Around 500 people, many hunters, showed up at an open house meeting of the Pennsylvania Game Commission at the fairgrounds in Waynesburg on Friday. The hot topic was epizootic hemorrhagic disease, also referred to as EHD and commonly known as blue tongue.
EHD is a virus most often deadly to whitetail deer carried by biting midges or no-see-ums. Walter Cottrell, the commission’s wildlife veterinarian, told those on hand there is really nothing that anybody can do to stop or reduce the incidences of EHD in the deer. The first killing frost will kill of the midges and within a few days the deer will stop dying and the disease will go away.
It is unclear as to exactly how many deer have died in southwestern Pennsylvania alone from EHD. Some estimates are into the thousands but PGC officials tell hunters not to be concerned because there are still plenty of deer left unaffected.
Hunters are reminded that if they take a deer and during the field dressing process they detect odd smelling entrails, to turn the deer in to officials and get a new tag.
EHD has shown up in several states this year from the deep south to more northern states like Pennsylvania and Montana.
Tom Remington
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