Adjam5 Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 I am on the NY State Dept Of Environmental Conservation e mail list. This is a e mail I received from them. Seems like we have some sick deer around our small county. I sure do hope it is not anything like CWD or Brucellosis. DEC is investigating reports of sick and dead deer in the Town of Clarkstown in Rockland County, NY. To diagnose the cause of mortality, tissue samples are being collected at the DEC's Wildlife Pathology Unit and sent to the Cornell University Animal Health Diagnostic Center for diagnostic testing. While test results are pending, the DEC does not consider this as a human health issue at this time. DEC is requesting residents in the Rockland County area to refrain from approaching any sick deer or deer behaving abnormally, and to please report these animals to the DEC Regional Wildlife Office in New Paltz by calling (845) 256-3098. We will provide updates as new information is available. Jeremy Hurst Big Game Biologist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruttinbuc Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 That is not good no matter what the cause. We had EHD hit pretty hard south of me here in New Jersey. The hot summer allowed the infestation of the buffalo gnat to spread the nasty disease according to the Fish and Game people. Mother Nature can be very cruel. I hope they get the cause figured out and take steps to defeat it, Anthony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NBomb500 Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Yup that disease went through our area three years ago and wiped out close to 95 percent or more of the whitetail deer population in a very wide-spread area. Pretty devastating and discouraging. My parents property would have somewhere between 35 to 45 deer on it all the time during hunting season. After the disease went through only 1! A buck we called "One Horn". Pretty sad deal. I guess it's hitting eastern and central Montana again this year, but haven't seen any evidence of dead deer in our area yet so I am a very happy hunter so far!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kat Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Not saying our deer are sick here...but the few deer I have on cam here are all VERY poor conditioned. This drought and heat this summer has wreaked havoc on the health of the deer herd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Could be EHD Anthony. We were hit pretty hard by it here about 4 or 5 years ago, biologists estimated up to a 30% dieoff for our county. Here is a link http://www.realtree.com/forums/deer-hunting/63166-ehd-information-thread.html to an old thread on EHD that had some good information in some links. The TN video is no longer there, but the Michigan link is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Here is another thread http://www.realtree.com/forums/land-wildlife-management/102221-blue-tounge.html with some good information on ehd and bluetongue with a link to an article at the usda. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebeilgard Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 we had blue tongue here about 15 years ago. did a real number on the antelope & deer populations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adjam5 Posted August 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Thanks for the info William. I am on the Sportsmans Federation in my county and this is a hot topic. As soon as I find out anymore on this, I will let you guys know. Those ARE some old posts but great info none the less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbHunterNY Posted September 1, 2011 Report Share Posted September 1, 2011 yea i'm not sure if i'm on the list. may be because i'm up here in region 4. i'd like to know what's going on down there being so close. thanks for the heads up anthony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adjam5 Posted September 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 I have an update from NYS-DEC on the sick deer in my county. Subject: Deer disease outbreak I know many of you are aware already, but I thought I would provide an update. Yes, we are currently experiencing a disease outbreak in deer in Rockland County, primarily in the New City and Valley Cottage areas. Reports started coming in about dead deer on August 18th, at which time we began outreach and carcass collection. I'm estimating a die-off in the localized area of roughly 50-100 at this point. No definitive diagnosis has been reached at this point, but we have ruled out any human health risk associated with deer dying from this particular disease. There are also indications that the disease is likely to be EHD. New Jersey is currently and positively dealing with an EHD outbreak. EHD is a viral disease that is specific to cervids and bovids, however cattle seem to be unaffected. The virus is carried and transmitted by biting flies/midges and can affect a significant portion of the deer herd (up to 50% mortality in local areas). Luckily, outbreaks like this stay very localized. We have had reports of dead deer that may be related in Pomona (Rockland County) as well. Dead deer examined from Stony Point (Rockland County) and one from Dutchess County do not appear to associated with this disease outbreak. Deer affected by the acute form of EHD, which is what we're seeing now, tend to die within 24-72 hours of infection. These deer appear in good body condition, not wasting away, but show signs of lethargy, being disoriented, and foaming out the nose and/or mouth (caused by fluid in the lungs). Deer infected with the chronic form of the disease may die at some later point or may overcome the infection and survive. There is no harm in eating a deer that had been infected with EHD, but you likely would not know