Drought and EHD???

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Heath423

Heath423

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Soddy Daisy (just North of Chattanooga)
Are we doomed to have a big EHD break out if the drought continues all summer? Or will the early and continuous drought curb our chances? Obviously, the weather may change at any point but hypothetically if we remain in drought situation.
 
As hard as we got hit last year. Im not overly concerned. Most of the deer around here that survived probably have immunity. The people that haven't been hit in several years drought always brings concern for ehd outbreaks.
 
I agree and most will argue with my reasoning but there was a belief in the past and persists in some that the midge lays an egg in the nasal area which hatches and the larvae makes its way to the brain bringing about the symptoms leading to death of the victim.

Now I have been wrong in the past about some things and at my age with my stress load it's entirely possible I am delusional but hey it's JMHO
 
EHD is a viral bleeding disease, in that it causes excessive internal bleeding. The virus damages arterial walls, making them thinner to the point they start leaking blood into the body and organs, including the brain. The reason deer sick with EHD go to and die in water is the virus produces a high fever, making the deer hot and thirsty.

And as others pointed out, EHD is carried in the gut of biting midges, and these midges breed and are most concentrated in the muddy ground surrounding stagnant water, like swamps and cattle ponds.
 
Popcorn said:
I agree and most will argue with my reasoning but there was a belief in the past and persists in some that the midge lays an egg in the nasal area which hatches and the larvae makes its way to the brain bringing about the symptoms leading to death of the victim.

Now I have been wrong in the past about some things and at my age with my stress load it's entirely possible I am delusional but hey it's JMHO
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I think you may be confusing nasal bots with EHD
 
BSK said:
EHD is a viral bleeding disease, in that it causes excessive internal bleeding. The virus damages arterial walls, making them thinner to the point they start leaking blood into the body and organs, including the brain. The reason deer sick with EHD go to and die in water is the virus produces a high fever, making the deer hot and thirsty.

And as others pointed out, EHD is carried in the gut of biting midges, and these midges breed and are most concentrated in the muddy ground surrounding stagnant water, like swamps and cattle ponds.
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Everything as I understand except the parasitic larvae, so where did I get that from!
 
Ok, too much late night reading. This must be where I got things crossed up. This is the "Brain worm" or meninges worm.
Sorry bout that, I'll try to do better.


Migration: The larvae travel from the stomach to the spinal cord and finally to the brain, maturing in about 1 month. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Impact on Wildlife and Livestock
  • White-tailed Deer: Act as the definitive host; the worms reproduce without causing illness in the deer.
  • Moose, Elk, Caribou: These are "aberrant" hosts. The parasite travels to their nervous system but cannot complete its life cycle, causing "zombie-like" symptoms: circling, blindness, paralysis, and death.
  • Livestock: Sheep, goats, and llamas can get infected, leading to similar fatal neurological damage. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Management and Symptoms
  • Signs in Other Species: Weakness, ataxia (incoordination), head tilt, and blindness, often appearing in late summer/fall.
 
I'm somewhat worried because my properties both here and in OH have been almost completely unaffected even when catastrophic outbreaks were all around. Last year in OH several surrounding counties lost huge percentages of their herd and even my county reported significant loss, but my place was unscathed. So I'm due. And this super el nino might just be the straw that breaks the camel's back.
 
Ski said:
I'm somewhat worried because my properties both here and in OH have been almost completely unaffected even when catastrophic outbreaks were all around. Last year in OH several surrounding counties lost huge percentages of their herd and even my county reported significant loss, but my place was unscathed. So I'm due. And this super el nino might just be the straw that breaks the camel's back.
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We shall see. In our area, El Nino conditions generally produce warmer and drier winters and springs, but cooler and wetter summers.
 
Popcorn said:
Ok, too much late night reading. This must be where I got things crossed up. This is the "Brain worm" or meninges worm.
Sorry bout that, I'll try to do better.


Migration: The larvae travel from the stomach to the spinal cord and finally to the brain, maturing in about 1 month. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Impact on Wildlife and Livestock
  • White-tailed Deer: Act as the definitive host; the worms reproduce without causing illness in the deer.
  • Moose, Elk, Caribou: These are "aberrant" hosts. The parasite travels to their nervous system but cannot complete its life cycle, causing "zombie-like" symptoms: circling, blindness, paralysis, and death.
  • Livestock: Sheep, goats, and llamas can get infected, leading to similar fatal neurological damage. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Management and Symptoms
  • Signs in Other Species: Weakness, ataxia (incoordination), head tilt, and blindness, often appearing in late summer/fall.
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Correct. This illness is Hell on elk and mule deer, but generally does not make whitetails sick (although thy are carriers of it).
 
I killed one last year and he had a nice rack but was a smaller bodied deer than he should have been. Wasn't sickly at all, he was chasing does, but this is a pic of his hooves. I was told this was a sign that he had been exposed to the EHD some time in the late summer and had beat it. Late summer because his antlers formed well but the high temperature he had hurt the growth of his hooves. I was told they will grow on out and since he made it like most viruses would not have caught it again. No biologist just passing on what I was told. I had it processed and we have ate almost all of him… no issues.
 

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deerhunter10 said:
I thought it caused a drought/heat in the summer and makes winter wetter and cooler?
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La Nina causes extremely wet winters and springs (like we've had the last 4 years in a row) with very hot and dry summers. El Nino, just the opposite. Tornado and hurricane seasons are worse under La Nina, but less than normal in El Nino.
 
marty d said:
I killed one last year and he had a nice rack but was a smaller bodied deer than he should have been. Wasn't sickly at all, he was chasing does, but this is a pic of his hooves. I was told this was a sign that he had been exposed to the EHD some time in the late summer and had beat it. Late summer because his antlers formed well but the high temperature he had hurt the growth of his hooves. I was told they will grow on out and since he made it like most viruses would not have caught it again. No biologist just passing on what I was told. I had it processed and we have ate almost all of him… no issues.
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All of this is correct.

Here's the hooves of a mature buck I killed after a local EHD outbreak in 2021. Big rack but undersized body. He limped heavily when he walked, and he would run on three legs while chasing does (which I saw him do a couple of times before finally killing him).
 

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BSK said:
All of this is correct.

Here's the hooves of a mature buck I killed after a local EHD outbreak in 2021. Big rack but undersized body. He limped heavily when he walked, and he would run on three legs while chasing does (which I saw him do a couple of times before finally killing him).
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Very nice rack on that one. I walked around every pond, mud hole, and ditch looking for any deadheads that might have sought water and died after being told that we apparently had an EHD breakout. I didn't find any so it was either a very mild exposure, the deer fought it off well, or my buck had traveled a distance. I had never seen him on camera before so who knows
 
marty d said:
Very nice rack on that one. I walked around every pond, mud hole, and ditch looking for any deadheads that might have sought water and died after being told that we apparently had an EHD breakout. I didn't find any so it was either a very mild exposure, the deer fought it off well, or my buck had traveled a distance. I had never seen him on camera before so who knows
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He was a good buck. An 11-point that grossed 133.

The highlight above is the most likely - he travelled a long ways. We often get deer up in our hill-country tract during the rut that live in nearby bottomlands and swamps the rest of the year. Even during a fairly severe local EHD outbreak, we rarely find any dead deer on our property because we have no stagnant water. However, within a mile of our property line, there are big swamps. I suspect most of the deer that die of EHD would be located there in August and September.
 

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