EHD hits my area

We are 10 miles north of Peru, the other case was just East of Peru according to the biologist.

BTW, I saw this today from Chad Stewart and apparently we are dealing with a couple of different strains of EHD this time......

Amid widespread reports of dead deer being found around the state, DNR deer management biologist Chad Stewart said today that laboratory tests have identified a deadly virus as the culprit in four counties.

EHD, or epizootic hemorrhagic disease, was confirmed in samples collected from dead deer in LaGrange, Miami, Morgan and Sullivan counties. In addition, the State Board of Animal Health has identified EHD at captive cervid facilities in Adams, Marshall, Putnam and Vanderburgh counties and in cattle in Ripley County.

"Our list is over 40 counties now where it has been reported or suspected in deer," Stewart said.

Although citizen reports to the DNR of dead deer were consistent with EHD episodes of past years, Stewart was cautious until lab tests were complete in order to rule out the possibility of bluetongue, a disease similar to EHD that affects mainly sheep but also cattle, goats, deer and other ruminants.

The final lab report was received this week from the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study at the University of Georgia. Other samples were tested at Purdue University.

The tests confirmed two strains of the virus - EHD V-2 and EHD V-6.

"Basically, 10 years ago we didn't have the EHD V-6 strain in Indiana," Stewart said. "It's just recently been documented, so it's still relatively new on the landscape. It may be an explanation for some of these harder hit pockets."

In addition to the counties where EHD is confirmed, Stewart said the virus is suspected in reports of dead deer in Adams, Bartholomew, Brown, Cass, Carroll, Clay, Crawford, Daviess, Dearborn, Decatur, Delaware, Dubois, Elkhart, Fayette, Franklin, Gibson, Hendricks, Henry, Jay, Jefferson, Jennings, Johnson, Knox, Lawrence, Marion, Monroe, Ohio, Owen, Parke, Perry, Pike, Porter, Posey, Putnam, Randolph, Ripley, Shelby, Spencer, Steuben, Switzerland, Tippecanoe, Union, Vermillion and Warrick counties.

"If it's not as bad this year as it was in 2007, it's getting close," Stewart said, noting an outbreak five years ago in which EHD was reported in 59 Indiana counties and confirmed by lab tests in 17. "We did a lot more testing and confirming in 2007. This year we're lying back because the tests are so expensive and we know what it is."

And that's exactly right. Use good judgement on what you kill this season in the effected areas as it will take some time for the deer numbers to rebound.

I don't disagree, but you can't control EHD.

But....as you said earlier, numbers will rebound.

Lost another 140+ buck in Switzerland County. Found next to a friends pond. EHD I would guess, this is 2 good ones so far we found.

I have family in cass county with some acreage, they are in the lake cicott area. On their 90 acres they have found 3, all laying next to their ditch. Not a mark on any?

He did report it, they sent him a bunch of literacher on EHD. I have some property to hunt on the NE corner of cass/fulton when I come down, hoping the population will be good in that area anyhow.