EHD Vaccines...........Do They Work ?

The permanone is the same stuff that the towns all across the country use to fog for West Nile carrying mosquitos and the Tempo I use can be used right in your house with no problems. It's like anything, I doubt you want to drink it but stay downwind and you'll be fine, I have yet to find any dead birds, at times I wish it worked on birds! If I have to take out a few bees to save my deer, so be it.

We dont have any other years to compare to but all the deer we lost this year were either nonvaccinated or had yet to receive their booster. I do know that we got a second batch of vaccine a few weeks ago and they had changed the formula. The first vaccine was for one strain and the second had 2 other strains added. EHD 1 was alone in the first and then 2 and 6 were added. Not sure if that means we should go ahead and give a shot of the new on top of the first. Not sure what the differences in the strains are and if we should be watching for different symptoms.

I have vaccinated in the past but have not for the last two years. I do think it has to help a little. The problem is there are to many different strains. I'm still scared to say this but so far we have not lost a single deer again. We never have. My neighbor is finding them dead all over again. I know some day we will get hammered. I started thinking after hearing from so many different farmers who had deer dying what could be the difference. What common denominators do all these guys have that we don't. All my deer are in the woods. It seems like the first ones to get infected are in fields. Is that the case with you guys? We fog & hand spray, change water daily, try to keep our deer healthy as can be through supplementation(no corners cut), we use Cinnagar in our feed hoping the garlic will help, we lime the pens, there are no ponds close, no cattle close, and sight barrier to help keep them from getting in contact with outside deer. We have an electric fence, maybe that helps. Our pens consist of mostly rock and are on a hill with excellent drainage(They don't really ever get muddy). There are so many different factors involved. It is very difficult to say why we haven't been hit but its something or everything combined that we are doing. Maybe its just the good lord watching over us. I think it would help for those of you who are loosing deer to post your exact circumstances(everything) and the same for those of us not loosing deer. Maybe we could build a chart with this knowledge.The more people we get to respond the better chance we have of finding a solution. One more thing for whatever reason there are some of us who don't want anybody to know they have lost deer. Fellows there is no genetic flaw with your deer if you've had it. Its OK.

I have not lost a deer in 5 years and all I do is feed and worm my deer. I do add garlic to the feed. Each of my 3 pens has a pond for them to drink out of. I do not spray, fog or vaccinate. My pens or about 10 acres each with a field on the high ground in each. About half of each pen is in the river swamp. The midge flies will eat you alive in the evening and yet none of the deer are dying.

I don't think it is luck. I believe some deer have built up a resistance to ehd. I am not sure the deer have that opportunity in areas that are not hit regularly with midges. I do believe if you are in an area that deer are dying all around you and you have not lost one there is something besides luck going on.

Time will tale but watch the lines of the deer that survive and the ones that do not and, I believe, you will see a correlation. I certainly hope this is the case. If not we are breeding deer that have to be sprayed to survive. Who will spray them when they go to the preserve.

There has to be something to this or else the deer in the south that are exposed every year on multiple ocasions would all be dead by now. I have no science to backup my opinion but I wish our DNR would spend some time and money on this issue and not so much on CWD. Ehd has played havoc on the midwest the last few years where I hunt and you can definitely see the results. Even with the high die off in this area I have to wonder why other deer in the same area survived. Were they lucky or do the have a resistance in their system to help them.

I would love to hear Scott's opinion based on his reults in Louisiana. I know they have regular outbreaks of midge flies and he has been battling this for years, I think.