You smell it before you see it. If you’ve spent any time in the hardwoods of Southeast Ohio lately, you know exactly what I’m talking about. That heavy, unmistakable scent of decay hanging over the creek bottoms. It isn’t just a couple of unlucky deer; it’s the result of what state biologists are calling the most severe outbreak of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) in Ohio’s recorded history.
Basically, the Ohio EHD 2025 map looks like a red zone concentrated in the southeastern corner of the state, but the ripple effects are being felt by every hunter from the PA border all the way to the mid-Ohio valley. Honestly, it’s been a rough summer for the herd.
By September 2025, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) had already tracked over 8,700 reports of sick or dead deer. To put that in perspective, that’s more than four times the number of reports from 2024. If you’re planning your late-season muzzleloader trip or looking ahead to next year, understanding this map isn't just about biology—it’s about knowing why your favorite stand might feel like a ghost town right now.
What the Ohio EHD 2025 Map Actually Shows
If you look at the data coming out of Columbus, the "hot spots" aren't evenly distributed. This isn't a blanket problem. It’s localized, intense, and frankly, a bit devastating in specific townships.
The epicenter is undeniably the southeast. Athens, Meigs, and Washington counties have been hit the hardest. In Washington County alone, reports topped 1,850 dead deer by mid-September. Athens followed closely with over 1,600. When you look at the Ohio EHD 2025 map, these three counties are shaded the darkest, representing an "unprecedented" mortality rate that forced the state to take emergency action.
But it didn't stop there. The disease crept northward and westward.
Confirmed cases have popped up in:
- Fairfield and Muskingum
- Morrow and Union
- Guernsey, Morgan, and Noble
- Franklin and Hamilton (specifically the Indian Hill area)
What’s wild is how "spotty" it is. You might have one farm in Athens County where you find 15 carcasses along a single 200-yard stretch of water, while your buddy three miles away says his trail cams are still loaded with healthy bucks. That’s the nature of the beast. The midges that carry the virus don't travel far, so the "map" is really a collection of hundreds of tiny, intense outbreaks rather than one smooth wave.
Why 2025 Became a "Perfect Storm"
You can thank the weather for this mess. We had a prolonged, nasty drought through much of the summer. When it gets dry, deer don't have many options for water. They all congregate at the same receding mud holes.
These mud holes are the primary breeding ground for Culicoides midges—the tiny "no-see-ums" that carry the EHD virus. It’s a simple, cruel math: more deer at fewer water sources plus more midges equals a massive spike in transmission.
One thing people get wrong is thinking EHD is like Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). It's not. CWD is a slow-motion train wreck caused by prions that stay in the soil forever. EHD is a sprint. A deer gets bitten, develops a high fever, and usually dies within 36 to 72 hours. They head for the water to cool down, which is why you find them slumped over in the creek.
The good news? The first hard frost kills the midges. Once the temperature drops below freezing for a few hours, the transmission stops instantly. But for the 2025 season, the damage was already done before the hunters even hit the woods in September.
Emergency Regulation Changes You Need to Know
Because the Ohio EHD 2025 map showed such a sharp decline in specific areas, the ODNR Division of Wildlife did something they rarely do: they changed the bag limits mid-season.
If you’re hunting in the "Big Three" (Athens, Meigs, and Washington), the bag limit was slashed to one deer starting December 1st. Morgan County was reduced to two deer.
I’ve talked to guys who are furious about this, and I’ve talked to others who think the state should have shut down the season entirely in those counties. It’s a messy debate. On one hand, the biologists need to protect the remaining does to ensure a rebound. On the other, hunters who paid for their permits and spent all summer scouting feel like the rug was pulled out from under them.
Is the Meat Safe to Eat?
This is the question everyone asks. The short answer is: yes, EHD does not infect humans. You can’t get it from a midge bite, and you can’t get it from handling the deer.
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However, let's be real—nobody wants to eat a deer that was suffering from a massive viral infection and a 107-degree fever. If you harvest a deer that looks "off"—swollen tongue, lethargic behavior, or patches of sloughing hooves (a sign it survived a mild case)—it’s probably best to pass.
ODNR deer biologist Clint McCoy has been pretty vocal about this: while the virus isn't a threat to us, a sick animal might have secondary infections or just be poor-quality meat. Use common sense. If the deer was acting like it didn't know you were there, don't put it in your freezer.
The Long-Term Outlook for Ohio’s Herd
Is the sky falling? Probably not. EHD is a "cyclical" disease. We see it every few years, though rarely this bad.
Midwestern deer don't have the natural immunity that southern deer (like those in Alabama or Georgia) have built up over decades. That’s why our die-offs look so much more dramatic. But the silver lining is that the deer that did survive this year now carry the antibodies. They’re the foundation for a more resilient herd.
Historically, it takes about three to five years for a local population to fully bounce back after a hit like the one shown on the Ohio EHD 2025 map. We saw this in Northwest Ohio (Defiance and Paulding) back in 2024. Those areas are already showing signs of recovery.
What You Should Do Right Now
If you're a landowner or a hunter in the affected zones, there are a few practical steps you can take instead of just scrolling through depressing forum posts.
- Report what you see: The ODNR relies on "citizen science." If you find a carcass, use the online reporting tool. They might not come out to test every single one, but it helps them sharpen the accuracy of the map for future management decisions.
- Adjust your expectations: If you’re in a "red" county, don't expect the same deer densities you saw in 2022 or 2023. You might need to move your stands away from the creek bottoms where the "smell of death" is concentrated and look for deer that stayed on the ridges or moved to different water sources.
- Focus on habitat: Since the midges love mud, there’s not much you can do to stop them, but providing high-quality forage can help the survivors stay healthy enough to make it through a tough winter.
- Check the latest regs: Always double-check the ODNR Hunting Regulations before you head out, as the bag limits are strictly enforced and the 2025 changes are specific to only a handful of counties.
The 2025 season will go down in the books as the year of the midge. It’s a reminder that nature is pretty indifferent to our hunting plans. But the Ohio woods are resilient, and as long as we manage the harvest carefully in these hit zones, the "big buck" reputation of Southeast Ohio isn't going anywhere. It’s just going to take a little time to heal.