Disease may kill more deer than hunters - WNEM TV 5
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On average, hunters kill more than 300 deer every year at the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge in Saginaw County.
To date, more than 100 deer have died as a result of a fly-carried disease called Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease, or EHD.
"It is carried by midges," said Steve Kahl, the refuge manager.
Midges are tiny, two-winged flying insects that usually travel in swarms.
The Department of Natural Resources' website states that more than 10,000 deer have died in Michigan as a result of the EHD.
"We have hit a freeze," Kahl explained.
The colder temperatures makes it harder for the midges to reproduce so the number of deaths is likely to fade, Kahl said.
The disease has killed about a third of the total number of deer that are usually killed by hunters each year.
Despite the number of deaths, Kahl is not concern with it affecting hunting season.
"There are a total of about 600 deer on the refuge grounds," Kahl said.
"We will have a more accurate figure once we do an aerial survey after hunting season."
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