Columbus Dispatch
https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/2025/09/25/deer-archery-hunting-begins-deadly-disease-outbreak-ehd-ohio-odnr/86342204007/?fbclid=IwY2xjawND46xleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFXa2ZGZjJIOFVtSzZxY1JqAR5D1Rq_WqKA07frC8G1azCExqo5nBqlQ0L5MmnB1AHnO3Mn2fix_EFc5mRtHg_aem_LRihpaNqso2xUTLX6iWd1w
- Ohio’s archery hunting season is beginning amid a significant outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) in deer.
- EHD is a virus spread by midges that is often fatal to deer but does not affect humans.
- State wildlife officials have proposed reducing the deer bag limit in three southeastern counties due to the high death toll.
- More than 7,000 sick or dead deer have been reported, with the outbreak being worst in Athens, Meigs, and Washington counties.
Archery hunting season in Ohio will begin this weekend as the state is in the midst of one of the deadliest deer disease outbreaks in recent history, the Columbus Dispatch reports.
And the outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) is so bad that officials at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife are proposing hunting season rule changes to cope with the death toll.
More than 7,000 sick or dead deer have been reported to the Division of Wildlife, with hundreds of those in the southeast Ohio counties of Athens, Meigs, Washington and Morgan, where the outbreak is the largest, the Dispatch reported previously.
So, when does deer season open? And what changes are looming? Here’s what to know.Epizootic hemorrhagic disease: Emergency measures being considered as Ohio experiences significant deer disease outbreak
Exposing the Big Game 