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Watch for EHD

BSK said:
Correct Savage. 2007 was the Perfect Storm. First the very hard freeze (teens) after a very warm early spring. Most trees had to put on a second set of leaves. This was too much for many trees and that year and the next saw significant tree die-offs. Then we had an exceptionally hot summer, with numerous days near 100. Then throw in the severe drought that year. Then the EHD hit. And of course, the late freeze killed off the entire acorn crop that year. Took YEARS for Nature to bounce back from that one.

Interestingly, the deer local to my area suffered so much from the conditions that several of the bucks we killed in 2007 did not fully mineralize their antlers, as mineralization occurred during the peak of the EHD outbreak in August. These bucks' antler tips were black, and you could dig your fingernails into the antlers. Eventually, these tips just crumbled away.
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That was the first year I ever saw deer eating honey locust pods.
 
I believe I have an outbreak materializing in East Dickson county near Burns. I have found 3 the last 2 weeks, I moved cameras last week and smelled another. I planted food plots today 9-10-24, and smelled several. This place has great running water on all sides that are spring fed, so I'm a little surprised to see it here. The one resident shooter I had here vanished about a week before the velvet season started.
 
Dumbluck said:
I believe I have an outbreak materializing in East Dickson county near Burns. I have found 3 the last 2 weeks, I moved cameras last week and smelled another. I planted food plots today 9-10-24, and smelled several. This place has great running water on all sides that are spring fed, so I'm a little surprised to see it here. The one resident shooter I had here vanished about a week before the velvet season started.
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My property is in Vanleer. I have not found any yet but will have to check out my water sources this weekend just to make sure.
 
2017 was rough in Hamilton County too. I killed two deer and both showed crumbling Hooves so I could tell they had survived the disease. The year-round Creek on my property in Sequatchie County is totally dry. Never seen it like that before. I'm going to have to go down in the creek bottom and check around and see what's up.
 
Been seeing a lot of buzzards circling low lately over the bottom. Walked the bottom this morning, no sign of any dead deer, and didn't smell any either. Hopefully not bad here.
 
I was out setting a couple cameras Monday & could smell something dead with wind coming from the river, but haven't went to look yet. Only had one last year. Hoping for none this year.
 
Bush hogging few days ago I saw buzzards fly up...as I got closer to the area I got a wiff of something rotten...got off tractor and walked to where buzzards were and found the remains of an armadillo...nasty and stinking...but thankfully not a deer.
 
When it hits a area bad you can drive the back roads with the windows down, both times it hit around here hard there was very few roads you couldn't smell 1 dead on, the whole ride back to the dove fields in chuck swan back in 2007 was horrible.
 
2007 got us as well. I only found two but they just disappeared and it took them several years to ever bounce back. I pretty much quit hunting during that time. Just never seeing anything got old quick.
 

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