Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Viral Disease Kills Deer In Idaho, Washington

A viral disease stoked by drought has killed hundreds of deer on both sides of the Washington-Idaho border, wildlife officials say.

The disease, known as bluetongue, has killed mostly white-tailed deer but has also infected mule deer and one bighorn sheep in Idaho.

Cases have been confirmed in eight Eastern Washington counties and four counties in the Clearwater region of Idaho.

The disease will continue until a hard frost kills the gnats that carry it, Washington’s state wildlife veterinarian, Kristin Mansfield, told the Spokesman Review.

Bluetongue is closely related to epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD), which is common in whitetails in September but usually on a small scale in isolated areas, Mansfield said.

Wildlife officials are especially concerned that this year’s outbreak is the bluetongue variety of hemorrhagic disease, which can affect a wider range of animals, and that it’s significantly more widespread than in the past.

Experts say 80 to 90 percent of whitetail deer that get the virus will die.

At least 68 whitetails dead from bluetongue have been collected in the town of Colville, said Terry LeCaire, manager of the city’s streets department. A Washington State University lab has confirmed bluetongue virus in 45 whitetail samples submitted from Washington and Idaho, plus a handful of mule deer. Several landowners have also reported dozens of dead deer on their property.

Idaho Fish and Game Department officials have been fielding reports of dead whitetails for weeks from Moscow to Grangeville, said Jen Bruns, department spokeswoman in Lewiston.

“We’re finding dead whitetails just about any place the deer get around mud, which is where the gnats are produced,” said Michael Atamian, a Washington Fish and Wildlife biologist in Spokane.

Significant Eastern Washington EHD outbreaks also coincided with drought conditions in 1988 and 2004, said Woody Myers, a Washington Fish and Wildlife research biologist.

Whitetails in the Kamiah, Idaho, area required at least three years to rebuild populations after a major EHD outbreak in 2003.

EHD knocked NE on its AZZ a few years ago. Droughts are very tough on the WT population - sure hate to see all those deer go to waste!

tears through here every so often.....acted as the two in a one two punch that knocked out alot of game animals around here, the other being tripling our previous snowfall record the winter before....

actually or as the "one" down south as it hit down there the year before the winter and up here the year after

We've had EHD in Michigan for a while now. Up until a few years ago it stayed in the St. Clair county area. We had a dry summer and the EHD took a big leap north & west covering almost half of the lower peninsula. We lost a lot of deer...

EHD hits here in WV possibly along with bluetongue, typically every three to four years. Sometimes in random small locations, other times from from the east border to the west. It usually takes out 2/3 of the population wherever it hits.

Man, I must be out of the loop. I've heard of Bluetongue, but not EHD, but I've never heard of it around here, nor have I've ever heard of reports of dead deer everywhere, except on the side of the road. I know you guys have CWD in WV, and luckily it hasn't made it into this part of Maryland yet.

Where are you in WV? I'm near Frederick, MD.

Bluetonque goes through here about every 5 to 6 years and thins the whitetails a little. Which for better or worse is not a bad thing around here. Our whitetails breed like rabbits, so in 5 years they are thick again.

It gets worse apparently in years with a drought.

Water dries up concentrating the deer and gnats breed in the mud.

EHD and bluetongue are related disease and from the sportsmans point of view looking at a dead critter look the same but EHD seems to only be fatal to whitetail where bluetounge isnt as picky bout who it kills....

In West Central WV. My first experience with EHD/Bluetongue was in 85 or 86, it wiped out 85% or so of the population. It hit roughly every 3 years after that. Epizootic Hemorhagic disease. Similar to Blue tongue.

Both are enzootics in white-tailed deer (and in most other ungulates that share their habitat). It has little effect on them when they have access to adequate food and water. When animals are stressed (most commonly by drought that results in limited, low quality food availability) the virus gets the upper hand over their immune systems and die-offs occur.

Overpopulation is the other primary trigger. Too many animals and too little digestible protein and energy are the real culprits, but the disease is the instrument and gets the blame.

Nature finds a way to balance the scales when things get out of whack.

hit Missouri hard for two years in a row three years ago.

Tenn had harsh outbreak in 2007, West Tn counties had 50-60 die off rates. It hit on the tail end of long, hot droughty summer AND a late spring hard freeze that killed the mast crop too.

However SINCE Twra had "already printed the bag limits" in the flyers, they never lowered the liberal bag limits in Unit L. So the bubbas gunned away at what was left.

Deer hunting hasn't been the same.

There is no Shortage in the Salmon Zone of Idaho. I have been predator hunting here since Sunday and I have seen more Muledeer in the Mountains and in the fields than ever before. Lots of elk too. There is however a marked shortage of wolves and mt. lions.

Or maybe I am the world's worst caller.


mike r

It's Impossible to have shortage of wolves.