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Hunters are keeping tabs on bucks more intently than ever before with the current craze in trail cameras. They see bucks via images that they've never laid eyes on keeping hopes high to eventually tag a monster right in their backyard. Unfortunately, some of those bucks may come up missing. Vehicle collisions, natural accidents, predation and disease are the main culprits for bucks to go missing. One major reason for a buck to pull the disappearing act is about to raise its ugly head.

Referred to by wildlife biologists as HD or Hemorrhagic disease, it also goes by the name of blue tongue. This disease, although studied in depth, attacks with lightning speed and intensity, yet has no cure. Hemorrhagic disease is the most highly visible viral disease affecting whitetails.

Nearly every year some portion of the whitetail range is hit hard. The only exception is the extreme northeast and northwest corners of the whitetail range, otherwise HD affects deer from Texas to Montana and from the Carolinas to Pennsylvania. 

Spread by a tiny two-winged midge, HD can kill an infected animal within days, if not sooner. Affected animals are inflicted with a high fever and hemorrhage internally. They generally seek water for relief and this is the reason many carcasses are discovered near reservoirs, creeks and rivers.  HD kicks off in the late summer and peaks in September. A killing frost knocks back the midge population and halts the spread, but it still leaves you scratching your head as to where all the deer went. If your area is going to be affected this year, signs could begin showing up soon. If you smell a dead animal near a water source there's a high probability it is an HD affected whitetail. 

HD can nearly wipe out a herd during a major outbreak. According to information from the University of Georgia and the University of California, estimates of mortality exceeding 90 percent may occur. I've seen firsthand localized mortality of HD of 50 percent or more in South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming and Montana. In fact, more than once I've had to cancel or switch hunting locations at the last minute due to HD outbreaks.  

The other big disease to grab headlines is Chronic Wasting disease, but is it really something to fear? At this stage the infection rate is small, less than five percent in most areas. According to the Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance, CWD is described as "a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) of cervids." Its infectious agents are hypothesized to be prions, which are infectious proteins without associated nucleic acids. The most infectious areas of a deer or other ungulate, is the brain and spinal cord, hence it is advised to always wear latex gloves when field dressing a deer or elk. 

Infectious models indicate that CWD could spread through deer populations over the next several decades with disastrous results. Regardless, so much is unknown about this disease that it is tough to predict anything with accuracy. For now, your best bet is to keep your herd density at a manageable level and work hard at keeping deer spread out and not congregated in one location since the disease is believed to be spread through deer interaction. 

What's worse, HD or CWD? My hunting has always been affected by HD, but rarely CWD, if ever. That may change in the future, but when a buck comes up missing in my backyard I'm betting on HD as the culprit.or the front bumper of a Dodge truck. 

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The other night one of the top stories on all of my local news stations was a negative incident that involved a so-called hunter. Apparently, some poacher entered a piece of land and was hunting without permission. The landowner was an elderly woman who immediately confronted the trespasser and was assaulted. Luckily, the poor woman was not injured, but the media absolutely beat the story to death. It’s amazing how quickly the mainstream media will jump on any negative aspect associated with hunting. The guy involved in this incident had no business being portrayed as a hunter. More than likely, he is the type that shoots deer out of season, spotlights from the road and damages private property. However, the media will routinely stereotype all of us by the actions of just a few. In reality, a true hunter despises poachers, probably more than the rest of our society that doesn’t hunt.  Sadly, it seems all of the positive aspects of hunting finds a way to slip through the cracks and are never exposed to the rest of the world.

Basically, you never really hear of sportsmen -based programs like “Hunters Feeding The Hungry” or organizations that take sick or dying children on their dream hunt. How about the overwhelming success of the re-introduction stocking programs that ultimately generated healthy populations of wild turkey across our great nation? Just look how good the whitetail deer population is doing throughout the country and how more states are beginning to see Elk once again. In my opinion, the mainstream media has dropped the ball on these remarkable stories. Probably because anti-hunting groups like PETA and their self-righteous celebrity following are not involved with these amazing accomplishments. Hunters are the true conservationists of the world and we are the stewards responsible for ensuring a healthy existence for all wildlife. 

With that being said, we have a responsibility to spread the word and truth about hunting to the rest of our society. Non-hunters need to be made aware of all the good that comes from hunting. This can be achieved by simply calling local media outlets to inform them about the positive hunting stories that often go untold. A child’s first deer, hunting group donations, re-introduction stocking programs, conservation efforts, and other good deeds need to be recognized. Petitions or routinely writing the mainstream media to make these outlets aware of the truth can also help the cause. It’s time that our voice is finally heard outside of the traditional outdoor media circles!