04/19/2026
Every time hunters bring up EHD being a bigger problem than CWD, the game agency crowd runs to the same excuse. “They’re not even the same disease.” Okay. Nobody said they were. We all know CWD and EHD are different, spread differently, and work differently. That’s not the point. The point is that we do not have a solution for either one, so pretending the comparison is invalid is just a way to dodge the actual question. If there’s no fix for either disease, then why are we throwing so many resources at CWD while brushing off EHD like it doesn’t matter?
That question is completely fair, because EHD has clearly shown it can hurt deer herds and CWD still has not proven that at the population level. So when agencies act like hunters are confused for even asking it, they’re missing the point on purpose. This is not about whether CWD and EHD are the same. It’s about priorities. If we’re going to spend time, money, and manpower on a disease we can’t solve either way, why are we pouring it into the one that hasn’t proven it’s hurting deer populations instead of the one that actually does?
— Stephen Ziegler
Outdoor writer | Owner, DeLong Lures
