Deer Diseases: EHD Takes Toll on Nebraska Whitetail Population
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Field & Stream readers are well-acquainted with the scourge of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD), either through reading about it or by firsthand,in-the-field knowledge. With final deer season tallies now coming in, the disease’s impact on this season is becoming appallingly obvious in hard-hit states like Nebraska.

From this story on norfolkdailynews.com:
Drought and an outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) in 2012 caused significant reductions in whitetail deer populations, permit sales and harvest…Deer permit sales in 2012 declined 13 percent to 122,214. Total deer harvest fell 30 percent to 60,548. The whitetail buck harvest fell 29 percent to 26,309; whitetail antlerless harvest dropped 36 percent to 24,974; mule deer buck harvest declined 3 percent to 7,325; and the mule deer antlerless harvest fell 8 percent to 1,940.

According to the story, while the statewide harvest was down 30 percent, some areas experienced a 50 percent decline. Overall, the combination of drought and disease knocked back Nebraska’s deer population to what they were a decade ago. How did your state’s deer harvest totals look this year?