deer diseases

Fighting a Mystery Illness? Tell The Doctor You’re a Hunter.

Jul 16, 2025 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

When Craig Harper woke up on February 5, 2019, he was deaf in his left ear. An audiologist told him he had permanent nerve damage and would likely never get his hearing back. But nerve…

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These Warning Signs Could Predict EHD Outbreaks in Deer

Jul 16, 2024 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

Hemorrhagic disease is a phantom enemy of deer. Known to hunters more commonly as EHD and bluetongue, this family of viruses strikes unpredictably and sporadically, hitting deer hard in some areas, lightly in others, or…

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Why Did This Deer Have Super Long Hooves?

Dec 5, 2023 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

What would cause a deer to grow really long hooves? Almost every fall, we hear from a hunter who saw or killed a deer with overgrown hooves, like those in the photo above sent to…

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Can Baiting and Feeding Really Spread Deer Diseases Faster?

Aug 9, 2023 Kip Adams

Baiting and supplemental feeding are contentious topics in hunting camps, wildlife agency headquarters and legislative halls across North America. They come with cultural, ethical and ecological considerations. These are all worthy of discussion, but I’ll…

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5 Things Deer Hunters Should Know About Deer Warts

Feb 12, 2023 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

Deer warts are one of the most easily visible diseases of whitetails, and every year deer hunters ask us about this health problem. Deer warts are hairless black or gray tumors caused by a type…

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CWD Drains Deer Dollars, It Doesn’t Generate Them

May 25, 2022 Kip Adams

Recently, NDA took a close look at some of the misguided beliefs and conspiracy theories surrounding chronic wasting disease. One of the most common among CWD deniers are the folks who quickly claim this fatal…

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9 CWD Commenters We Can Ignore

Apr 6, 2022 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

Despite the continual advancement of internet technology, we’ve failed to improve one particular area of websites and social media. Like a forest full of noxious invasive plants, “comments” remain a polluted ecosystem overrun by trolls,…

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Deer Mange Looks Bad. Is It A Concern for Deer Populations?

Jul 7, 2021 Lindsay Thomas Jr.

Got the itch for deer season? If not, this recent photo of a doe with mange ought to get you scratching. The photo above, taken on July 1 in Alabama, shows a classic case of…

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Why Does That Deer Look So Raggedy?

Mar 31, 2021 NDA Staff

Many concerned sportsmen and women report “unhealthy” or raggedy looking deer in the spring because they see or get trail-camera images of deer with notable hair loss. A common misunderstanding is that these deer have…

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Cracked Deer Hooves Are Signs of a Fight with the EHD Virus

Mar 24, 2021 NDA Staff

Late in the Georgia hunting season on December 30, 2020, NDA member Keaton Smith saw a buck that was in bad shape. It was extremely thin, and it was hobbling along as if it could…

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