Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) and Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) are decimating wild deer populations. The impact of these preventable diseases is taking a devastating toll in every rural county across the Midwest. Such diseases are rapidly emerging as one of the foremost threats to our wildlife. They further threaten local economies that thrive on deer hunting. In many states, hunters are left to navigate a landscape populated by rapidly declining deer. This uncertainty jeopardizes not only their future, but the $23 billion industry and its essential contributions to forest conservation.
CWD, a transmissible neurodegenerative disease in deer similar to mad cow disease, has spread skyward in recent decades. Once a disease small in scale and scope, CWD is now widespread across 30 states and 2 Canadian provinces, spreading as new cases are being discovered almost daily. EHD can kill infected deer within three days after the onset of symptoms. That has led Ohio’s Department of Natural Resources to report a startling rise in ill and deceased deer. The math jumped from just 2,093 in 2024 to a staggering 8,759 this year.
The impact of these diseases are not limited to wildlife. In Ohio, the deer hunting economy is worth about $1.9 billion per year. Michigan estimates a $2.3 billion contribution from its deer hunting industry. Deer hunting is critical to our economy. It supports local businesses by creating new spending on travel, hotels, and real estate property taxes.
Although these trends are alarming, experts insist that deer populations can bounce back from EHD with the right habitat in place. Now, drought and warmer temperatures are accelerating the spread of EHD. These environmental conditions make it perfect for biting midges, the disease’s vectors, to flourish. Lindsey Krusling, a wildlife biologist with Defenders, explained, “This year, things aligned perfectly. We went from a very wet early spring, straight to a very dry summer. The density of midge carriers has risen. So, naturally that’s why we’re seeing such a large increase in deer with EHD.
Local hunter James Barkhurst expressed his frustration with the current situation: “I’ve seen about 14 dead in less than a mile stretch. There’s plenty of does, big bucks and even fawn. You smell the dead everywhere.” He lamented the impact on his hunting tradition, saying, “My buddies and I, we’ve been hunting for three generations. It’s fellowship and hanging out. And now, you don’t go.”
For millions of hunters, their ability to engage in this beloved tradition is rapidly disappearing. Kip Adams from the National Deer Association emphasized, “The threats to local economies are probably going to be very little. Nationally, out of all the young hunters that venture afield each autumn, fewer than half even get a shot at one deer. While this is good news in terms of hunting’s popularity, it points to the increasing difficulty of finding success in the field.
To respond to this crisis, state officials have taken executive action to stop the spread of communicable diseases. To reduce the risk of transmission, Ohio has prohibited baiting and feeding deer within designated CWD disease control areas. Furthermore, hunters are currently being warned to have venison tested for both CWD and EHD before eating.
New cases of CWD are popping up throughout the landscape at an increasing clip. In our home state of Michigan, counties are logging first-time detections, including as recently as last month. This recent expansion of CWD underscores just how unpredictable wildlife diseases can be. Kip Adams stated: “It comes and goes, which makes it a challenge to chase it down. We can’t predict it very well. We do know that in the upper Midwest we are seeing more of these large-scale mortality events happening.”
Though these concerns are real, many experts are cautiously optimistic that deer populations will prove resilient in the long-term. Sonja Christensen noted that while EHD has been around for a long time, “the frequency and intensity of EHD is increasing,” particularly in the upper Midwest.
As hunters adjust to this new reality, they’re discovering creative new paths to recreate and continue traditions that for so long revolved around hunting camp. Barkhurst shared how his group is seeking new activities: “They’re trying to find something else to keep the group together.” He acknowledged that cancellations have disrupted their plans: “Half of October and all of November [bookings] has been canceled.”