# Bluetongue disease?



## Steven Arend

Has anyone in the lower southern half of Michigan hear of any out breaks in the deer population? Talking with a lot of farmers and hunters down here in the southwest Michigan and northwest Indiana areas, we are starting to find a lot of deer with signs of this disease. I have not found any dead deer along my swamps and property yet but there has been a few found along the St. Joe river, Galien River and in areas in Berrien Center. In one ¼ mile stretch of the Galien River there were 6 dead deer located.

Steve


----------



## swmmark

I have heard similar stories of deer found dead in ag fields and along ponds in that area. Sounds like southern berrien county. Hope the frost comes soon!


----------



## Monark

Steven Arend said:


> Has anyone in the lower southern half of Michigan hear of any out breaks in the deer population? Talking with a lot of farmers and hunters down here in the southwest Michigan and northwest Indiana areas, we are starting to find a lot of deer with signs of this disease. I have not found any dead deer along my swamps and property yet but there has been a few found along the St. Joe river, Galien River and in areas in Berrien Center. In one ¼ mile stretch of the Galien River there were 6 dead deer located.
> 
> Steve


I have been hearing the same thing. The scary part is, alot of the dead deer found were mature bucks. Do you know if the 6 dead deer found were mature deer?


----------



## Steven Arend

Monark said:


> I have been hearing the same thing. The scary part is, alot of the dead deer found were mature bucks. Do you know if the 6 dead deer found were mature deer?


Three of them that I know of were mature bucks, one 11 point a nice 8 point and a 6 point. There was also a little 6 point found in the sawyer area along with a few does.

I talk to another farmer from the Galien area last night that found a couple deer dead in his soybeans.

We need a frost soon to kill this off.

Steve


----------



## Steven Arend

Got home last night after work and headed out to check the trail cam. Heard a few crows squawking in the woods about 50 yards from the cam and I went to see what was up and found a doe that had been dead for a while. She was lying in the middle of an area that had held water up till the end of July but Im not sure if she was hit by a car on the highway or what she died of.

Steve


----------



## anon12162011

Contact your local dnr office and let them know, I have heard of a few outbreaks in Van Buren County and a few areas northward as well.

Crane Pond-Jones, MI
269-244-5928

Plainwell Service Center
269-685-6851

If they can get a fresh enough sample they can send it in for testing to confirm and make sure it is blue tongue.


----------



## 12hunt

Hello all, 
I have been hearing the same down here in New Buffalo. A good friend sent me a pic of a nice nine point and three does that all appear to of died from the Blue tongue disease/*Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease. *The scary part isn't only loss of deer but what happens if you were to eat an infected animal. The DNR state that it is not PROBABLE to be infected by the disease but that to me means that we shouldn't be able to get infected via the bug that transmitts it.??? Not really sure? Don't get me wrong I still plan on hunting but I don't think that this is something to be taken lightly!


----------



## anon12162011

Blue tongue/EHD is not new and is not harmful to humans whatsoever. Alot of deer carry it, but have built an immunity to it. The ones that don't, its pretty obvious to the hunter and its up to them if they want to burn a tag on one. You are far better off in calling a CO or the DNR and telling them you have a deer on the verge of dying and wondered if they needed it as a sample.

I hope your buddy did his part and called in to report those deer. Samples have to be within a day or two at the most to be able to confirm EHD and there really isn't anything to do to really prevent it so to speak...Mother Nature and the first frost of the year will cure it and it will be back to business as usual. The midge is the vector, which means it only carries the virus.


----------



## boomstick

Last year the Fenton area was hit hard. Deer where in ponds, rivers, creek and ever swimmimg pools. They counted over 60 along a 1/2 mile of creeks. I havent heard any reports this year!


----------



## anon12162011

Southwest Michigan has had several cases pop up...Berrien, Van Buren, Ottawa Counties...so far at least 150 deer...it was on the news on two channels over here this AM


----------



## 12hunt

BigR said:


> Blue tongue/EHD is not new and is not harmful to humans whatsoever. Alot of deer carry it, but have built an immunity to it. The ones that don't, its pretty obvious to the hunter and its up to them if they want to burn a tag on one. You are far better off in calling a CO or the DNR and telling them you have a deer on the verge of dying and wondered if they needed it as a sample.
> 
> I hope your buddy did his part and called in to report those deer. Samples have to be within a day or two at the most to be able to confirm EHD and there really isn't anything to do to really prevent it so to speak...Mother Nature and the first frost of the year will cure it and it will be back to business as usual. The midge is the vector, which means it only carries the virus.


Thanks BigR! Unfortunately my friend found the deer to late, we've been told to contact the plainwell office upon finding a dead deer. I've heard of 27 that have been reported around here. 

Another friend was out with his son on the youth hunt and they saw fawn/yearling drooling and was not afraid of them at all. It wasn't until they got back from the woods that they found out about EHD. So as far as it only or mostly affecting muture deer I believe EHD probably doesn't discriminate!


----------



## whittydiv

I was talking to a friend, and he said he dad is a farmer who has run across 20 deer in his field near the swamps that are dead from this disease. His dad lives just a mile South of three oaks. the 10 point I have been watching finally died from this disease. I think it will be a very slow season.


