Dead deer are showing up all across central Nebraska.
Many deer are suffering from epizootic hemorrhagic disease also knows as EHD. This sickness is caused by a bite from an insect called a midge.
"It's typically a fast acting disease," Nebraska Game and Parks biologist Nic Fryda said. "If it's looking like it's sick then it'll probably die within the next 24-48 hours."
The midge goes from one deer to the next, transferring a virus causing fevers and internal bleeding. Trying to reduce the fever, infected deer seek shelter in water until they die from fever and blood loss.
"We won't know the exact estimate of mortality of this disease until the end of hunting season," Fryda said.
The disease is not a threat to humans. If a hunter harvests a deer that appears sick, Nebraska Game and Parks encourages you to bring the carcass to a district office and they will revalidate your permit.
