COVID-19 Affects New Population — White-Tailed Deer

Written by HLRBO| 8/25/2021

As the fall hunting season approaches and the COVID-19 pandemic continues, researchers have found the disease is impacting a new population: white-tailed deer — a species that is found in every U.S. state except Alaska. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), researchers found COVID-19 antibodies in the blood samples of 40% of 385 tested white-tailed deer. They tested the deer in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and New York between January and March 2021. "Given the percentage of samples in this study that had detectable antibodies, as well as the high numbers of white-tailed deer throughout the United States and their close contact with people, it is likely that deer in other states have also been exposed to the virus," a spokesperson for USDA told Nature. These findings exhibit the extent to which white-tailed deer in the wild can catch the deadly disease. They also demonstrated that deer are capable of passing COVID to other deer.

The silver lining is that researchers found no evidence that COVID is having a detrimental effect on deer. The presence of COVID antibodies in the affected deer shows they contracted the virus and fought it off. Since none of the animals appeared sick, researchers deduced they likely had asymptomatic infections. As for spreading the illness, Daniel Bausch, a zoonotic diseases expert, said human’s infinitely greater problem is spread from other humans. Furthermore, a USDA memo emphasized that there is "no evidence that animals, including deer, are playing a significant role in the spread of COVID to people.” The memo continued that based on the information from USDA researchers, the risk of animals spreading COVID-19 to people is low.

The memo also came with some reaffirmation to hunters that there is no evidence that people can get COVID-19 by preparing or eating meat from animals infected with COVID — that includes wild game meat hunted in the U.S. But, hunters can get infected with a range of other diseases when processing or eating their kill. So, it's crucial that hunters continue to practice good hygienic practices when processing animals. The bottom line is it seems the coronavirus is impacting increasingly large populations of species. Still, hunters should not change their fall deer hunting plans because of the USDA's findings, as the organization affirmed that the risk of contracting COVID from a white-tailed deer is low. But, hunters should make hygiene the top priority when preparing and eating their kill. For more resources and news impacting the hunting world, visit the HLRBO blog. About HLRBO HLRBO’s mission is to be the first stop for hunters searching for a place to hunt. HLRBO provides listing options for private landowners, hunting businesses, hunting guides, and public land to fulfill that mission. HLRBO provides the flexibility for landowners and businesses to set their pricing and availability based on a traditional year lease, a monthly rental, weekly rental, daily rental, and even by hunting season. This makes it easier than ever for hunters to find the hunting opportunity they are searching for while giving landowners and businesses the flexibility they desire.