With more than 200 deer-car collisions in Staunton in the last four years, combined with complaints by residents about vegetation and landscaping damage from the plethora of deer in the city, council members are looking for solutions to control its deer population.
David Kocka, a regional biologist with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, said during the Staunton City Council’s Thursday work session that it was not important how many deer the city had, nor was it important to tell the city what to do about the growing population.
Of the strategies available to the city, some are feasible, while others are not, Kocka said.
For instance, he said the agency would not have anything to do with trapping and transferring deer, and said birth control would be effective only if the deer were contained in a concentrated area. Female deer, which can live about 20 years, reproduce throughout their lives.
“There’s no such thing as menopause when it comes to deer,” Kocka said. “They continually breed.”
Indirect control methods, such as repellents and fencing, would only address the symptoms of deer density and not the problem, Kocka said.
In the last four years, the city has had 278 reported deer-car collisions, according to police data City Manager Steve Owen presented during the work session.
“Virginia, like most states, does not have a great handle on deer-car collisions,” Kocka said. “It’s a hard thing to get ahold of. People don’t report ‘em most of the time.”
In addition, Kocka said deer typically eat about three to five percent of their body weight daily.
He outlined several state programs to control deer populations, including out-of-season kill permits to kill antler-less deer causing damage to residential vegetation or agricultural areas.
Kocka said Staunton already takes advantage of the statewide archery season, from the first Saturday in October through the first Saturday in January. He recommended, however, that the city opt into the urban archery season, developed several years ago, and can only kill antler-less deer only. That program runs before and after traditional deer hunting seasons.
If the city is interested in the urban archery program, it must signal its intentions to the agency by Apr. 1.
Kocka also suggested that the city allow people with 50 acres or more to allow access to their property to hunt deer with shotguns during the traditional two-week shotgun-hunting season.
Mayor Lacy King, along with Councilman Dickie Bell asked city staff to put together an action plan that would meet the Apr. 1 deadline to apply for urban archery season. Councilwoman Carolyn Dull said she wants to see a plan that promotes public safety, while Councilwoman Andrea Oakes said the city should consider donating extra deer shot to Hunters for the Hungry.
“It seems like in the last four to five years, there’s been huge increases,” Dull said. “They didn’t do the birth control on them.”
Source: Waynesboro News Virginian
Friday, January 09, 2009
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
ILLINOIS NEWS: Final Population Management Recommendations Based in Part on Reducing Vehicle Collisions
The Joint Task Force on Deer Population Control (JTF) has made final recommendations on ways to manage the deer population, provide additional deer hunting opportunities, and reduce deer/vehicle accidents throughout the state. The recommendations include extending portions of some deer seasons, expanding educational outreach efforts, and making certain seasonal permits more readily available for longer periods of time to the public.
“I want to thank the members of this task force and the public, for their dedication to this important issue,” said IDNR Acting Director, Sam Flood. Managing the state’s deer population is an ongoing responsibility, and I commend this group for its well thought out, data driven recommendations to better manage populations,”
The JTF recommends that the rate of deer/vehicle accidents be used as the objective to guide deer management and to judge the success or failure of the management programs. The specific target rate (both statewide and at the county level) was set at halfway between the minimum and maximum rates measured during the period 1994 through 2007. The statewide target rate corresponds to a 14% decrease in the accident rate from the statewide peak observed during 2003.
Source: WIFR
“I want to thank the members of this task force and the public, for their dedication to this important issue,” said IDNR Acting Director, Sam Flood. Managing the state’s deer population is an ongoing responsibility, and I commend this group for its well thought out, data driven recommendations to better manage populations,”
The JTF recommends that the rate of deer/vehicle accidents be used as the objective to guide deer management and to judge the success or failure of the management programs. The specific target rate (both statewide and at the county level) was set at halfway between the minimum and maximum rates measured during the period 1994 through 2007. The statewide target rate corresponds to a 14% decrease in the accident rate from the statewide peak observed during 2003.
Source: WIFR
TEXAS NEWS: Deer Smuggling Yields Big Bucks (sorry, I couldn't stop the pun)
The sight of deer munching in suburban gardens is a common one across America, particularly in places like the Texas hill Country where at holiday time the ubiquitous roadside deer warning signs are decorated with round red stickers by an anonymous artist in an homage to Rudolph, the most famous deer of all. So plentiful are the white-tailed deer in Texas that the notion of smuggling deer into Texas seems absurd, but this growing and lucrative illegal trade with its threat of devastating disease is challenging state and federal wildlife officers across the country.
