not hitting my area ! Just a bummer overall .

 

[356]

So far no dead deer in the creeks based my on personal observation and none were reported by our coop members Monday night. We had a drier July here, which may have actually helped. It seemed every storm went north of us in July. From what I’ve read, a wet July followed by a dry August and normal or above normal average temps is a strong predictor of EHD outbreaks.

As the crow flies, we are about 90 miles south of Bill’s location.

 

[Bill]

Neighbor found 4 today so he's up to 7 also. I just drove the bean fields after dark with the side by side and never saw a deer. Again I hope I'm overthinking it...

 

[Mortenson]

We were picking corn across the road from our hunting farm tonight and I saw a fawn crossing the road. Haven't checked my cams in a while and haven't heard any coffee shop talk, so not sure how we're lookin. I see a lot of buzzards circling the sky.

 

[Bill]

We were picking corn across the road from our hunting farm tonight and I saw a fawn crossing the road. Haven't checked my cams in a while and haven't heard any coffee shop talk, so not sure how we're lookin. I see a lot of buzzards circling the sky.

Funny you mention buzzards. I see "almost" 100's of them. But they're flying and circling but not landing. Do they not eat EHD deer or are they full?

 

[Mortenson]

Funny you mention buzzards. I see "almost" 100's of them. But they're flying and circling but not landing. Do they not eat EHD deer or are they full?

Good question. They eat rotting skunks. How could they not eat an ehd deer? Hope they're not full though!

 

[Bill]

Good question. They eat rotting skunks. How could they not eat an ehd deer? Hope they're not full though!

Maybe they have deep fryers. I've always said deep fried skunk might be good..

 

[hillrunner]

Funny you mention buzzards. I see "almost" 100's of them. But they're flying and circling but not landing. Do they not eat EHD deer or are they full?

We were hit hard by EHD last year and have had a few EHD dead for several years in a row now. I never saw buzzards on a carcass but I did see them in the air and in the trees. The coyotes do not eat the EHD kills, the only thing I saw eating them were the maggots.

 

[Bill]

We were hit hard by EHD last year and have had a few EHD dead for several years in a row now. I never saw buzzards on a carcass but I did see them in the air and in the trees. The coyotes do not eat the EHD kills, the only thing I saw eating them were the maggots.

That's interesting. One in a pond had maggots falling into the water and the sun fish were there scooping them up..

 

[Bill]

My farm is like a Hitchcock movie. But they're not eating anything?

 

[Tree Spud]

My farm is like a Hitchcock movie. But they're not eating anything?

View attachment 68704View attachment 68705View attachment 68706View attachment 68707

Look like vultures ... something is dead?

 

[Bill]

The deer I've found haven't been touched. I watched them for a while and none ever go to the ground. Weird..

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

“Epizootic hemorrhagic disease spikes in Illinois with 43 counties reporting suspected cases by midday Tuesday, according to Chris Jacques, wildlife disease, large carnivore and invasive species program manager for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Last year only 18 counties had confirmed EHD, a deadly viral disease spread by biting insects”

 

[Hoytvectrix]

Get ready to start seeing a bunch of "bugs in a jug" types of products marketed towards whitetail habitat managers.

I went briefly digging down the rabbit hole to see if there are any known controls of the midges. Looks like there are very few options available. It is a shame, because there are numerous BT subspecies out there that are labeled for various midges of other species. I could see something developed at some point, but that is a looooong ways away.