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COOLVILLE — Coolville residents are concerned about a significant number of deer dying in the area.

A representative of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources this week confirmed one positive case of epizootic hemorrhagic disease in Athens County. Another test from a deer found in Washington County is pending.

According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources website, EHD is fatal to deer and there is no known treatment for it in wild populations. Afflicted animals are likely to die within three days after showing symptoms, which can include a fever; swelling of the head, neck, tongue and eyelids; disorientation and respiratory distress.

Daniel Banura is a Coolville resident and avid hunter. He said on Thursday afternoon that he has seen up to 15 dead deer on his property since July 15, but there may be even more due to the strength of the smell.

“I took a drive around and started finding them everywhere. All fresh,” Banura said. “I smelled so many of them last week. It’s like every 200 yards, it’s like ‘oh, there’s another.'”

EHD is transmitted by insects called “biting midges,” which can be found commonly around areas of water. However, Banura said none of the deer on his property were found dead near water, which is abnormal behavior for deer with the disease.

“Every deer has been on ridge tops, in the field,” Banura said. “I got multiple creeks and rivers on my property.”

Banura said EHD usually starts to appear in deer in the middle of August and lasts until frost, which is why it came as a shock that he found the deer so early in the season and in such large numbers.

Lindsay Rist, wildlife communications specialist with the Ohio Division of Wildlife, said the disease does tend to show up later in the summer, often in drought conditions.

“It is slightly surprising this year,” she said.

The number of reported deer deaths in Athens and Washington counties was not immediately available, but Rist said they had received a number of reports over the weekend.

Banura said he got to know and identify the deer on his property over the years he’s spent in Coolville and it has been devastating to see the situation play out.

“That’s the whole reason I bought this place. I spent tens of thousands yearly feeding and managing. I do so much just for these animals, and it wiped out the next 10 years for me all in a week,” Banura said. “I just feel depressed and disgusted.”

ODNR says that EHD does not affect humans or the safety of consumed venison, but since a specific illness in a deer cannot be determined without testing, they urge people to be cautious and not kill and eat sick deer.

More information about EHD can be found at ohiodnr.gov. To report a deer behaving abnormally, call ODNR at ​​1-800-WILDLIFE (945-3543).

City Editor Evan Bevins contributed to this story.

Matty Lamp can be reached at intern@newsandsentinel.com.