"When shallow ponds and creek beds dry up, conditions are good for hatches of disease-carrying insects," Shelton said. "Then, as summer progresses, deer become more concentrated around watering holes, facilitating the spread of the disease."

Each year, the IDNR asks landowners to report any diseased or dead deer they may find, but many are never found or go unreported.

"We do often see localized outbreaks of the disease where deer numbers are diminished in certain isolated farms or small areas," Shelton explained. "Conditions must be right for the disease to spread and, with the extremely dry weather last summer, this is exactly what happened."

Shelton said the disease was probably documented in virtually every county in the state last year, but the loss in numbers is not measurable on a statewide or even countywide basis.

"Still, this is no consolation to a hunter who is on a farm impacted by EHD," he added. "On a small area like a single farm, deer numbers can be greatly reduced by the disease."

Another serious concern for hunters is the spread of chronic wasting disease, that shouldn't be confused with the EHD virus. So far, the IDNR has done an admirable job of tracking and controlling the spread of the disease. Although complete test results have not been compiled, the numbers of confirmed cases so far appear lower. Only one new case has been found in Stephenson County.

"We have taken in some 8,000 samples and it does look like the numbers of confirmed cases will be somewhat lower than last year," Shelton said. "It does appear that we've managed to keep the disease in check and it is not spreading very quickly."

CWD is a fatal neurological disease of deer, elk and moose that causes small holes in the brain that ultimately results in loss of body condition, abnormal behavior and death.

There is no treatment for the disease, which is transmitted directly from one animal to another, although there is some indication it can be transmitted to other animals from contaminated places like feeding locations.

CWD was first found in Illinois in 2002, after a Boone County doe that was behaving strangely was tested. The disease remains concentrated in the state's northernmost reaches, with the greatest number of cases in Winnebago, Boone and McHenry counties.

The impact of CWD on Illinois deer populations is still unknown, but most experts agree that, if left unchecked, it poses a serious threat to wild deer herds.

THE OUTLOOK
Shelton said the overall deer population has held relatively steady in recent years. While harvest numbers have diminished in certain counties, he doesn't feel it's due to lower deer numbers.

Still, he admits there are some sections of the state where deer populations are too high, especially in and around major metropolitan areas. These hotspots typically see little, if any, hunting pressure, so deer numbers are rising and will likely continue to rise unless the problem is resolved.

He also feels that some commercial hunting operations are adding to the problem of growing deer populations in other counties.

"We've seen the deer harvest go down in some high-profile counties like Pike and Calhoun, but this is certainly not due to fewer deer," Shelton said. "I really feel the hunting pressure in many of those counties is declining due to a variety of reasons."

Large expanses of acreage in some Illinois counties are controlled by outfitters, which exerts less pressure on the reproductive portion of the herd.