MidnightWatcher – Prophecy in Motion

By Kelly Roberts – “TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) – This summer’s drought effects are expanding into hunting season. Thousands of the state’s deer are dying. Biologists believe the deer are infected with a virus that causes Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease, or EHD.

‘It’s a virus, and it’s spread by a small biting insect called a midge,’ Department of Natural Resource’s District Biologist Dean Zimmerman said.

Zimmerman said EHD has been seen in deer since the 1990s, but this year’s outbreak is more extreme, and it can be blamed on the drought. Zimmerman said the dry weather is perfect for midge reproduction…

Zimmerman said a deer with EHD will have flu-like symptoms, and can act distracted. He believes dead deer found in Tippecanoe, Carroll and Cass counties had the virus…

As more dead deer are discovered, Zimmerman said it’s becoming more likely it will affect hunters for years to come.” Read more.

Flashback: Disease Kills Hundreds, Possibly Thousands Of Deer In The North Carolina Foothills, ‘They Are Decaying From The Inside Out’ – “A disease is killing deer by the hundreds in the North Carolina foothills… ‘They act sick; they stumble around; they hold their head low,’ Ray said… ‘I’ve never experienced deer smelling like these have,’ Haley said. ‘They are decaying from the inside out.’ Wildlife biologists fear the number of cases in Caldwell County may actually be much higher than 500. Those are just the reported cases — the number of deaths could be in the thousands.” Read more.

Flashback: Wyoming: Massive Black Hills Deer Die-Off Could Be Worst In Decades – “Wildlife officials knew some deer would die in the Black Hills this fall. No one expected what could be the worst die-off in decades… ‘Our deer numbers are down right now anyway, and this sure isn’t helping anything,’ said Joe Sandrini, a Wyoming Game and Fish Department biologist based in Newcastle.” Read more.