An outbreak of an acute, infectious virus that kills white-tailed deer has been detected in Illinois, the state Departments of Agriculture and Natural Resources reported September the 9th. Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD), an often-fatal virus that causes high fever and severe internal bleeding, has been confirmed in captive deer herds in Franklin and Randolph counties. It also is the suspected cause of death in wild deer in at least 28 counties throughout central and southern Illinois.

  "One farm, in particular, has been devastated," Dr. Colleen O’Keefe, IDOA division manager of Food Safety and Animal Protection, said. "The farm, located in Franklin County, has lost 16 of its 20 deer."

  EHD poses no risk to humans, according to Dr. O’Keefe. Other wild ruminants also are susceptible, including elk, mule deer, pronghorn antelope and bighorn sheep. Domestic animals such as livestock may become infected, but rarely exhibit signs of the disease or develop serious illness.

  EHD is spread by biting midges, or gnats. The midges transmit the virus from infected to uninfected animals as they feed. There currently is neither a vaccine nor an effective treatment for the disease. "The only viable way to control the virus is to control the insect population," Dr. O’Keefe said. "Short of spraying for insects, there’s nothing much a landowner can do to prevent the disease other than wait for cold weather."

  EHD outbreaks typically begin in late summer or early fall and end with an insect-killing frost. The deaths this year were first reported in late August. Officials believe the dry summer in central and southern Illinois, where the cases are concentrated, has contributed to the current outbreak. "When shallow ponds and creek beds dry up, conditions are good for hatches of disease-carrying insects," Dr. Paul Shelton, Illinois Department of Natural Resources Forest Wildlife Program manager, said. "Then, as summer progresses, deer tend to become more concentrated around watering holes, facilitating the spread of the disease."

  EHD was first identified in 1955 when several hundred white-tailed deer died in both Michigan and New Jersey. Since then, cases have been documented throughout much of the United States and southern Canada. The last significant outbreak in Illinois occurred in 2004, although a few cases normally are observed in any given year.

  Symptoms develop about seven days after exposure to the virus and include loss of appetite, excessive salivation, muscle weakness, lameness, depression and a rapid pulse and respiration rate. In very acute cases of the disease, animals enter a "shock-like" state, become prostrate and die within eight to 36 hours after the onset of symptoms.

  Farmers with ill deer should not assume the animals are infected with EHD, even if they are exhibiting classic symptoms. A veterinarian should be called to give the deer a check-up. If the animal dies, the Illinois Department of Agriculture’s animal disease laboratories in Centralia and Galesburg will perform a post-mortem exam to determine the cause of death. The fee for this exam ranges from $40 to $100, depending upon the level of testing that is required.

  Landowners or hunters who witness a deer exhibiting signs of EHD, especially near a creek or pond, can assist agency efforts to monitor the extent of the disease by reporting it to IDNR Deer Project Manager Tom Micetich at (309) 543-3316, extension 231.

  From the Illinois Department of Natural Resources web site at www.dnr.state.il.us.

  My husband's birthday was coming soon so I gave him part of his birthday present early, a fly-fishing rod. Neither of us knows how to fly-fish, but we both want to learn. So we grabbed our gear and dog a week ago and headed for the Missouri River.

  With the hot summer we've had and all the forest fires, the trout are too stressed to bite most places. This wasn't his purpose: he just wanted to practice casting. Those of you who have never tried to learn to fly-fish can imagine it's hard to get casting without making a mess of the line. Add to this a dog that believes it's her job to chase everything thrown by anyone (including fishing lures), and you've got quite a show.

  By the time I got my line out with a worm, my husband was spitting mad, the dog was soaked, and I was trying my hardest not to laugh. After finding the break in the line (it's a used rod), throwing the rod back in the trunk and stewing for a good 20 minutes, my husband decided to throw out a hook and worm.

  As soon as it hit the water, he got a bite. The biggest perch I've seen come from the river. We spent the next hour hauling in a huge batch of them. Normally bothering with a big enough perch to keep on my part of the Missouri is an occasional thing. I keep a perch bag in the freezer to throw the occasional big one in to save up for a fry, which usually happens once in a blue moon. It's now full waiting for Saturday.

  By the time the fish quit biting, my husband had forgiven the dog. They spent a good while playing Frisbee. It was long enough for her to dry out and me to get the gear packed back up. Next time he wants to practice casting, I'm gonna let him go with his brother.

  This year is the first year in many that my father and I did not get to make the two hour drive down south from Corpus Christi for the early white-wing dove hunt.

  Although my dad and I have had plenty of action at the "Las Palomas" public hunting lands, I can still remember our first trip to Resaca de la Palma back in September of 1995, my first Rio Grande white-wing hunt. We had a whole 100 acre field all to ourselves with no worries of overcrowding and the doves came by the hundreds.

  I was hooked from that hot September day and have made it a tradition to continue going down south for the next ten years. Some of the past hunts have been slow, but the good days are unforgettable. I even included my brother-in-law one year and it was an outstanding hunt. Large flocks of white-wings flying in great target range. The after party at the local hotel was just as impressive with other sporting gentlemen lounging around the pool at night. Like they all say, "All good things must come to an end".

  This year I missed opening weekend due to a wedding and went dove hunting alone the second weekend. Needless to say, it was a very disappointing afternoon. The saddest part of all was seeing awesome flocks of white-wings flying high and out of range of my Remington 1100. The only positive note is that the sun will come up tomorrow and there will be many more great dove hunts this season.

  I hope your dove opener was better then mine. At least some birds were lucky enough to survive my wrath for a short period of time. Until next time, shoot straight and lead those birds!