Is EHD Killing Deer Where You Hunt?

Deer that die of EHD often go near water because the virus causes a high fever and intense dehydration. Photo by Jayson Plaxico, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.

I can report moderate to serious outbreaks of epizootic hemorrhagic disease in whitetail herds in at least eight states. The virus, which rears its ugly head each year in August and September in random regions across America, is transmitted to deer by biting midges (Culicoides genus), commonly known as no-see-ums. Symptoms of animals infected with hemorrhagic disease include weakness, disorientation and loss of fear of humans. The disease is often fatal to deer.

Southern Wisconsin is in the bullseye for the 2026 outbreak. Officials say EHD cases are centered largely in Washington County, where more than 1,000 dead deer (and likely more) have been reported. EHD has also been confirmed in Waukesha and Ozaukee counties. Experts point out that these counties have relatively low densities of deer, and if many more animals die, it might take years for local herds to recover.

The Michigan DNR confirms EHD in central and southern parts of the state, with noticeable deer die-offs in Branch, Ingham, Jackson, and Lenawee counties. Indiana laboratory officials report scattered cases in LaGrange, Miami, Morgan, and Sullivan counties. Illinois has about 40 confirmed deer deaths. In Ohio, where a massive outbreak of EHD killed a confirmed 9,281 in 2025, nervous wildlife officials are monitoring suspected cases in 17 deer dead in the New Russia Township area.

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In South Dakota, officials have confirmed EHD in several central and southeastern counties, with most dead deer (from dozens to hundreds) reported around Pierre and north of the city.

Farther east, scattered cases are confirmed in Pennsylvania and Virginia, where light to moderate outbreaks of EHD have occurred in August for many decades. In West Virginia, deer dead are showing up in Mingo and Logan counties. In Mid-Atlantic and Southern regions, many deer herds have built up some generational immunity, so although the virus is present in deer, it rarely causes mass die-offs like those that have occurred recently in the Midwest, where deer have less natural protection.

HUNTING AND TAG RESTRICTIONS

In any area where EHD is confirmed and killing a noticeable number of deer, hunters should use common sense and be selective in their harvest that season. For example, just because you might have two buck tags and three doe tags, you don’t have to kill five deer. Maybe one buck and one doe for the freezer will do. It can take a local deer herd years to fully recover after a serious EHD outbreak. Do your part to help a herd repopulate.

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State officials should also be proactive and willing to limit deer tags amid an outbreak, and for the 2026 season, South Dakota and Ohio have done that. South Dakota Game and Fish has officially withdrawn deer licenses in hard-hit pockets, pulling 60 tags from popular West River Deer Unit 24A13.

Because the historic EHD outbreak of 2025 decimated some local deer populations, the Ohio Wildlife Council approved reduced harvest restrictions in the hard-hit counties of Athens, Meigs, and Washington, where the season bag limit has been slashed to two deer. Biologists are encouraging all hunters in southeastern Ohio to voluntarily limit their take of does and young bucks to help deer numbers bounce back in the next few years.

BE VIGILANT AND REPORT EHD

As you roam the woods in any state the next few weeks, be on the lookout for sick or dead deer that might have been infected with EHD. You might find a dead animal around water or smell a rotting carcass. Report any dead or sick animals to a conservation officer or regional biologist, who will determine if samples should be taken and tested for EHD. Provide the county and the number of dead deer found. Although EHD is not considered a threat to humans, you should never handle any deer carcass you suspect might be infected with the disease.

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PRAY FOR AN EARLY FROST

In a bit of good news, all EHD outbreaks should only last a few more weeks, especially in the upper Midwest. The first hard frost of fall kills the midges that bite and infect deer, effectively ending the threat for the year.