State wildlife officials told hunters to watch out for a deadly disease that has impacted deer in southeast Michigan.
Epizootic hemorrhagic disease affects only deer and gives them flu-like symptoms, said Chad Stewart, Deer Management Specialist with Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources.
It’s spread through midge bites. He said it’s been close to a decade since Michigan has had a serious outbreak of the disease.
“We probably have hemorrhagic disease everywhere, but we don’t have severe outbreaks every year,” Stewart said. “We probably have a herd that doesn’t have quite the level of immunity that it’s had in the past. It’s made conditions pretty prime for having an outbreak this year.”
Stewart said hunters can tell if a deer is infected if they see listless deer and a carcass near water. It’s rare for the disease to affect central and northern counties, but hunters there should still be on the lookout.
If you think a deer has EHD, you can report it to the DNR