Hunters traveling to central and eastern Montana may find fewer white-tailed deer due to a recurrent disease that has affected whitetail populations in some widely scattered areas, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks said today. As a result, the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Park’s Commission reduced today the number of white-tailed deer B hunting licenses available in FWP’s Regions 5 and 6. The ailment, epizootic hemorrhagic disease, or EHD, struck white-tailed deer in several central and eastern Montana locations in August and September. In response to information compiled by FWP wildlife biologists, the FWP Commission decided today to offer only 1,500 surplus licenses in Region 6-which generally includes the northeastern tier of Montana--instead of the 3,500 that could have been sold. The 1,500 surplus licenses-750 for residents and 750 for nonresidents--will be sold over the counter and will be valid only in Hunting Districts 630, 631, 632, the western portion of 641, 650, 651, 652 and 670. To better focus the white-tailed deer harvest in the eastern portion of Region 6, the commission also decided that all of the region’s white-tailed deer B licenses already issued through FWP’s annual special drawing will only be valid in these districts. Hunters who can’t use their deer B licenses can obtain a refund prior to the Oct. 21 opening of the general hunting season, officials said. Officials noted that these surplus license and hunting-area adjustments will not affect hunters with general deer A hunting licenses or the single region over-the-counter white-tailed deer doe licenses. "Hunters with these general season deer hunting licenses can still hunt throughout Region 6," said Don Childress, FWP’s wildlife division administrator. In addition to the adjustments in Region 6, the commission decided not to issue any of the 177 surplus white-tailed deer B licenses scheduled for sale in south-central Montana’s Region 5 for HDs 500, 502, 510, 520, 530, 560, 575 and 590. The commission saw no need to make any additional changes to the white-tailed deer hunting season in Region 5. Surplus white-tailed-deer licenses will continue to be available in HDs 511, 540, 570 and 580, where there is no evidence of a significant EHD outbreak. Because more than 75 percent of Montana’s annual white-tailed deer harvest occurs on private land, FWP also urged hunters traveling to central and eastern Montana for white-tailed deer to first contact landowners about local conditions and existing white-tailed deer hunting opportunities. "This EHD outbreak is scattered, so even if you’ve already been granted permission to hunt, in this case it’s best to first contact the landowner," Childress said. "Some locations have experienced substantial white-tailed deer losses." Losses have been recorded in central Montana’s Yellowstone River below Reedpoint and on the Musselshell River below Ryegate. In northeastern Montana, EHD outbreaks have affected whitetailed deer populations along the Milk River and its tributaries from Havre to Malta, including Blaine, Hill and Phillips counties. Less severe EHD losses have also been reported along Missouri River tributaries such as the Judith River, and as far west as Fort Benton. In eastern Montana, some evidence of EHD has been reported near Miles City and Birney. Childress said deer hunters planning on traveling to these areas when the general hunting season opens Oct. 21 will find that reduced populations will increase the challenge of harvesting a whitetail. This week’s pheasant and antelope hunters traveling to these areas may see some white-tailed deer carcasses, especially near or in water sources, throughout the EHD outbreak areas. The virus dehydrates infected deer and causes them to seek water. EHD in white-tailed deer is a viral disease that causes quick and fatal internal hemorrhaging. It is transmitted by biting gnats. EHD outbreaks commonly occur during late summer and early fall in years of prolonged warm, dry weather. With the onset of below freezing nighttime temperatures, which kills the insects, the disease subsides. There are no known instances of EHD affecting humans, either through contact with or consumption of infected animals. Chances are unlikely hunters will shoot an infected animal because with the onset of today’s frost and freezing temperatures the disease will have subsided by Oct. 21, the opening of Montana’s general hunting season. For information on EHD and locations of outbreaks, hunters should call FWP Region 5 in Billings at 406-247-2940; FWP Region 6 in Glasgow at 406-228-3700; and FWP Region 7 in Miles City at 406-232-0900.
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