As you may have read in the Aug. 16 edition of The Commercial Appeal, whitetail deer in Tennessee and many other states are experiencing widespread outbreaks of an ailment known as epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD).

Several dead deer have been found at Ames Plantation in Grand Junction - and not surprisingly, the members of the hunting club at Ames are really nervous.

To calm their fears, hunting club president and wildlife biologist Dr. Allan Houston included the following statement in the club’s most recent newsletter.

It’s good advice for all hunters right now:

Don’t panic and conjure up an infarction - and don’t assume that every dead deer in a roadside ditch has EHD.

Most of the deer in ditches have something far, far worse: 18-wheeler-itis - or - perhaps SUV-fever.