Overview
- State wildlife officials have logged a sudden surge in public reports to roughly 600–900 dead deer concentrated in Washington, Waukesha and Ozaukee counties.
- The DNR has confirmed an ongoing outbreak in Washington County and says two wild deer there tested positive for epizootic hemorrhagic disease.
- The agency is prioritizing lab testing where the virus has not yet been confirmed, relying on public reports to track spread and asking residents to report and move carcasses away from homes.
- EHD is a viral disease spread by tiny biting midges that often kills deer but does not infect people, and DNR experts link larger local outbreaks to drought conditions that concentrate deer near midge breeding habitat.
- Local landowners report heavy losses on some properties, which could reduce deer numbers for fall hunting even as statewide populations are large and likely to recover over several years.