There are an estimated 10 million deer hunters in the United States, and 80% of the annual $20 billion spent in the hunting industry is focused on the pursuit of the fleet-footed creatures, according to a federal census study released two years ago. For Capt. Greg Williford, a Texas game warden, deer hunting is a cultural tradition that has undergone major changes in the last decade and now he finds himself using the same undercover methods employed by federal drug agents to combat deer smugglers, lured to the illicit trade by big bucks for, well, big bucks. "It's like everything else in society — people want bigger, better, faster," Wiliford says.
...
Texas alone has 1,100 licensed breeders with approximately 87,000 deer and a total economic impact of $652 million, according to a 2007 Texas A&M study. Breeders often sell their stock at livestock auctions where the price for a good buck can reach five figures.
For the full article, visit the source: Time Magazine
There are an estimated 10 million deer hunters in the United States, and 80% of the annual $20 billion spent in the hunting industry is focused on the pursuit of the fleet-footed creatures, according to a federal census study released two years ago. For Capt. Greg Williford, a Texas game warden, deer hunting is a cultural tradition that has undergone major changes in the last decade and now he finds himself using the same undercover methods employed by federal drug agents to combat deer smugglers, lured to the illicit trade by big bucks for, well, big bucks. "It's like everything else in society — people want bigger, better, faster," Wiliford says.
...
Texas alone has 1,100 licensed breeders with approximately 87,000 deer and a total economic impact of $652 million, according to a 2007 Texas A&M study. Breeders often sell their stock at livestock auctions where the price for a good buck can reach five figures.
For the full article, visit the source: Time Magazine
Monday, January 05, 2009
OREGON NEWS: Proposed Feeding Ban in Jacksonville
Jacksonville officials are considering a ban on feeding what one city council member calls "horned mountain rats," more commonly known as blacktailed deer.
If humans didn't feed the deer, state wildlife biologists say, there would be less overpopulation, disease and death in the herds.
Council member John Dodero says he favors an ordinance like those in Klamath Falls against feeding raccoons and in Philomath against feeding wild turkeys.
The new mayor, Bruce Garrett, says opinion is sharply divided.
Several Jacksonville deer have been found either dead or diseased — lethargic and foaming at the mouth — and were killed by wildlife biologists. One tested positive for a disease caused by eating corn, which deer can't digest.
Source: OregonLive.com
If humans didn't feed the deer, state wildlife biologists say, there would be less overpopulation, disease and death in the herds.
Council member John Dodero says he favors an ordinance like those in Klamath Falls against feeding raccoons and in Philomath against feeding wild turkeys.
The new mayor, Bruce Garrett, says opinion is sharply divided.
Several Jacksonville deer have been found either dead or diseased — lethargic and foaming at the mouth — and were killed by wildlife biologists. One tested positive for a disease caused by eating corn, which deer can't digest.
Source: OregonLive.com
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
MICHIGAN NEWS: Community Contemplates Future of Large Deer Population
A wildlife expert said Monday the deer population in Grand Haven should be reduced, despite a recent survey that showed a lower-than-expected number of deer living in the city.
Sara Schaefer, a wildlife specialist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, said nuisance complaints and ecological destruction should take center stage in herd reduction talks -- not a population count.
"It's not the number of deer you have, it's the effect they are having on citizens in an urban situation," Schaefer told the Chronicle in a telephone interview Monday.
Schaefer was to deliver a presentation to the city council during a work session Monday night. No action was scheduled.
"I recommend that they do some deer reduction, yes. But it's up to city officials," she said.
Schaefer, a wildlife supervisor for southwest Michigan, says she believes hiring a sharpshooter to thin the herd would help residents, the ecology and the deer.
She said resident complaints are up while deer activity is cutting away grass that protects dunes against erosion. Meanwhile, deer are the No. 1 culprit said to be destroying the protected wild Trillium flower.
Schaefer said a recent helicopter flyover which found 54 deer in Grand Haven -- fewer than officials had anticipated -- is not an accurate method to get a fix on deer population.
Schaefer said the Dec. 3 study should not be the determining factor in the deer culling debate.
"Flyovers do not give you reliable data," she said.
Meanwhile, critics say there was not sufficient snow cover during the flyover, which could have made it harder to see deer with less contrast. Heat-sensing cameras were used in the two-hour flyover that covered the entire city.
More than 118 nuisance deer complaints, ranging from destruction of property, deer droppings on an elementary school's sidewalk and the animals entering residential decks, have been filed at City Hall since Jan. 1.
That's up from 54 complaints the previous year.
Meanwhile, opponents of a deer cull point to city records that show car-deer accidents are down this year -- five compared to 11 in 2007.
But Schaefer said that statistic can be misleading, not taking into account "near misses" that are not reported or recorded.
The flyover, which used a Michigan State Police helicopter, found the most populated areas near Mulligan's Hollow, Lake Forest Cemetery, Duncan Woods, Stickney Ridge and the area bordered by Marion Avenue, Eaton Drive, Beechtree Street and Moreland Avenue.
