As we get drier and drier in Illinois, Department of Natural Resources authorities say we could be in store for a nasty year of EHD in the deer population.

DNR Conservation Police Captain John Williamson says EHD comes around when the summer is dry and those waterways dip to low levels.

The worst year for EHD in Illinois was 2012 when 2,968 cases were reported from 87 counties. In 2013, the IDNR received reports of 1,224 cases from 64 counties.  EHD was virtually absent in 2014 and at low levels in 2015-2017.

Landowners, hunters, and concerned citizens are asked to be on the lookout for dead or dying deer and to report suspected EHD cases to their local IDNR field office, or the Wildlife Disease and Invasive Species Program (WDIS).