A current disease outbreak is killing a large number of white-tailed deer in 11 Southwest Michigan counties.  Can humans contract this deadly disease by eating deer meat?

You may have noticed more dead deer this year scattered throughout Southwest Michigan.  They're not roadkill, but victims of a deadly virus.  The Michigan Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Health Section is warning Michiganders of epizootic hemorrhagic disease, also known as EHD.  This disease is not passed from deer to deer.  EHD is contracted from insect bites.  The specific culprit in this case is the biting fly called a midge.

Dead Deer in Southwest Michigan
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Michigan Deer Populations Impacted by Deadly Disease (EHD) by County

  • Barry County
  • Berrien County
  • Branch County
  • Calhoun County
  • Cass County
  • Hillsdale County
  • Kalamazoo County
  • Kent County
  • Ottawa County
  • St. Joseph County
  • Van Buren County

EHD Symptoms in White-tailed Deer

  • loss of appetite
  • reduced fear of humans
  • weakness
  • excessive salivation
  • rapid pulse
  • increased respiration
  • fever

Epizootic hemorrhagic disease can lead to death in many cases according to the Michigan DNR,

They may also seek out water to cool their elevated body temperatures. In severe cases, the disease leads to unconsciousness and death.

The good news: The insects that are giving the deer population this deadly disease die at the first frost.

The bad news: EHD has already had a significant impact on our local deer population and it could take a couple of years to recover.  There have been at least 2,000 confirmed dead deer reported since September.

The DNR says that humans are not at risk of contracting EHD through deer meat, contact with an animal, or midge.  Get more info from the DNR by tapping here.

Michigan's 2023 Car / Deer Accidents By County

Michigan is one of the nation's worst states for car/deer collisions, with a herd estimated to be over 2 million strong. Here's an alphabetical, county-by-county look at how many deer were involved in accidents compared to the total number of car accidents in Michigan in 2023, according to data found at MichiganTrafficCrashFacts.org through the Michigan Office of Highway Saftey Planning (OHSP)

Gallery Credit: Scott Clow

Michigan's 2024 Archery Week #4 Whitetail Deer Harvest Report

Using the Michigan Department of Natural Resources's (DNR) Deer Harvest Report Summary tool, here's a county-by-county, alphabetical look at the total whitetail tagged in each, and a breakdown of antlered vs. antlerless taken through week #4 of Michigan's 2024 Early Archery Whitetail Deer Season.

Gallery Credit: Scott Clow