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

Consulting is Satisfying

I did some consulting this week for a family planning to start a deer breeding and hunting business. We went over many issues such as pen location and design. The reason for the design to promote smooth flow when moving the deer in the breeding pens. Other issues discussed were health, behavior, death loss, fawn additions, etc. We looked at a 4-yr outlook to determine what the outcome should be based on the first year investment. Even with the realization of death losses it was wonderful to see the excitement in their eyes. I hope I will always provide an honest assessment of my client's goals but instill in them the love of working with these awesome animals.

Consulting for the Deer Industry

I offer consulting service for the deer industry. Topics include: Handling facilities Pen design Behavior How to handle deer Health EHD/BT Nutrition

EHD: Northern vs. Southern Deer Resistance

 

by Whitetail Rack Ranch

I had a conversation with a friend about northern vs. southern EHD resistance. I wanted to share some of my thoughts. From the research I've read, I don't believe northerns with exposure to EHD will have any more trouble than southerns if their previous exposure history is the same. I hear it all the time that northerns aren't EHD resistant but I think that the people that have southerns are the ones promoting that view. If you bring northerns down south they likely won't have the resistance of deer born and raised in the south. I know someone in southern Louisiana who has said for years that it was a mistake to have northerns in the south. I haven't heard him say much since he lost a bunch of his southerns a few years ago when I was losing northerns. Even with southerns, research shows that fawns lose their immunity after weaning if they don't have continued exposure to the virus. It takes time for northerns to build their immunity because of the cyclic nature of EHD. If you bring northerns down and there is no significant EHD present for a few years, when it hits hard I would expect northerns to have somewhat higher death losses. Likewise, though, if fawns lose their immunity without having contact with the virus wouldn't the southern ones have higher death losses later in life too? I personally believe we're going to see EHD worsen for southerns in the future. If someone puts up a mister system around their pens, they eliminate the chance for building immunity to the virus. Animals MUST be exposed and get the virus to have immunity. One thing that you may be seeing in your southerns with flu-like symptoms, rather than more severe symptoms with northerns, is their history. Research shows if a deer gets EHD-1 it will have SOME cross protection but NOT immunity to EHD-2. Once the animal has the virus it should have lifetime immunity for that particular serotype. That's why live virus vaccines are only given once without the need for annual boosters as compared to killed virus vaccines. The problems facing us with EHDV and BTV is similar to humans and the flu. Mutations each year present the animals with slightly different viruses. The permanent immunity to one serotype doesn't prevent infection from a different one. Give northerns in the south some time to build their immunity and lets hope mister systems don't cause our southerns to lose their resistance. Something else I hear people promote is buying semen from their EHD resistant southern bucks. I have seen NO evidence of EHD protection passed down from the sire. Think about it just from a common sense perspective. Why do we vaccinate for BRSV, BVD, IBR, PI3, C&D, etc. if there is passdown immunity from the mother. We should be able to vaccinate a doe and all of her offspring would have immunity without ever needing to be vaccinated. Immunity doesn't work that way!!! Feel free to comment.

EHD and BT Symptoms in Whitetails

Symptoms of EHD and BT are the same.  The viruses are different but common vectors carry it.  Some deer never show symptoms and get over it.  Some never show symptoms and are dead the next day.  After an incubation period, several days to one week, the animal becomes infected at varying levels.  The symptoms of both viruses are:

• Extensive hemorrhaging and sudden death.
• Sick and dead animals found near water (because of high fever)
• Swelling of face, tongue, neck and eyelids
• Bloody discharges may come from nose, mouth and rectum
• Extensive hemorrhaging in many tissues and internal organs
• Ulcers in mouth tongue and stomachs
• Lameness/ Cracked, overgrown hooves occur after the disease has been present and may take a number of days to a couple of weeks to start showing up.
• One of the symptoms that a deer has had EHD is that the coronary band at the top of the hoof will be very red. The normal color is a sort of clear gray. You may have to move the hair back from the hoof to be able to see it. Sometimes it's so noticeable that you can see it if you get close enough and use binoculars without having to touch the deer. After you see this sign you may eventually notice hoof sloughing or the deer may just walk tenderly because of pain in the hooves.