News · Mid-Michigan
Michigan EHD map: the deer disease is confirmed in 15 counties, and Jackson County has the most reports
Michigan hunters worried about empty woods this fall now have a map.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has published a heat map showing where deer suspected of dying from epizootic hemorrhagic disease, or EHD, have been reported this year. Laboratory tests have confirmed the virus in deer from 15 counties: Allegan, Branch, Calhoun, Clinton, Hillsdale, Ingham, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Lapeer, Lenawee, Montcalm, Oakland, Oceana, Saginaw and Washtenaw.
“Right now, where we’re seeing the highest number of reported cases is in Jackson County,” DNR deer biologist Samantha Courtney told WPBN.
What the map shows
The map plots reports by township-range block, a 36-square-mile grid, and marks the counties where the disease has been lab-confirmed. The DNR says it will update the map about once a week. The version posted on the department’s EHD page covers reports from Aug. 1 through Oct. 16.
The department cautions that the map shows reported activity, not a full count of dead deer. Reporting is voluntary, and the DNR has to collect a carcass within 16 hours of death to confirm EHD in the lab, which is not possible for every report. Biologists believe the disease is present in more places than the confirmed list shows.
“We have heard from hunters who are concerned about deer losses in their hunting areas and want more information about where EHD is occurring,” said Brent Rudolph, the DNR’s deer, elk and moose management specialist, in the department’s announcement.
How this year compares
The DNR keeps a county-by-county record of EHD deaths going back to 1955. A Mitten Daily comparison of that list shows eight counties confirmed both last year and this year: Calhoun, Clinton, Hillsdale, Ingham, Jackson, Lenawee, Saginaw and Washtenaw. Seven are on the 2026 list but were not in 2025: Allegan, Branch, Kalamazoo, Lapeer, Montcalm, Oakland and Oceana.
Jackson County has now been confirmed three years running, in 2024, 2025 and 2026. Lapeer County does not appear in any earlier year on the DNR’s list. The overall count is in line with recent years: 16 counties in 2025 and 15 in 2024.
In Jackson, the outbreak is the talk of the hunting counter. “It still did a huge number on our herd in this area,” Robert Gillow of Schupbach’s Sporting Goods told WILX.
What hunters should know
EHD is spread by tiny biting flies called midges, usually in late summer and early fall. Infected deer either recover or die within a few days, so several dead deer often turn up in a small area. Outbreaks end once frost kills the midges, which biologists expect soon.
The DNR says local losses can be steep but are not permanent. After the large 2012 outbreak, deer numbers in one hard-hit area rose over the next five years. The DNR asks anyone who finds a dead or sick deer to report it through its Eyes in the Field portal at Michigan.gov/EHD. Michigan’s regular firearm deer season opens Nov. 15.
Sources:
Michigan DNR, “Epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) in white-tailed deer” (county history since 1955, 2026 confirmed counties, heat map Aug. 1-Oct. 16 reports), https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/managing-resources/wildlife/wildlife-disease/wdm/ehd
MLive, “Where is deadly EHD affecting deer in Michigan? New map shows reports,” Oct. 29, 2026 (DNR announcement, Rudolph and Larsen quotes, 16-hour rule, 2024-2025 counts, 2012 study), https://www.mlive.com/environment/2026/10/where-is-deadly-ehd-affecting-deer-in-michigan-new-map-shows-reports.html
WPBN/UpNorthLive, “Michigan DNR launches public heat map to help track suspected EHD cases in deer,” Oct. 28, 2026 (Courtney, Jackson County highest), https://upnorthlive.com/news/local/michigan-dnr-launches-public-heat-map-to-help-track-suspected-ehd-cases-in-deer
WILX, “Fatal EHD outbreak in deer confirmed in at least 15 Michigan counties,” Oct. 29, 2026 (Gillow quote), https://www.wilx.com/2026/10/29/fatal-ehd-outbreak-deer-confirmed-least-15-michigan-counties/
Photo: Jim Hudgins / USFWS, “White-tailed deer (53627451184).jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, public domain, cropped, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:White-tailed_deer_(53627451184).jpg
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