(Valley News Live) — The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is asking hunters and residents to keep reporting sick or dead deer as the agency continues monitoring epizootic hemorrhagic disease, or EHD, across the state.
The department said reports help staff assess the severity and spread of the disease and support ongoing research. With pheasant season opening this past weekend and more people heading into the field, officials are encouraging anyone who comes across a sick or dead deer to report it, with photos especially appreciated.
Sick or dead deer can be reported online, or by calling the Game and Fish Department at 701-328-6351.
About the disease
EHD is caused by a virus spread by biting midges and primarily affects white-tailed deer, though other ungulates such as pronghorn, bighorn sheep, mule deer and elk can also be infected, according to the department. Outbreaks in North Dakota are typically found southwest of the Missouri River and tend to coincide with wet springs, hot summers, drought conditions and a late first hard frost, which kills the midges that spread the disease.
Infected animals may show symptoms including dehydration, high body temperature, respiratory distress, swelling of the head, neck or tongue, and indifference to humans. Infected deer often seek out water sources before dying, and groups of dead animals are sometimes found near water in late summer or early fall.
The department said hunters should not shoot or consume an animal that appears sick. EHD is not known to cause illness in people, and there is no risk from handling or eating meat from an infected animal, though secondary bacterial infections can make meat unsuitable for consumption. The department said caution should still be used when handling any sick or dead animal, since some diseases can be zoonotic.
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