Was there an outbreak of this recently and how big was it? Planning on hunting it during Bow season this year.

Yes, 2-3yrs ago... this year more minor reporting. To me you wouldnt even have noticed it this past year.

Don't hunt there, but on my trips over to Tilghman, I still see plenty out in the fields along 33.

Yeah I was concerned that a large percentage of the herd was wacked a few years back.

What's EHD?

Commonly known as Blue Tongue. Epizootic Hemoraghic Disease I believe is the scientific name, tongue swells up and they can't drink, they end up dead in a pond or river somewhere.

Thanks, never heard it called EHD before. It was pretty damn dry last year around here, but I've never heard of Blue Tongue being here though. We have plenty of running streams and I don't think the deer have to rely on stagnant water holes.

Thanks

EHD is spread by bites from a midge. Has nothing to do with drinking from water holes


2019 EHD report

https://www.themeateater.com/hunt/whitetail-deer/2019-ehd-report

[quote=Sakoluvr]EHD is spread by bites from a midge. Has nothing to do with drinking from water holes


your right but these whitetail deer with blue tongue do head for water to drink and most die near a water source.whitetail deer seem to get EHD/blue tongue more often than mule deer because whitetail deer chew down closer to the ground on plants where the midges live.this EHD does not happen every year either it kinda goes on more with how the climate has been that year in that location.

Yes, they are found dead in watering holes
and there are deer which have built up an immunity to it as well.

Actual Bluetongue is a related disease that affects cattle, but the name persists, and dead deer do have blue tongues, so the confusion is to be expected. We had an outbreak in my county about ten years ago.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epizootic_hemorrhagic_disease

It hit hard in Alabama I believe around 2007 where I hunted. The last 2 years I have seen 2 shooter bucks when normally I see 2 or more during a 5 day hunt. I wonder if it did not hit in this area, there were not a ton of deer seen which is the norm.

Talked to the Guy in MD on saturday and never even asked him about EHD, he said he might way too many deer on the propertiesas is and that does need to be thinned out.

I could be wrong, but from what I understand is that Blue Tongue is more prevalent during a drought because the midges live in the mud around stagnant water holes. The mud shores of water holes are larger during a drought because the water in the pond is drying up and exposing more mud. This gives a better environment for the midges to live. The deer have to walk through the mud to get to the water and are more likely to get bit.

This is from the article.

It’s a lack of water that promotes EHD, though. The biting midges that pass on EHD thrive along waterways that have long mudlines, which is most common during drought.

I think you are pretty spot on with that.

The odd part, the year it hit here we had record rains... which contradicted everything ive read about it.

Could there not have. been a drought in certain areas during the time these midges hatch?

EHD hit the deer hard in my area in 2019, hundreds and hundreds of deer dead. I found some dead ones on my farm and down near the creek the smell was so bad, it would gag a maggot. It was a dry summer for the most part.