Hemorrhaging disease could cause ‘loss of opportunity’ for deer hunters this season

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is monitoring the spread of epizootic hemorrhagic disease and chronic wasting disease in Iowa deer and says Iowa hunters can play an important role. 

Pete Hildreth, the conservation and recreation division administrator for DNR, spoke Thursday at the Natural Resource Commission meeting about the deer season thus far and about the persisting diseases. 

Hildreth said prior to the first gun season, which started Dec. 7, there were 28,500 deer harvested statewide. According to Hildreth, that is down 5% from the previous year and down 3% from the five-year average for the early archery, youth and disabled hunter seasons. 

The first weekend of gun season, Dec. 7 through Dec. 11, however, had harvest numbers that were 4% higher than the previous year and nearly 3% above the five-year average. In the first gun season window, hunters harvested about 24,600 deer, according to Hildreth. 

Hildreth said eastern Iowa is showing “strong harvest rates” this year while western Iowa is “lagging considerably” in part because of “severe and widespread” outbreaks of the epizootic hemorrhagic disease, or EHD, in 2023 and 2024. 

“It’s (possible) this year’s deer harvest data will reflect a general loss of opportunity for hunters throughout many parts of the state,” Hildreth said.

The department is encouraging hunters to note deer populations as they go out to familiar hunting spots throughout this season and to help the department identify deer infected with EHD or chronic wasting disease. 

“It is crucial for hunters to understand that their input is highly valued in our deer management system,” Hildreth said

Deer diseases in Iowa 

DNR hosted a virtual webinar Dec. 5 for Iowans to learn more about chronic wasting disease in deer, which to date has been confirmed in 406 deer in 26 counties. 

Hildreth said the program was widely attended with just under 400 participants joining the call. Hunters were also asked to participate in a CWD testing program with the state, with a goal of collecting 5,000 samples across Iowa counties. Interested hunters can contact their local wildlife staff for more information.  

According to DNR’s chronic wasting disease dashboard, 4,300 samples from wild deer have been collected for the 2024-2025 season and 19 have been confirmed with CWD. The disease has been on the rise since 2021 and in 2023 the department had 128 confirmed samples with the disease. 

Hildreth said data show the disease is spreading to new counties, “but not necessarily taking root” as a majority of counties with detections have only had one case to date. 

EHD and bluetongue, which are closely related hemorrhagic diseases, have been reported in nearly all Iowa counties. Hildreth said 2024 has had the most widespread impact of the disease and the second most severe outbreak in the state. According to the DNR’s EHD and bluetongue dashboard, 2,700 deer carcasses have been reported this year. 

“Keep in mind that these county summaries are a vast underrepresentation of the potential realized mortality,” Hildreth said.

Iowans are encouraged to report suspected cases of EHD to the department via an online form to help better realize the number of deer impacted by the disease.

Deer are infected by small insects, midges, and experience a 7-10 day incubation period before rapidly deteriorating, often fatally, within 36 hours. Deer with the disease are often found dead near bodies of water or in the shade trying to offset the dehydration caused by the disease. 

Hildreth said one of the “major differences” between the hemorrhaging diseases and CWD is that an “unknown” number of deer recover from EHD, while CWD is always fatal to deer.

Hildreth said in southern states, where deer are more accustomed to the disease, they are also less drastically impacted by outbreaks. The department believes Iowa deer could similarly build up a stronger tolerance to the disease. 

Because it is transmitted via insects, EHD is spread most during the summer and early fall, before prolonged frost kills the bugs. 

Hildreth said areas that have a stable deer population are able to recover from an EHD outbreak within a couple of years, but other areas, like western and northern Iowa that already have declining deer populations, “may not experience the same recovery.”

“That’s a big statement,” Hildreth said. 

A DNR newsletter from Nov. 20 said the department has taken regulatory steps to reduce the number of deer that can be hunted in western Iowa to help the deer population recover from the disease. 

Hildreth said EHD does not impact the venison and is safe to eat. Meat from deer with chronic wasting disease on the other hand, should not be consumed, which is why the department urges hunters to get their carcasses tested. 

Iowa Department of Natural Resources director Kayla Lyon said deer season creates a busy time of year for conservation officers and wildlife staff. 

“They’re running hard right now, and we appreciate all the work that they do,” Lyon said during her remarks at the meeting.