What is killing deer in Western North Carolina other than hunters?

As hunting gets into full swing this fall, hunters can expect to see deer already dead, said Justin McVey, mountain biologist with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, the agency that oversees all hunting, fishing and trapping practices in the state.

The wildlife commission has received multiple reports of dead, dying or sick deer so far this hunting season. So far this year there have been 64 cases of hemorrhagic disease confirmed in Western North Carolina, including Cherokee, Clay, Macon, Swain, Henderson and Transylvania counties.

“It’s a very common disease in the Southeast that usually shows up every five years or so. It’s a natural cycle and will probably die off with first frost. After two-three years, the deer population will rebound,” McVey said, adding that the North Carolina deer population is healthy overall.

While some hunters might not see as many deer, there are other factors besides hemorrhagic disease that could be the cause, McVey said.

The mast crop has been pretty good this year, meaning deer have found good stores of acorns and don’t need to move around as much, making them less visible to hunters.

Archery season for deer hunting is now open in WNC. Hunting with black powder opens Oct. 2 and hunting with guns opens Nov. 20.

Hemorrhagic disease is caused by two types of viruses — one producing blue tongue and the other producing epizootic hemorrhagic disease. Tests of infected animals indicate that epizootic hemorrhagic disease appears to be the responsible virus for this year’s outbreak.

The disease tends to show up every few years, biologists say, with varying degrees of severity and distribution.

The last major case of hemorrhagic disease in the state was 2012 when hundreds of deer died, but most of them were east of the mountains.

Hemorrhagic disease viruses are transported by a biting midge or gnat between July and October. Common symptoms include emaciation, loss of motor control, fever, lameness, and swelling of the neck and head, difficulty breathing, loss of appetite and no fear of humans.

As symptoms worsen, fever sets in and the deer seek out water, which is why infected deer are usually found dead around water sources.

“I imagine there will be more cases until we get the big frost that will kill off the biting midge,” McVey said.

Hemorrhagic disease has no known affect on humans and is not a disease that people or domestic pets can contract, he said, but it’s always a good idea to wear gloves when handling a sick animal.

The viruses, particularly blue tongue, can be contracted by other ruminants such as cows and sheep. Typically, the disease does not cause severe symptoms in cows, but the blue tongue virus can cause disease in sheep similar to what occurs in white-tailed deer.

Rabies, hemorrhagic disease and chronic wasting disease can exhibit similar symptoms in affected deer. There have been no reports of chronic wasting disease. There was a recently confirmed case of rabies in dead deer in Cherokee County.

Rabies is very rare in deer, said commission spokeswoman Fairley Mahlum, and how it was contracted is unknown. In addition to the other symptoms, deer with rabies usually have hair loss on their heads.

The public should report dead or obviously sick looking deer to their local district biologist (Danny Ray in District 8 at 828-433-8880, and Justin McVey in District 9 at 828-273-7980) to help monitor the impact of the disease.

Deer that recover from an episode of hemorrhagic disease develop immunity to future outbreaks and deer populations quickly recover from even severe hemorrhagic disease outbreaks, McVey said.

Learn more about hemorrhagic disease at www.ncwildlife.org.