Food Plots may limit EHD deaths

EHD and Food Plots

My theory of using Sudan in my food plots to limit exposure to Culicoides and therefore exposure to the EHD/BT viruses seems to be showing strong evidence at LSU.  The university started testing the theory with research last year.  Sudan and other plants give off CO2 and Octanol at night like mammals do.  The gnats, like mosquitoes, are primarily sugar feeders.  Only females seek blood meals and only during the time they are maturing the eggs they are carrying.  They find us for blood meals by following the trail of CO2 and Octanol we emit.  Since my Sudan gives this off too, it is likely that deer bedded in the food plots with tall thick biomass are 'hidden' from the insects. 

I noticed the behavioral change in 2012 when we had a severe EHD outbreak.  The only pen that I had Sudan in was my buck breeder pen.  At night my bucks had been sleeping outside of the Sudan along the fence in Bermuda grass.  About the time EHD hit us, the bucks all started bedding inside the Sudan at night.  That was a complete change of behavior that I found dramatic.  I lost large numbers of deer to EHD before I found the right dosage of Dexamethasone.  Deer died in all of my pens on both sides of the breeder buck pen but I didn’t lose any in the buck pen.  I asked Dr. Lane Foil at LSU about the Sudan and at first he said he hadn’t really thought about anything like that.  Later he contacted me and said he thought I might be on to something. 

They planted Sudan in 2013 and the initial results of the insect trapping showed dramatically lower numbers inside the Sudan with much higher numbers in traps outside the Sudan.  They will spend more time and greater detail studying the effects of Sudan on insect exposure this year.  It’s something to consider for not only our breeder pens but also in hunting preserves, whether high fenced or not.  Planting strips of Sudan along the edges of food plots may offer an escape from biting insects for all deer.

Hope this helps save some of your deer.  It’s easy.

Charles ‘Deer Man’ Black

EHD Research Funding for Louisiana State University

LSU is conducting extensive research on EHD and how the vector Culicoides sp. causes the virus to infect whitetails.  This work is extremely important to deer breeders and sportsman alike because large numbers of deer can die from EHD and Blue Tongue each year whether they are in breeding operations or in the wild.  The deaths in the wild may go largely unnoticed because when a deer is sick it seeks out dense cover to hide in.  If they die there, within days the carcass is reduced to bones in the heat of summer.  In the fall during hunting season the remains would seldom be discovered.

LSU has taken a different approach to their research at their newly established Wildlife Institute.  Vaccines produced so far have been largely unsuccessful.  Instead of culturing the virus from infected deer to produce a vaccine, they will determine why the virus doesn't infect the deer if injected into them.  For the deer to become infected it seems that the gnat has to bite them.  They believe that there may be a component of the saliva that is triggering something that allows the virus to become infectious in the animal.  If they can isolate what causes the infection, they can produce a vaccine that can be challenge-tested.  If successful, this may be the first vaccine that is actually effective in controlling these devastating diseases.  If a vaccine can be produced and made for oral use, it may prove to be very important in preventing catastrophic deaths in the wild.

Any sportsman that loves the whitetail and wants to keep a healthy population to hunt should be interested in this new research.  If you know of anyone, a company or organization that can help with funding please contact me and I'll get you in touch with someone at LSU that will be happy for the assistance.  Their research facility will not be a fancy new building.  Their money will go to staff and equipment.  It will not be wasted.  They have been very eager to work with our Whitetails of Louisiana organization.  We hope to form a close working relationship with them because we see first hand how devastating this disease is.  Thanks for your interest in this new era of EHD research.

Cattle Rubs for EHD control on Deer

If you get Deer Tracking Magazine I wrote an article for the summer 2012 edition.  It's on using cattle rubs for insect control.  I've had amazing results using them since 2009 to repel insects from the animals.   I don't sell the rubs or get a commission.  I'm just giving you free information on a way I've found to reasonably control insects on my deer.  You can view full information on how to use them, where to get them and how they work.  Check my Facebook Notes on Charles DeerMan Black at the following link to see more.
https://www.facebook.com/deermancharlesblack#!/notes/charles-deerman-black/ehd-solution-cattle-rubs-for-deer-insect-control/282328211856247