With the opening of the first deer hunting seasons just weeks away, news of white-tailed deer dying in two southwestern Pennsylvania counties has raised concern among both the hunting public and Game Commission biologists. Since early August, more than 50 deer have died in Greene and Washington counties.
Post-mortem studies are underway at Penn State University and the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study at the University of Georgia. Dr. Walter Cottrell, Game Commission wildlife veterinarian, says, “While we must wait for test results to confirm just what caused these deer to die, at this time, we suspect that the deer died of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD), based on the field signs that we are seeing.” read more
