My sister in law lives in KY. She said that the drought killed a lot of deer and the hills of KY are stinky now.
This is what the problem is. Not exactly the drought. I've found two dead deer on my property and haven't even looked around. From KY Dept of Fish & Wildlife Site:
"Frankfort, Ky. � Kentucky�s first frost in the coming weeks should put an end to the state�s outbreak of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) in deer. Biting midges or gnats, which transmit the virus that causes the disease, die off with the first hard freeze. Kentucky�s first frost of the season typically occurs from late September to mid-October.
Biologists with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources report this year�s outbreak of hemorrhagic disease is the worst in at least 30 years. Similar outbreaks have been reported this year in Tennessee, Indiana, West Virginia, Virginia and southwest Pennsylvania. Although the outbreak is widespread, only a fraction of Kentucky's one million deer have been affected and no changes are planned to the state's hunting seasons due to the disease.
�Hemorrhagic disease is caused by a virus. We see large outbreaks about every five to seven years in Kentucky,� said Danny Watson, a wildlife biologist with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.
In Kentucky, the disease is responsible for the deaths of white-tailed deer in at least 76 Kentucky counties this year.
The most significant outbreak appears to be in Western Kentucky, where all 25 counties of the Green River Wildlife Region and most counties in the Purchase Region have received reports from landowners accounting for over 700 dead deer. The virus is also on the increase in Central Kentucky, where 20 counties have been confirmed to have dead deer. People usually find the dead or weak and emaciated deer near water.
�This year�s statewide drought could be playing a role in the outbreak, said Karen Alexy, wildlife division director for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. �Dry conditions are concentrating deer near water sources, increasing the chances of midges biting infected animals then transmitting the disease to healthy deer nearby." The virus cannot be spread from a deer carcass."