whether it ever had been infected. At this point we are waiting for results from viral cultures and hope to have a definitive answer soon. You may report sightings of dead or sick deer to our general Wildlife number at 845-256-3098 so that we can document the scope of this outbreak. I'll keep everyone informed of any updates. Kevin Clarke Wildlife Biologist NYSDEC Region 3 Headquarters 21 S. Putt Corners Rd. New Paltz, NY 12561-1620 845-256-3088 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkeygirl Posted September 6, 2011 Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 Wow, not great news at all! I hope it does stay localized... How did you get onto the email by the way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted September 6, 2011 Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 Only good there is it sounds like they have identified the problem. Hope the dieoffs are not too bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerClay Posted September 6, 2011 Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 Thanks for the update!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adjam5 Posted September 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 (edited) Wow, not great news at all! I hope it does stay localized... How did you get onto the email by the way? Look here Ruth. Subscribe with this link www.dec.ny.gov/about/63801.html The info I am passing on was not made public on DEC's site. I am on my county's Sportsmen Federation and this was passed on to me by its President. I am the Rockland county Rep for NY Bowhunters which gets me a seat on this federation. As William said, the ONLY good news is that it may be identified. I will keep all up to date on this issue. To give a perspective of where I am talking about with this deer issue. This area is 30 miles north of Manhattan(still in NYS) on the NJ side of the Hudson river. Edited September 6, 2011 by Adjam5 addl info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted September 6, 2011 Report Share Posted September 6, 2011 Hate to see things like that Anthony, you can only hope it is short lived and will end up with a stronger herd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adjam5 Posted September 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2011 I have an update on this dreaded disease... Subject: EHD outbreak EHD has now been confirmed from one of the deer submitted to pathology. Again, not a human health concern and not a long-term threat to deer herds. Outbreaks are unpredictable, sporadic, but may have high mortalities and short-term effects. The outbreak seemed to stay very localized in the Clarkstown area. Deer deaths may continue as long as the biting midges are around (the first frost). No problem with eating hunter-killed deer. Squirrel and goose have opened and bow season is just around the corner. Have fun out there this year. Kevin Clarke Wildlife Biologist NYSDEC Region 3 Headquarters 21 S. Putt Corners Rd. New Paltz, NY 12561-1620 845-256-3088 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbHunterNY Posted September 8, 2011 Report Share Posted September 8, 2011 hopefully it does stay localized and doesn't take out too much of the deer population down there. thanks again for the updates anthony! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adjam5 Posted September 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2011 Here is some more on this topic from NYS DEC. DEC has confirmed that approximately 100 white-tailed deer found dead in the Town of Clarkstown, Rockland County, over the last two weeks were killed by Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD). EHD is a viral disease of white-tailed deer that is transmitted by the biting midge in the family Culicoides. The EHD virus does not infect humans and humans are not at risk by being bitten by the infected midge also known as a no-see-um or punkie. DEC wildlife biologists collected a sampling of deer carcasses in Rockland County and submitted them to the Fish and Wildlife Health Unit for necropsy. Tissue samples were then sent to the Animal Health Diagnostic Center at Cornell University and the National Veterinary Services Laboratory where the diagnosis of EHD was identified. The EHD virus was last confirmed in New York in 2007 in Albany and Niagara Counties. EHD outbreaks are most common in the late summer and early fall when the midges are abundant. The symptoms of EHD include fever, small hemorrhages or bruises in the mouth and nose, swelling of the head, neck, tongue and lips. A deer infected with EHD may appear lame or dehydrated. Frequently, infected deer will seek out water sources and many succumb near a water source. An infected deer may die within 1-3 days after being bitten by the midge or the disease may progress more slowly over weeks or months. There is no treatment and no means of prevention for EHD. The dead deer do not serve as a source of infection for other animals. EHD outbreaks do not have a significant impact on deer populations in general but may have a noticeable impact in the immediate area. Generally, EHD outbreaks occur in a specific geographic area and about half of the EHD infected deer may die in an outbreak. In the North, the first hard frost kills the midges that transmit the disease and the EHD outbreak ends. As general wise practice, hunters should not handle or eat any deer that appears sick or acts strangely. DEC will continue to monitor the situation. Sightings of sick or dying deer should be reported to the nearest DEC Regional Office or to an Environmental Conservation Officer. For more information on EHD and helpful related links, visit the DEC website directly at www.dec.ny.gov/animals/39767.html. Jeremy Hurst Big Game Biologist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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