10-08-2012, 04:27 PM
In what officials are saying is the worst outbreak they've ever seen
of an insect-borne disease, thousands of fly-bitten deer are dying
across south-central Michigan.
As of early last week, 4,217 deer
deaths were linked to epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD), the virus
that causes deer to bleed internally, stop eating and die quickly. But
at least that many more deer are likely dead in crop fields, swamps,
lakes and streams.
Others are likely to succumb before the first hard frost kills the tiny flies that carry the virus.
While
the losses are not great in the context of Michigan's herd of 1.7
million deer, some areas have had large losses that could mean poor
hunting in the upcoming seasons. Bow hunting starts next Monday and the
gun season begins Nov. 15.
"From the photos we've been seeing,
they are some pretty good deer," said Jeremy Hawes, who works the
firearms counter at the Gander Mountain store in Coldwater. "There are a
lot of guys who aren't going to hit the woods (because of) total
die-off on their property."
The good news is that -- unlike
several other diseases affecting deer -- EHD cannot be transmitted from
animal to animal. And eating the venison of infected deer poses no risk
to humans.
Ionia, Branch, Kent and Calhoun -- counties known for
growing big farmland bucks -- have reported the most dead deer.
Washtenaw County had just three EHD-linked deer deaths as of week ago.
Lynn Mida, who owns 6 acres of land in Lyndon Township in northwestern
Washtenaw, said he found two dead deer on his property Saturday. He
suspects that a third sickly-looking small buck he saw is also dead.
Mida
said he knows of several farmers in nearby Jackson County who have seen
dozens of dead deer, and one who found more than 100 dead deer
alongside a drainage ditch.
"I just hope it doesn't decimate all the deer in this area," said Mida, a deer hunter.
Wildlife
experts said the disease has been around for decades but was only
confirmed twice in Michigan before 2006. Since then, it has appeared all
but one year, with this year being the worst so far.
"This has
been a phenomenon around the U.S., largely because of the hot, dry
summer," said Brent Rudolph, Deer and Elk program leader for the
Michigan Department of Natural Resources. "People are seeing both more
cases, and more widespread."
The outbreak in Michigan stretches as far north as Mecosta, he said.
Hunters report finding dead animals and those that appear to be suffering the effects of it.
"They
lose their fear of humans," said Jake DeBruler of Schupbachs Sporting
Goods in Jackson. "Seems like more and more of it every day."
Rudolph said bow hunters are likely to find unreported dead animals in the coming weeks.
"More have died than have been reported," Rudolph said. "It's difficult to get a feel for the actual number involved."
There's no evidence that humans can contract the disease, according to the DNR. There isn't much the state can do to stop it.
"We've had a couple frosts, but not a good one," Rudolph said of nature's solution to the problem.
While
the disease kills more animals in the short term than other diseases
such as bovine tuberculosis or chronic wasting disease, its effects are
fleeting. Rudolph said that other places that have had significant cases
have seen their deer herd decline for a couple of years before
rebounding.
Hunters killed about 422,000 deer last season and
almost 60,000 deer die annually in Michigan in vehicle crashes,
according to DNR statistics.
Rudolph said the virus is unlikely to
affect the overall deer hunting season, which pours an estimated $500
million in economic impact in Michigan annually. But he said some areas
will be affected. Hunters planning to hunt state land may want to check a
map posted by the DNR to see if the disease has been found in their
area, he said.
of an insect-borne disease, thousands of fly-bitten deer are dying
across south-central Michigan.
As of early last week, 4,217 deer
deaths were linked to epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD), the virus
that causes deer to bleed internally, stop eating and die quickly. But
at least that many more deer are likely dead in crop fields, swamps,
lakes and streams.
Others are likely to succumb before the first hard frost kills the tiny flies that carry the virus.
While
the losses are not great in the context of Michigan's herd of 1.7
million deer, some areas have had large losses that could mean poor
hunting in the upcoming seasons. Bow hunting starts next Monday and the
gun season begins Nov. 15.
"From the photos we've been seeing,
they are some pretty good deer," said Jeremy Hawes, who works the
firearms counter at the Gander Mountain store in Coldwater. "There are a
lot of guys who aren't going to hit the woods (because of) total
die-off on their property."
The good news is that -- unlike
several other diseases affecting deer -- EHD cannot be transmitted from
animal to animal. And eating the venison of infected deer poses no risk
to humans.
Ionia, Branch, Kent and Calhoun -- counties known for
growing big farmland bucks -- have reported the most dead deer.
Washtenaw County had just three EHD-linked deer deaths as of week ago.
Lynn Mida, who owns 6 acres of land in Lyndon Township in northwestern
Washtenaw, said he found two dead deer on his property Saturday. He
suspects that a third sickly-looking small buck he saw is also dead.
Mida
said he knows of several farmers in nearby Jackson County who have seen
dozens of dead deer, and one who found more than 100 dead deer
alongside a drainage ditch.
"I just hope it doesn't decimate all the deer in this area," said Mida, a deer hunter.
Wildlife
experts said the disease has been around for decades but was only
confirmed twice in Michigan before 2006. Since then, it has appeared all
but one year, with this year being the worst so far.
"This has
been a phenomenon around the U.S., largely because of the hot, dry
summer," said Brent Rudolph, Deer and Elk program leader for the
Michigan Department of Natural Resources. "People are seeing both more
cases, and more widespread."
The outbreak in Michigan stretches as far north as Mecosta, he said.
Hunters report finding dead animals and those that appear to be suffering the effects of it.
"They
lose their fear of humans," said Jake DeBruler of Schupbachs Sporting
Goods in Jackson. "Seems like more and more of it every day."
Rudolph said bow hunters are likely to find unreported dead animals in the coming weeks.
"More have died than have been reported," Rudolph said. "It's difficult to get a feel for the actual number involved."
There's no evidence that humans can contract the disease, according to the DNR. There isn't much the state can do to stop it.
"We've had a couple frosts, but not a good one," Rudolph said of nature's solution to the problem.
While
the disease kills more animals in the short term than other diseases
such as bovine tuberculosis or chronic wasting disease, its effects are
fleeting. Rudolph said that other places that have had significant cases
have seen their deer herd decline for a couple of years before
rebounding.
Hunters killed about 422,000 deer last season and
almost 60,000 deer die annually in Michigan in vehicle crashes,
according to DNR statistics.
Rudolph said the virus is unlikely to
affect the overall deer hunting season, which pours an estimated $500
million in economic impact in Michigan annually. But he said some areas
will be affected. Hunters planning to hunt state land may want to check a
map posted by the DNR to see if the disease has been found in their
area, he said.