----------



## spooledbseries

Hmm, deer numbers are way down where I am at. I wonder if this could have something to do with it. I have heard about it in Berrien county but not Cass


----------



## NightTrain

I have been informed by several people I know personally that have seen deer along the St. Joseph River or in fields dead. I seen a few pictures today of a 14 point rotted not more than 10 yards from a doe. Upon asking another buddy of mine about this he reported that a friend of his in Northern Berrien County has found more than 3 dozen dead on his farm. Flippin' Scary. I live near the Benton Harbor area and keeping hearing more and more stories, damn it.


----------



## Doughboy

We've even found them in the lower part of the thumb and always near or in water. Dnr and a butcher that has seen a few brought in said the meat shouldn't harm us but we choose not to try it.


----------



## anon12162011

NightTrain said:


> I have been informed by several people I know personally that have seen deer along the St. Joseph River or in fields dead. I seen a few pictures today of a 14 point rotted not more than 10 yards from a doe. Upon asking another buddy of mine about this he reported that a friend of his in Northern Berrien County has found more than 3 dozen dead on his farm. Flippin' Scary. I live near the Benton Harbor area and keeping hearing more and more stories, damn it.


Call 269-695-6851 for the regional dnr office or 269-244-5928 for Crane Pond, that is the closest off down in that neck of the woods, they handle your county.

Once the first big frost hits, which I thought it did by now, Bluetongue should disappear, so if deer are continuing to die, people need to be contacting the appropriate folks for sampling. Bluetongue can only be confirmed within 48 hours or less of death as well in many cases, so the sooner the better when these deer are discovered!


----------



## MichMatt

I was speaking with someone who owns a farm between Cassopolis and Edwardsburg last Wednesday (10-27-10). He said he has found six does/fawns and one small buck dead on his 80 acres in the past two weeks. He also mentioned the neighbor (who farms) called him about an eight point that was found near the fence line. The farmer thought initially it had been shot but after inspection there were no indications of a wound.

They suspect EHD.


----------



## Chuck

Does any one have more info on how wide spread this EHD outbreak was? Also if its over finally with the last few frosts we have had?

The link I can find on the DNR web site is http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10371_10402-245445--,00.html

Years ago when it happened in Allegan they showed a map where most of the deer were found.

It seems like info on this outbreak is hard to come by except rumors and hear say. I have heard rumors of farmers finding any where from 20 dead deer to a 100 ! 

As usual I think our DNR has dropped the ball on this issue.


----------



## RD1

BigR said:


> Blue tongue/EHD is not new and is not harmful to humans whatsoever. Alot of deer carry it, but have built an immunity to it. The ones that don't, its pretty obvious to the hunter and its up to them if they want to burn a tag on one. You are far better off in calling a CO or the DNR and telling them you have a deer on the verge of dying and wondered if they needed it as a sample.
> 
> I hope your buddy did his part and called in to report those deer. Samples have to be within a day or two at the most to be able to confirm EHD and there really isn't anything to do to really prevent it so to speak...Mother Nature and the first frost of the year will cure it and it will be back to business as usual. The midge is the vector, which means it only carries the virus.


Thanks for clearing that up BigR! Always best to nip rumors/falsehoods in the bud!


----------



## Steven Arend

We had some biologist and DNR officers down from the state for the past 2 weeks to do a herd count on the deer here in Berrien County and a friend was lucky enough to run into a couple of them while he was out doing his own count and was able to talk to them for a few minutes. They said that according to their preliminary data it looks like Berrien County was hit the worst in Michigan with the Blue Tongue Disease. Their findings are showing about an 80% mortality rate.

I also talked to a few more hunters from the Southeast corner of Berrien County and one large farm producer found over 200 dear while harvesting their corn and beans in the Dowagiac area and 2 other farms in the Niles area found 25 to 30 each while harvesting. This could explain why out of over a dozen hunts Ive only seen deer one time where as last year I had seen deer almost every time out.

Steve


----------



## Chuck

I wonder if the DNR will still issue unlimited Doe tags for Berrien County next year?


----------



## Deshaun

This is new story for me...thanks for sharing..please send me the pics of this story..


----------



## DeerFarmer

Chuck said:


> I wonder if the DNR will still issue unlimited Doe tags for Berrien County next year?


 There are still a lot of deer in Berrien county, the EHD was not so widespread to effect the whole county. I expect the DNRE to manage antlerless permits next year same as this year, with pretty much unlimited antlerless permits for the SLP, in one big combined unit.


----------



## jibby

I live in ottawa county and have found 9 dead deer along the grand river that I am presuming died from this


----------



## Peterson

I believe Bluetongue and EHD are subtly different.
SE Ohio had an outbreak a couple of years ago as has SW Pa, with dead deer counts up to 100 found in limited SE Ohio locations...which is a good thing.
Not uncommon.
Happens mostly in dry years where deer get congregated around water sources and the little mite does it's stuff.


----------



## dwarner078

I spoke with a friend, and he told me his father is a farmer who has met with a near field to 20 deer in peat bogs, which have died of this disease. Her father lives just three miles south oaks.


----------



## bumpin01

Friend in three rivers says its common around him, sounds like about 50 or so have been found dead, and quite a few mature bucks out of that as well


----------

