Well, here we go again!!! This is from NYS: FYI, Putnam (the County I live in) is between Westchester and Dutchess. Ulster is the SE part of the Catskill Mtns, my property is in the NW part of the Catskills, near the PA border. A lot of areas down near here got hit very hard last year. In a lot of good hunting spots, there were no deer and no tracks. If you hiked, biked, or drove with your windows down the distinctive smell of dead animals was all too common.
"Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) Confirmed in Ulster County
DEC has confirmed that three white-tailed deer in the town of Esopus, Ulster County, died after contracting Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD). DEC is following up on reports of dead deer in Dutchess, Ulster, and Westchester counties.
EHD virus is an often-fatal disease of deer that is transmitted by biting midges - small bugs often called no-see-ums or 'punkies.' The disease is not spread from deer to deer, and humans cannot be infected by deer or bites from midges. EHD was first confirmed in New York in 2007 with small outbreaks in Albany, Rensselaer, and Niagara counties, and in Rockland County in 2011. From early September to late October 2020, a large EHD outbreak occurred in the lower Hudson Valley, centered in Putnam and Orange counties, with an estimated 1,500 deer mortalities.
Once infected with EHD, deer usually die within 36 hours. EHD outbreaks are most common in the late summer and early fall when midges are abundant. EHD symptoms include fever, hemorrhage in muscle or organs, and 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. There is no treatment or means to prevent EHD. The dead deer do not serve as a source of infection for other animals.
EHD outbreaks do not have a significant long-term impact on deer populations, but deer mortality can be intense in small geographic areas. EHD is endemic in the southern states where there are annual outbreaks, so some southern deer have developed immunity. In the northeast, EHD outbreaks occur sporadically, and deer in New York have no immunity to this virus. Consequently, most EHD-infected deer in New York are expected to die. In the north, the first hard frost kills the midges that transmit the disease, ending the EHD outbreak.
You should report sightings of sick or dying deer to the nearest
DEC Regional Office or
Environmental Conservation Police Officer. DEC will collect samples from deer and analyze data from deer reports to determine the extent of the outbreak. In addition, DEC has alerted Department of Agriculture and Markets veterinarians in the region to be aware of the disease and to report suspicious cases among captive deer.
For more information on EHD, visit
Cornell University's Wildlife Health Lab website.
Photo courtesy of David Huizinga"