Illinois Blue Tounge and or Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease In Whitetail Deer

[Lady Forge]

I have learned that disease has been causeing a bit of a killoff of the deer in the area that I hunt in Vermillion County. I thouight I would post this info on it for fellow Illinois Bowhunters.
I did a search of the diseases on the web and learned that should I happen to shoot an infected deer that the meat is safe for human consumption.

Illinois Ag News Headlines
Virus Detected in State's White-Tailed Deer
Illinois Ag Connection - 09/07/2004

An acute, infectious virus has killed white-tailed deer in four Illinois counties and is suspected of causing the death of deer in five others, the state Departments of Agriculture and Natural Resources reported Friday.
Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD), an often-fatal virus that causes high fever and severe internal bleeding, has been confirmed in Cumberland, Effingham, Fayette and Wayne counties, and is considered the probable cause of unexplained herd deaths in Macon, Pope, Sangamon, Shelby and Vermilion counties.

"All the confirmed cases have occurred in captive deer herds, but wild deer are included among the suspected cases where the cause of death hasn't been determined," State Veterinarian Dr. Colleen O'Keefe said. "One farm, in Effingham County, lost 17 of its 22 deer to the disease."

EHD poses no risk to humans, according to Dr. O'Keefe. Other wild ruminants also are susceptible, including elk, mule deer, pronghorn antelope and bighorn sheep. Domestic animals such as livestock may become infected, but rarely exhibit signs of the disease or develop serious illness.

EHD is spread by biting midges, or gnats. The midges transmit the virus from infected to uninfected animals as they feed. There currently is neither a vaccine nor an effective treatment for the disease.

"The only viable way to control the virus is to control the insect population," Dr. O'Keefe said.

EHD outbreaks typically begin in late summer or early fall and end with an insect-killing frost. The deaths this year were first reported the third week of July and have continued through the end of August. Officials believe the dry summer in central and southern Illinois, where the cases are concentrated, has contributed to the current outbreak. As shallow ponds and creek beds dry up, deer and insects are congregating around fewer bodies of drinking water, enabling the virus to spread rapidly.

"Local weather conditions can, in some instances, allow for a greater population of biting midges in a small geographical area," Dr. Paul Shelton, Illinois Department of Natural Resources Forest Wildlife Program manager, said. "This can allow the spread of EHD to be localized, causing a higher mortality rate in white-tailed deer in a specific region."

EHD was first identified in 1955 when several hundred white-tailed deer died in both Michigan and New Jersey. Since then, cases have been documented throughout the northern United States and southern Canada. The last significant outbreak in Illinois occurred in 1998, although a few cases normally are observed in any given year.

Symptoms develop about seven days after exposure to the virus and include loss of appetite, excessive salivation, muscle weakness, lameness, depression and a rapid pulse and respiration rate. Eight to 36 hours after the onset of symptoms, animals enter a "shock-like" state, become prostrate and die.

Farmers with ill deer should not assume the animals are infected with EHD, even if they are exhibiting classic symptoms. A veterinarian should be called to give the deer a check-up. If the animal dies, the Illinois Department of Agriculture's animal disease laboratories in Centralia and Galesburg will perform a post-mortem exam to determine the cause of death. The fee for this exam ranges from $40 to $100, depending upon the level of testing that is required.

[JPruiett]

Thats good to know...I hunt in vermillion county also. I was just wandering how you can get your deer tested if you suspect anything?

[RiverBottomBowHunter]

I have found a 2 dead deer this august. I believe this is why they died. Also, a local deer farmer lost half his heard this sumer to this, including a 200+' buck. Acouple good frosts and we'll be ok.

[ILL BUCK]

Lady, I have heard of them finding some deer on middleforf this year. I have heard up to 15 to 20 range. How bad is it there?? I know you hunt there alot and I was just wondering. I own some property up around Potomac and have not heard of anybody finding any dead deer up in my area.

[Lady Forge]

I no longer bowhunt Middlefork..... I do still hunt Kennekuk........ Middlefork made no mention of this when I was last at the park office........ but Kennekuk did make mention of the killoff... they found several good bucks dead by the river .... and a friend whom is hunting the northern part of Kennekuk did find a dead doe also in the preseason while setting his stands by the river..... they said a good frost should kill the insects causeing the spread..... I have yet to find any dead deer from this nor have I for sure seen any with it although..... I did pass up a shot on a spindley racked 8 pointer there the other day and he was awefully thin looking for his age and rack overall size..... but no real mass to the main beams and the tines were thin ........ not what I wanted to use my buck tag on... he either was sick, poor genetics, injured or had not been feeding well etc which I find hard to believe with all the clover ,acorns, corn and beans there.