Biology And Management Of White-tailed Deer In Alabama

Chronic health problems in a deer herd are usually the result of poor
habitat and/or severe overpopulation. Biologists use a technique called
an abomasal parasite count (APC) to examine relative parasite loads in
a deer herd and its correlation to the habitat quality/herd density relationship.
The APC is a count of the number of parasitic worms in a
deer’s abomasum (fourth stomach compartment). A high APC number
generally indicates too many deer on a given unit of habitat.
Hemorrhagic disease is the most prevalent infectious disease
found in Alabama deer. Hemorrhagic disease (HD) is caused by one of
two viruses—epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) or bluetongue (BT)
virus. These viruses are transmitted by biting midges (i.e., “no seeums”).
HD is common throughout Alabama and the Southeast. HD
related mortality rates generally do not exceed 25 percent, but can reach
50 percent or greater (Davidson and Nettles 1997). Not all deer infected
with HD die. Many deer survive the infection and are effectively
immunized against subsequent outbreaks. This “immunization” is
known as antibody prevalence. Outbreaks are more pronounced with
greater mortality in years where overall antibody prevalence in a deer
herd is low.
Symptoms of HD include internal hemorrhaging, sloughing
hooves, and lesions in the mouth and on the tongue. Other health problems
may include a swelling of the head, neck, and tongue. Respiratory
distress and blood in the urine and saliva are common symptoms as
well. Deer that have succumbed to HD often are found dead near streams
and ponds. Infected deer often seek water in an apparent attempt to
relieve fever and dehydration associated with the disease. Outbreaks
seem to occur in late summer, when numbers of the disease vector
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