EHD Is Devastating Deer Herds in Southeast Ohio. Here Is What Landowners Need to Know Before Hunting Season
Found in Belpre OH
If you manage property or hunt in Washington County, you already know the signs. Trails are quieter. Fields are strangely empty. And social media is flooded with photos of carcasses and missing trophy bucks.
This is not just a bad year. It's a full-blown outbreak.
Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) is hitting southeastern Ohio hard in 2025. And with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources now proposing emergency changes to the hunting regulations in response, it is clear the state recognizes just how bad things have become.
So what can you do if you are a hunter, landowner, or leaseholder?
Schedule a professional herd analysis. Fast.
EHD Is Reshaping the 2025 Deer Season in Real Time
Ohio's Division of Wildlife is currently reviewing a plan to reduce the bag limit in Washington County from three deer to two. If passed, this change would go into effect starting December 1, 2025.
The reason for the proposed reduction is straightforward. Deer are dying in large numbers before the season even begins.
Washington County alone has seen one of the highest reported EHD die-offs in the entire state. Field reports, trail cam data, and drone thermal scans all point to the same problem. In some areas, 70 to 80 percent of the herd has already been lost.
And with EHD continuing to spread until the first hard frost, the worst may still be coming.
What a Drone-Based Herd Analysis Can Show You
Washington County OH Buck . 2024 season
MOV Drone Workz offers professional thermal herd analysis across southeastern Ohio. It is a service designed for hunters, landowners, and conservation-minded property managers who want to know the truth about what is left on their land.
This is not guesswork. This is data.
Our analysis includes:
Thermal imaging over food plots, creek beds, timberlines, and CRP
Video and photo documentation of live and deceased deer
Location pins and mapped patterns of deer movement or absence
Detailed field reports with raw footage, screenshots, and notes
Optional grid-based scanning of high-priority zones
Pre- and post-frost monitoring options to support long-term recovery plans
You can use this data to guide your harvest decisions, confirm trail cam observations, and present field-based insights to hunting partners or ODNR.
You will know what you are walking into before the season opens.
Why It Matters Now
If the proposed regulation change passes, your legal harvest quota may shrink mid-season. And if the trend continues, future seasons could see even stricter restrictions.
The days of casually assuming your property is full of deer are over. With EHD taking an unprecedented toll on the herds in our region, responsible landowners and hunters are turning to technology to fill in the gaps.
Drone herd analysis gives you one major advantage. Clarity.
We are already seeing reduced drone recovery calls this fall, not because the technology is not working, but because the deer are simply not there. That is why herd analysis is becoming the more urgent service. You cannot recover what never made it.
Watch the Video
Want proof of how severe the EHD crisis really is? See it with your own eyes.
We are proud to be an approved thermal drone operator within the Drone Deer Recovery network, and their latest video footage lays bare what’s happening across southeastern Ohio. This is not secondhand speculation. It is raw, field-collected evidence from the exact regions where we operate.
The video features:
Thermal drone footage of deceased deer near water sources and in dense cover
Empty food plots and cornfields that were full of deer just one season ago
Live herd scans showing how few deer remain in formerly thriving zones
Commentary from experienced drone pilots, hunters, and landowners
On-the-ground reaction from property owners facing 70 to 80 percent herd losses
Whether you're a landowner, hunter, or wildlife manager, this video delivers an unfiltered look at the current state of the whitetail population across Washington County and beyond.
Watch the full video here: [Insert link to the Drone Deer Recovery EHD video]
If you've been on the fence about booking a herd scan, this will convince you it's time to act. The data doesn't lie, and the drones don't miss. Know before you hunt. Prepare before you manage. Book your herd analysis today.
Book Your Flight Now
If you hunt, lease, or manage land in Washington County, contact MOV Drone Workz today to schedule your drone herd analysis.
This season is different. You need real data, not secondhand stories. Let us fly your property, deliver a clean report, and help you make the call on whether your land is ready to hunt or in recovery mode.
Waiting until the season opens to find out is not a strategy. It is a risk.
Call now to get on the calendar. Slots are limited during peak season.
