RidgeFACTOR

I was just wondering what some of you guys from around my area (Southwestern Pennsylvania) thought about ALL of this rain and ALL of this hot, sticky, muggy, humid weather we have been having the last week or so, do you think it will be a prescription for what we had last year and the EHD bug that killed so many of our deer? I remember last season in September and the beginning of October we were having these kind of days and the EHD spread quick do to these types of conditions. I realize that 95 degrees weather is no stranger to these parts but to be so darn hot so early and with all this rain we have had, I was wondering if it will ignite the EHD that usually starts to occur in late September?

RidgeFACTOR

http://www.sweetlix.com/user_files/File/articles/Deer_EpizooticHemorrhagicDiseasePrevalent%20Drough t.pdf

RidgeFACTOR

QUOTED FROM A NEWSPAPER LAST YEAR (2007)

EHD killing deer across Virginia, Southeastern states
Published 09/19/2007 By Kevin Castle










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Virginia game officials this week said a virus is killing large numbers of deer in the commonwealth.
James Moffitt had already figured that out.
Moffitt, a Scott County resident and lifelong hunter, says he’s seen alarming numbers of dead deer in Scott County, mostly around water sources.
“I personally found 41 dead deer,” Moffitt said Wednesday. “Ninety-nine percent have been around water. They’re just everywhere.”
Moffitt is concerned about the prospects for the upcoming bow season, which starts in Virginia Oct. 1.
“There’s no use to hunt over here. They’re still dying,’’ he said.
Moffitt said he’ll still hunt this bow season, “but I’ll go away from here.”
Allen Boynton, a Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries biologist, said blood samples collected from a dead deer in the Hiltons area of Scott County confirmed the presence of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD). The blood samples were tested at a wildlife disease study unit in Georgia.
“This is occurring among deer all across Virginia and in several Southeastern states,” Boynton said. “Several counties in our part of Virginia are reporting finding up to 40 and 50 deer lying dead near water.”
Boynton says gnats or biting midges — the bugs responsible for biting the deer and passing on the virus — breed in muddy places.
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WVSPORTSMAN

there have been ehd out breaks in the past and the will continue to happen. some years worse than others...from what I've read it kinda cycles, one year hardly no sign of it and then a few years later wide spread out break. hopefully a good frost will come in early and limit any potential out break this year. here in southern wv the temps have really been changing week to week...one moment were in the up 80-90 range than the following week it will be in the low 60's....i hope it doesn't come in again like last year.

HEAD0001

I hunt in Greene Co., PA. I saw a lot of dead deer last year when I was ground hog hunting. I sure hope it is not that way this year. Tom.

sproulman

our problem is not EHD here in northcentral pa.
it is OOD [overharvest of doe]

[:@]

RidgeFACTOR

I hear ya. That's what has happened to WEST VIRGINIA'S deer herd, too many does being slaughtered. The state is more interested in selling extra permits and the $$$$$$ instead of trying to manage the deer. That's why I hunt in Pennsylvania now, more deer and better quality deer. I hunt Greene County.

TWOWITHONE

Greene Co. was hit in 05 and smacked again in 07 I hope it doesnt hit again down there cause instead of dropping doe tags by 5,000 in the 08 seasonthey,ll have to drop it 15,000 tags for the 09 season.

ron3775

Last year was considered a drought year. With so little rain, the deer where gathering in the same area which caused the EHD to spread so quickly. This year with all the rain that we had, water is plentiful so the deer will not have to gather in the same place to get a drink. I think that EHD will not be as big of an issue.

J Pike

Also to just add what Ron posted: I hunt in SE. OH. and ron's right on the money about why EHD. hammered the herd in SW. PA., WVA. and SE. OH. is the fact that the 1st frost came in Nov. last year (atleast in SE. OH.) if the 1st frost would have been normal like in sept. the EHD. outbreak wouldnt have been near as bad. EHD. kills some of our deer every year, drought and a late frost just make's it alot worse. Pike