DNR tracks hemorrhagic disease

Hemorrhagic disease, commonly referred to as EHD or bluetongue, has been impacting deer in Iowa for over a decade. Severe outbreaks occurred in 2012, 2013, 2019 and 2023.

To better understand disease impacts, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources has created an online tool where hunters and landowners can report deer that died from hemorrhagic disease.

The new reporting tool, plus an annual dashboard, is linked from the Deer Hunting and Deer Health website, iowadnr.gov/deer. Hemorrhagic disease has been underreported, and this new tool will help simplify the process and improve accuracy.

Submitting these reports assists the DNR in understanding and managing Iowa’s deer populations.

Deaths from hemorrhagic disease generally occur between July and September, occasionally later during unseasonably warm weather.

More than one deer carcass in a location or carcasses near a water source are signs of hemorrhagic disease.

Outbreak severity has varied from year to year, and there is no effective treatment or known prevention for wild deer.

Hemorrhagic disease typically doesn’t impact county deer populations uniformly. Deer on one property may experience a severe outbreak while deer on a neighboring property do not.

Generally, deer populations in areas where outbreaks occurred have recovered to near normal levels within two or three years with no additional management actions.

Counties with low or declining deer populations that experience an outbreak may need additional help to facilitate recovery.