DNR confirms deadly disease in deer in 11 counties

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The Department of Natural Resources is tracking the spread of a virus among deer in a number of West and Southwest Michigan counties.

The DNR says that early September, epizootic hemorrhagic disease , more commonly referred to as EHD, has been confirmed in deer in 11 counties: Barry, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Hillsdale, Kalamazoo, Kent, Ottawa, St. Joseph and Van Buren.

EHD is a virus spread among the white-tailed deer by infected midges. Infected deer lose their appetite, are weak and have a rapid pulse and fever. They are less afraid of people. Severe cases can be fatal.

There’s no evidence people or their pets can contract EHD, the DNR says — not from the midge, deer or venison.

“EHD is not expected to have widespread deer population-level impacts, but it can significantly affect localized areas if mortality is severe,” Chad Fedewa, acting deer specialist for the DNR Wildlife Division, explained in a Thursday statement. “After an outbreak, local deer populations usually rebound after a few years. That has been the case over the last decade or so each time we have seen this virus show up.”

The DNR said that was the case after a particularly bad outbreak in 2012. Though EHD killed an estimated 14,000 deer in 30 counties, herds were back to their normal size within about five years.

“So, while hunting and deer sightings will be affected in the short term, there are no long-term concerns with the overall deer population,” Fedewa said.

Like many viruses, EHD surges and recedes and is more widespread some years than others. The state tracked cases in 13 counties in 2017 and 24 counties in 2021. This year’s cases in St. Joseph County were that county’s first since 2021. But other years found few or no cases.

The DNR wants you to help track the disease by submitting reports online via the Eyes in the Field survey . The agency says it has clocked about 2,000 dead dear through the program.

You may be most likely to find dead deer in or near water. If there’s one on your property, it’s your responsibility to dispose of it if you wish it gone. The DNR says you can leave it to decompose naturally, bury it or take it to an approved landfill.

The virus will keep spreading until the first hard frost kills off the midges.

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