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Hello,You are receiving this email because you have indicated that you have hunted deer in Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (WDFW) Eastern Region in the past five years. If you plan to do so again this year, we would like to make you aware of a disease outbreak that could potentially impact your hunt.Many white-tailed deer have been affected by an outbreak of Bluetongue and Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) in Eastern Washington this summer and fall. We are monitoring this outbreak with the help of the public as well as local and state organizations. The current outbreak appears to be more widespread than in 2015 with reports of affected deer throughout the eastern third of the state and into Idaho.Hemorrhagic diseases are common in deer and spread by biting Culicoides gnats that live in wet, muddy areas where deer congregate during hot, dry weather. White-tailed deer are commonly affected by these diseases and may die as a result of infection. Mule deer do not typically die from these diseases, but we have documented a few mortalities during this outbreak.Cooler, wetter weather will allow the deer to spread back out across the landscape and avoid the gnats, but the outbreak will not end until there is a hard frost to kill the gnats that spread these diseases. Given the extent of the outbreak and local severity, it is possible that your success this fall will be impacted. Adult does are the drivers of population growth and prior to this outbreak, WDFW took regulatory steps to substantially reduce harvest of antlerless white-tailed deer. In 2019, we eliminated antlerless harvest throughout District one and, at a broader regional scale, we reduced antlerless harvest around Spokane for the 2021-23 seasons. These changes should mitigate declines attributed to this summer’s EHD outbreak. There are no further reductions in white-tailed deer seasons planned at this time. Restrictions or regulations to modify buck harvest are unlikely to change the population trajectory and are therefore unwarranted. Humans are not affected by either EHD or Bluetongue viruses, but we strongly recommend not harvesting and consuming animals that are obviously sick. More information on Bluetongue and EHD is on the WDFW website. Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a completely separate disease from Bluetongue and EHD. We have NO confirmed cases of CWD in Washington to date. However, we are initiating a CWD surveillance program this year in northeast Washington. CWD is a fatal illness of deer, elk, moose, and caribou. It is caused by misfolded proteins known as prions that can contaminate the environment and be transmitted between animals through feces, saliva, urine, and other bodily fluids. CWD has been detected in a number of Canadian provinces and U.S. states, the closest being Libby, Montana. If you hunt in game management units (GMUs) 105, 108, 111, 113, 117, 124, or 127, please have your harvested white-tailed deer tested for CWD at a game check station or testing location listed on the attached information sheet. The sheet also includes additional information on CWD, how to help slow the spread of CWD if you hunt in other states, guidelines for handling and consuming deer that are potentially sick, and more. Additional information on CWD and the CWD surveillance program can be found at wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/diseases/chronic-wasting. Thank you for your help and awareness when it comes to managing our deer populations. Sincerely, Steve Pozzanghera, WDFWRegion 1, Regional Director2315 North Discovery PlaceSpokane Valley, WA 99216Here you are. I don't believe they would give you an accurate number of deer that have died from this if You were to call them. But it could be as high as a 50% perhaps more.
It is GMU specific. I called about a buck out in the field at my place in 139 and they said they weren't testing down there. I told them I found three carcasses in a 400yd area. They didn't care.
121 didn’t get hit as hard
Quote from: Shooter4 on October 13, 2021, 11:57:31 AM121 didn’t get hit as hardOur place is in 121.....it got hit pretty hard.
Quote from: turkeyfeather on October 13, 2021, 12:57:21 PMQuote from: Shooter4 on October 13, 2021, 11:57:31 AM121 didn’t get hit as hardOur place is in 121.....it got hit pretty hard.121 got its worst case ever according to those who will speak softly off the record. Lower elevations/valley bottoms up to just over 2k ft. got absolutely hammered. Spotty above 2k, I am nearly 2500 and have the same deer Ive had all summer. I got some reports from some of the farmers/ranchers at or below 2k and they are seeing few or less ( even 0 ) wt in their fields now.
