I'll have to check into the EHD/BT/cattle movement from the south correlation..... I wonder if several cattle were brought into the Milk River area out west prior to their devastating EHD outbreak several years back, I'm guessing not. We hunters need to be careful condemning farmers considering how much most of us rely on their land and their juicy steak or hamburger.
Ehd time again?
- Thread starter loneranger
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And from a resource perspective get "rid" of the cattle and the trees, cover, soil and biodiversity goes as well. Look around the countryside of how fewer cattle and more corn have changed the landscape and not for the better from a hunters perspective. EHD/BT is BAD news but the herd will build immunity albeit over time.
Fair enough on above. I’m not saying get rid of cattle. Yes- they impacted milk river & milk river massive die offs from ehd/BT were so incredibly devastating. The deer there had not dealt with those strains like they have in the south & was so shocking because of that. Fair points above but not clearly cattle are going no where & government are not going to fight cattle industry.
No one can get rid of cattle but sure doesn’t mean we can’t understand the reality. I’m not an “expert” but I’ve sure talked to a lot of them & the facts & Logic support it. In a nutshell conveying what I learned....
7 strains EHD & BT. Cattle are vectors of the disease & strains. Usually does not kill them & virus is harbored by them. Often times cattle show no symptoms. Midges bite infected cows- bite deer- game over. New strains are brought in from transport of cattle and some strains for deadlier than others or different reactions. Deer gets infected with new strain- midges continue to bite it and then bite other deer- transmission of disease yet again.
Cattle also create more stagnant water where midges flourish. New ehd/BT strains come in with new cows & big midge hatch within a “mile or so” (how far midges can reach with breeze)- impact.
The northern incidence of ehd/BT has been on drastic rise over the last 20 years. It’s not a new disease but the impact has sky rocketed & data supports it. Areas where 1 strain has never been found are now being found. The dynamics have changed.
No one is going to get rid of cows. They will laugh if deer hunters ask them to.
. Just stating the facts & data as I’ve understood it from the experts and research I’ve read.
See chart below. Ehd & cattle populations. Another KEY observation!!!!..... areas with no ehd/BT break outs listed here (say MI for one example) have been ravaged by the disease in the past 7 years where it was not happening before.
No one can get rid of cattle but sure doesn’t mean we can’t understand the reality. I’m not an “expert” but I’ve sure talked to a lot of them & the facts & Logic support it. In a nutshell conveying what I learned....
7 strains EHD & BT. Cattle are vectors of the disease & strains. Usually does not kill them & virus is harbored by them. Often times cattle show no symptoms. Midges bite infected cows- bite deer- game over. New strains are brought in from transport of cattle and some strains for deadlier than others or different reactions. Deer gets infected with new strain- midges continue to bite it and then bite other deer- transmission of disease yet again.
Cattle also create more stagnant water where midges flourish. New ehd/BT strains come in with new cows & big midge hatch within a “mile or so” (how far midges can reach with breeze)- impact.
The northern incidence of ehd/BT has been on drastic rise over the last 20 years. It’s not a new disease but the impact has sky rocketed & data supports it. Areas where 1 strain has never been found are now being found. The dynamics have changed.
No one is going to get rid of cows. They will laugh if deer hunters ask them to.
. Just stating the facts & data as I’ve understood it from the experts and research I’ve read.See chart below. Ehd & cattle populations. Another KEY observation!!!!..... areas with no ehd/BT break outs listed here (say MI for one example) have been ravaged by the disease in the past 7 years where it was not happening before.
bigbuckhunter88
PMA Member
Anyone know why certain areas of Iowa get harder than others? We've been dry plenty of years up here and I've never heard of or found any EHD deer. There is plenty of cattle up here and alot of pastured timber with creeks, which in theory should be bad news. But still no reports. Definitely not complaining, just curious
This is the question I am referring to also. ??
I was just messaging with a member & I mentioned
this.....
“It’s more severe during drought as there’s more exposed mud & stagnant water BUT it’s a myth that it doesn’t occur during wet years. I lost 27 bucks on my farm in summer of ‘15 and was a very wet year. Agree & correct- it’s worse during drought but always happens.
My wife’s side of family are cattle farmers. We have some fun debate on this.. They get cows far more frequently from OK, TX, etc, etc. Their feed yards & pastures go from as few as 0 cows to 1000 in a few weeks. It’s crazy.
2 of my buddies are veterinarians so I get to hit em up with all sorts of questions. ”
With the “no ehd deer”.... that’s a good question!!! Lemme ask u this as it could be a few things & I’ll ask some more on this.... are deer #’s lower? Very low deer #’s would slow the spread rapidly for a variety of reasons. Stone creeks in ur area and very few muddy ponds? That’s one “odd ball” thing I’ve personally noticed in areas with little to no ehd. Are there large #’s of cattle very close to the deer herd? I am very curious about this & trying to understand some dynamics in areas with lesser Prevalence.
