WEST BEND — The Wisconsin DNR reports 1,100 deer have died in Washington County from an outbreak of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease, known as EHD — up 300 from earlier this month.
EHD is a virus spread by midges that kills deer.
Watch Marcus Aarsvold's report in the video player below:
Barry Wiskirchen, a hunter who hunts 80 acres of property in the Town of West Bend, said most of the deer on his land are dead, and he believes the DNR's count falls far short of the true toll.
"I think they're dramatically underestimating the actual reality of the mortality," Wiskirchen said. "I'm getting text messages and phone calls literally every single day with friends and neighbors saying, 'Hey, I found another deer."'
DNR deer herd health specialist Erin Larson acknowledges the reported number does not capture the full picture.
"What we're reporting are the ones that we've been made aware of," Larson said. “Really all we can report is what we’ve been made aware of and what our biologists are seeing in that area."
Wiskirchen and other hunters are frustrated with the DNR, arguing the agency should advise people not to hunt this year in affected areas.
"Everyone who owns land in the affected area really needs to kind of make their own assessment as to what actions they need to take to make sure that the population stays healthy," Wiskirchen said.
The DNR, however, is still encouraging hunting and said the disease's impact will be temporary.
"What we know about this disease — what we've seen from other outbreaks in Wisconsin and other states is that the impacts from the disease are short-lived and populations will rebound quickly," Larson said.
Wiskirchen said 50 hunters plan to sit out this season, and the group wants the DNR to take a more proactive approach to containing the EHD spread. Larson said the agency has no proven tools to stop it.
"Unfortunately, there just really isn't any mechanism that has been shown scientifically to make a difference," Larson said. “Given the history of the deer harvest in that area and the current population size, the affected areas are still likely able to support a harvest this fall.”
Larson also confirmed that venison remains safe for humans to consume.
Driving through parts of Washington County near wooded areas with the windows down, Washington County reporter Marcus Aarsvold could smell rotting deer carcasses without even seeing them.
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