DECATUR COUNTY — For some Hoosiers, deer hunting season will be impacted by epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD).
"People in the counties that are affected will probably have a harder time hunting," explained Joe Caudell with the DNR.
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Lower bag limits have been introduced in some Indiana counties, which could impact hunters.
Fewer deer could also mean less donated venison for local food pantries, which rely on hunters for meat during the fall and winter.
In Decatur County, for example, Westport Community Food Pantry typically receives hundreds of pounds of processed deer meat, which helps feed hundreds of families.
Caudell is the state's deer biologist. He keeps a close eye on diseases in deer populations across the state.
Right now, portions of South Central Indiana are being impacted by EHD.
"It's just a native, natural disease in our deer population, and this disease is actually spread from deer to deer by a biting midge," continued Caudell.
The midges are more prevalent in years without a lot of rain, like 2025.
"The water in areas where deer live are receding, and it's exposing more mud, and these midges actually live and breed in this mud," Caudell shared.
When deer come to the water to drink, the exposed midges can bite and infect the deer.
This disease does not impact humans, but some counties have seen a drop in deer population.
To help the deer recover in numbers, the DNR is imposing lower bag limits on antlerless deer in some counties.
Caudell says even if you don't live in an area with lower limits, you should be mindful of the number of deer around your property before you hunt.
"You can have one part of the county that has no EHD whatsoever, and then you go to another part of the county that's even just a mile away, and they may have had a severe outbreak of EHD," said Caudell.
"They should be looking at their own property and determine how many deer that they responsibly could shoot on their property," continued Caudell. "And they may choose not to shoot any antlerless deer this year."
This could have impacts not just on hunters, but for some food pantries.
Westport Community Food Pantry in Decatur County typically receives donated deer meat from Double D Meats in Greensburg.
Hunters can take their deer to be processed here before the meat is ultimately given to the food pantry.
"Last year, I think we got between 550, 600 pounds of processed deer," said Scott Henderson, the pantry's director. "One pound per family, that's 500 families we can give meat to that week."
Earlier this year, Westport Community Food Pantry moved from its previous location in the basement of Westport Christian Church to its own freestanding building.
Since that moment, Henderson has seen an increase in families seeking food.
"When we moved over here in June, we had between 75 and 85 families a week," Henderson recalled. "About a month ago, it jumped up to over 100."
This week, they had their busiest week yet: serving 135 families.
With rising grocery prices, it has become a challenge not only to give donations but also to receive them.
"We have a lot of people that used to give, but they can't give financially now," Henderson explained. "Because of their own food prices. Right now, we are struggling to get enough food to feed those 135."
Henderson is proud that the pantry gives away not just canned goods, but also meat when available, including the meat donated by deer hunters during the fall.
The combination of high grocery prices and the lower availability of deer could mean less meat for some food pantries, like Westport, this year.
"I think a lot of them probably will hang onto them instead of donating them," Henderson said of hunters donating deer.
Caudell says hunters do not need to worry about deer potentially having the disease. Most deer die within a few days of getting the disease, but if a hunter were to harvest a deer with EHD, it wouldn't have an impact on humans.
"They would probably never know it. They would eat it, and just they would never know it," Caudell said. "It's nothing that we test for or need to test for."
If you suspect deer on your property could have EHD, you can report it to the DNR here.
You can see which counties have been impacted by EHD in 2025 here.
The lower bag limits for antlerless deer for 2025 are as follows:
- Jennings County: from 4 to 2
- Jackson, Jefferson, Scott Counties: from 4 to 3
- Bartholomew, Martin, and Switzerland Counties: from 3 to 2
Caudell says EHD has impacted other portions of the state in previous years. If you live outside of the impacted area this year, you may have a normal year of hunting.
EHD will not be as concerning going forward, as the cooler temperatures and frost kill off the rest of the midges.
If you are a hunter and would like to learn more about the DNR's Hunt for Hunger program (donating your harvested deer to go to a local food bank), click here.
