With opening day for deer hunting just around the corner, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department shared some changes it’s making in hopes of rebuilding the white-tailed deer herd in the state.
Thanks to drought and epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) outbreaks, the North Dakota white-tailed deer herd has dwindled in the past five years. This response is explained by state officials to conserve and safeguard a slow-to-rebound population.
“We know how important deer hunting season is to North Dakotans, and we’re doing everything we can to make sure these changes are as targeted as possible while protecting the long-term health of our deer herds,” North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong said at a press conference on Oct. 19. “Our deer population is still recovering from the devastating losses in 2021, and this latest outbreak of EHD is another serious setback. Every doe that survives gives us a better chance to rebuild the herd.”
EHD is not only a devastating disease to deer populations, but it also can impact cattle and other ruminants. In North Dakota, EHD is a reportable disease. North Dakota State University encourages hunters and livestock producers to be on the lookout for deer and livestock exhibiting symptoms.
Signs of the disease in deer include:
- high fever
- lack of appetite
- respiratory distress
- edema of the head and neck
- ulcers and erosion of the tongue, palate, rumen and abomasum
The EHD mortality rate is high, and it’s endemic in the deer population. Cattle are primarily “nonclinical,” meaning that even if they are infected, they do not show the outward signs of illness. Instead, cattle might be lame and not eating, with excess salivation. They may have cracking of the skin of the muzzle, alongside erosions and ulcers in the mouth.
EHD is a naturally occurring virus spread by biting midges, but it is less common in mule deer, pronghorn and elk. The first documented outbreak of EHD in North Dakota was reported in 1962.
2026 deer season
Reports of an ongoing EHD outbreak in several hunting units predated the state’s announcement that impacts this deer season. Field staff had almost 160 reports that tallied about 350 deaths of the ungulate species, mostly white-tailed deer.
North Dakota Game and Fish is prohibiting the harvest of antlerless white-tailed deer in deer gun units 3C, 3E1, 3E2 and 3F2. Hunters who have white-tailed deer licenses in units 2H, 2I, 3B3, 3C, 3D1, 3D2, 3E1, 3F1, 3F2, 4D, 4E and 4F have the option to turn in their licenses for a refund and restored bonus points. Find the full map of affected hunting units here.
The goal of these changes is to allow an already-dwindling deer population the chance to recover for 2027.
“While the number of reports received and mortality observed this year are considerably less than in 2021, it’s concerning, especially given how few deer were on the landscape to start this year compared to them,” said Jeb Williams, director of North Dakota Game and Fish.
The department encourages hunters to check the EHD mortality map, talk to local landowners of their hunting regions and contact the department with any questions.