Last..... likely due to local disease carriers.... I’ve absolutely noticed it hitting in pockets. One small area may lose 50 deer while another 10 miles away loses zero. That’s exactly how it was in ‘12 & ‘13- some pockets lost half the deer or massive amounts. Those years I found almost zero. I got my turn in ‘15. Lost a few last year as well.
this.....
“It’s more severe during drought as there’s more exposed mud & stagnant water BUT it’s a myth that it doesn’t occur during wet years. I lost 27 bucks on my farm in summer of ‘15 and was a very wet year. Agree & correct- it’s worse during drought but always happens.
My wife’s side of family are cattle farmers. We have some fun debate on this.
. They get cows far more frequently from OK, TX, etc, etc. Their feed yards & pastures go from as few as 0 cows to 1000 in a few weeks. It’s crazy.2 of my buddies are veterinarians so I get to hit em up with all sorts of questions. ”
With the “no ehd deer”.... that’s a good question!!! Lemme ask u this as it could be a few things & I’ll ask some more on this.... are deer #’s lower? Very low deer #’s would slow the spread rapidly for a variety of reasons. Stone creeks in ur area and very few muddy ponds? That’s one “odd ball” thing I’ve personally noticed in areas with little to no ehd. Are there large #’s of cattle very close to the deer herd? I am very curious about this & trying to understand some dynamics in areas with lesser Prevalence.
Last..... likely due to local disease carriers.... I’ve absolutely noticed it hitting in pockets. One small area may lose 50 deer while another 10 miles away loses zero. That’s exactly how it was in ‘12 & ‘13- some pockets lost half the deer or massive amounts. Those years I found almost zero. I got my turn in ‘15. Lost a few last year as well.
bigbuckhunter88
PMA Member
Sandy and muddy creeks and rivers here. The main farm I hunt (which has 100 head on it all summer) has a very high deer concentration. Most of the cattle are herds that have built locally and not alot of transported in to the best of my knowledge. There are a few large feed yards around, and a hauler that buys cattle all over that are cheap and he will keep them in a certain pasture until he's going to another sale. Just intriguing how the southern part of the states sees this problem so often, but other parts don't.
So..... 3 buddies sent me some pics from the weekend, lucas and warren county. OMG!!! Bad. What a frigin shame. One buddy said he couldn’t even hang stands cause death smell so bad, carcasses & he basically said “throwing in towel- no reason to even hunt here now”. “The 3 shooters I wanted to chase this year..... they all gone”. Found all 3 along with pile of others. What a shame. Massive bummer.
Matthewfox_45
Well-Known Member
I was in warren county today and saw a shooter buck and had 3 new bucks show up on camera. It’s not all doom and gloom like everyone is making it out to be.
Daver
PMA Member
That's tough for sure...FWIW, I looked, and smelled, around at my place this past weekend and did not detect anything...whew! I looked around the perimeters of the ponds too...nothing. Sorry to hear that this is hitting some other areas so hard though.
I’m maybe 45 mins away & I haven’t seen a buzzard or noticed a deer dead. I feel bad for the guys I know who got decimated.
Absolutely agree- ain’t all doom & gloom. But- if ur area gets slammed - could be game over on those particular areas this season. Hopefully recent rain helped.
Absolutely agree- ain’t all doom & gloom. But- if ur area gets slammed - could be game over on those particular areas this season. Hopefully recent rain helped.
Hardwood11
It is going to be a good fall!
Terrible. I remember finding 7 dead deer on my 120 in Warren back in 12? 13? Can’t remember
Bad deal, must be due to heavy pasture area? Steep, creeks, ponds, etc..,
I moved here in 14 and thought I made a big mistake on area. It freaking sucked. Little did I know it was absolutely at the epicenter of the 2012-13 ehd. Oldest deer were only 2 and 3 year olds. Gotten better and better since. Hate to see it all go backwards again......
fatboy
Well-Known Member
Spoke with the DNR last night at a get together and the Warren County officer recorded 15 dead deer yesterday and close to 400 that had been reported in the county. I hunt southern Warren County and called my buddy over the weekend and his neighbor had found 12 dead along the South river. Hunter may notice a difference this year, but in the next 3 year I think will be bigger when you don't see the 3-4 year bucks?
Monsterbuck
Active Member
I live in Warren county. After hearing all the stories I decided to walk the creek bottom of the creek that runs through my property. Walked about a mile of creek bottom Saturday with no sign of dead deer. I hope I'm in one of the lucky pockets.
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Lots being found in Madison..... its getting worse.
So I have been in denial but finally coming to terms that the farm I hunt in southern warren county has been hit hard by ehd. Checked cameras today and based on cameras spread out out across the farm I would estimate two thirds of the deer gone from ehd. Went from pics of 7 to 8 deer in July to early Aug to pics on 1 or 2. Bucks I was watching in early July that were regular are gone already. Trying to come up with alternative plans for season, might try some public lands in other parts of state or try and grab an over the counter tag out west. Trying to come to grips with the fact that it will be several years before the farm rebounds. Just another firm reminder that best laid plans are always at the mercy of mother nature.