Southeast Ohio is facing the largest outbreak in the region’s confirmed cases of epizootic hemorrhagic disease in deer.

An Ohio Division of Wildlife deer biologist told The Columbus Dispatch this year’s outbreak is the largest he has seen in his career, and that hundreds of dead or sick deer have been reported in Athens, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Noble and Washington counties.

Counties along the Ohio River in West Virginia have been affected, too.

The disease had not been confirmed in Belmont, Harrison or Jefferson counties as of late July, but it is nearby — and confirmed in some counties where residents may choose to hunt.

That will mean deer hunters will have to think a little differently about their trips. Pre-season scouts in West Virginia have reported seeing what would normally be trophy specimens that are instead already lying dead on the properties they have walked.

“We’ve got lots of mortality and so this fall will probably look quite a bit different for some of those folks in the most heavily, hardest hit areas,” Ohio Division of Wildlife deer biologist Clint McCoy told the Dispatch.

So, there will be fewer deer to hunt, and a suggested change in strategy, as McCoy says hunters may actually have to help support the population’s rebound.

McCoy asked hunters to avoid killing deer without antlers, as those males with antlers “don’t really matter” when it comes to manipulating the population. And they are plentiful in our region — antlered bucks are abundant.

Be patient and responsible, then, when hunting season makes its way to our region this year.

Enjoy your time in the woods, but make decisions that will help ensure you will be able to do the same next year, too.