Schaefer said she recommends a deer cull in January. The city already has taken bids from certified sharpshooting firms, but has not authorized the herd reduction.
"Sharpshooting is safe and efficient for citizens," Schaefer said.
Source: MLive
Sara Schaefer, a wildlife specialist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, said nuisance complaints and ecological destruction should take center stage in herd reduction talks -- not a population count.
"It's not the number of deer you have, it's the effect they are having on citizens in an urban situation," Schaefer told the Chronicle in a telephone interview Monday.
Schaefer was to deliver a presentation to the city council during a work session Monday night. No action was scheduled.
"I recommend that they do some deer reduction, yes. But it's up to city officials," she said.
Schaefer, a wildlife supervisor for southwest Michigan, says she believes hiring a sharpshooter to thin the herd would help residents, the ecology and the deer.
She said resident complaints are up while deer activity is cutting away grass that protects dunes against erosion. Meanwhile, deer are the No. 1 culprit said to be destroying the protected wild Trillium flower.
Schaefer said a recent helicopter flyover which found 54 deer in Grand Haven -- fewer than officials had anticipated -- is not an accurate method to get a fix on deer population.
Schaefer said the Dec. 3 study should not be the determining factor in the deer culling debate.
"Flyovers do not give you reliable data," she said.
Meanwhile, critics say there was not sufficient snow cover during the flyover, which could have made it harder to see deer with less contrast. Heat-sensing cameras were used in the two-hour flyover that covered the entire city.
More than 118 nuisance deer complaints, ranging from destruction of property, deer droppings on an elementary school's sidewalk and the animals entering residential decks, have been filed at City Hall since Jan. 1.
That's up from 54 complaints the previous year.
Meanwhile, opponents of a deer cull point to city records that show car-deer accidents are down this year -- five compared to 11 in 2007.
But Schaefer said that statistic can be misleading, not taking into account "near misses" that are not reported or recorded.
The flyover, which used a Michigan State Police helicopter, found the most populated areas near Mulligan's Hollow, Lake Forest Cemetery, Duncan Woods, Stickney Ridge and the area bordered by Marion Avenue, Eaton Drive, Beechtree Street and Moreland Avenue.
Schaefer said she recommends a deer cull in January. The city already has taken bids from certified sharpshooting firms, but has not authorized the herd reduction.
"Sharpshooting is safe and efficient for citizens," Schaefer said.
Source: MLive
OREGON NEWS: Dead Deer in Backyards
State wildlife biologists are mystified over the deaths of at least a dozen seemingly healthy black-tailed deer in back yards in Ashland.
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist Steve Niemela said field tests on two deer revealed they did not die from ruminitis, a disease that kills deer fed corn by residents.
"They had lots of fat and looked like healthy animals, but were dead," Niemela said.
Organ tissue samples are being tested.
One showed possible signs of the adenovirus, a contagious disease that earlier this decade wiped out deer around Ashland, Jacksonville and other areas where the animals had reached unnatural concentrations because some people were feeding them.
Until lab tests are done, Niemela said, it was premature to conclude the adenovirus has resurfaced.
Source: OregonLive.com
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist Steve Niemela said field tests on two deer revealed they did not die from ruminitis, a disease that kills deer fed corn by residents.
"They had lots of fat and looked like healthy animals, but were dead," Niemela said.
Organ tissue samples are being tested.
One showed possible signs of the adenovirus, a contagious disease that earlier this decade wiped out deer around Ashland, Jacksonville and other areas where the animals had reached unnatural concentrations because some people were feeding them.
Until lab tests are done, Niemela said, it was premature to conclude the adenovirus has resurfaced.
Source: OregonLive.com
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
MICHIGAN NEWS: Deer Cull Approved for Rochester Hills
With approval given by the Rochester Hills City Council Monday night, Oakland County Sheriff’s Office snipers will be used to thin the deer population throughout the city.
The council voted 5-2 in favor of the controversial measure for the service, which will be provided by the sheriff’s office for free to the city and will allow up to 200 deer to be culled initially. It’s estimated that there are at least 1,000 deer in the city.
Councilmen Jim Rosen and Ravi Yalamanchi voted against the issue, which would not allow culling on private or commercial properties.
Residents on both sides of the issue spoke out, with opponents expressing concern about the danger of having sharp shooters in the city.
“I don’t want our city to become a target practice range,” said Agnes Domanska, 32, of Rochester Hills. “I do realize the sharp shooters are skilled, but accidents can happen to the best of us.”
The council plans to review the results of this winter’s culling in June 2009 to determine its effectiveness. It’s unclear whether the sheriff’s office would continue to provide the service for free each year.
Lance DeVoe, the city’s naturalist, said culling is more effective when it’s done over multiple years.
Along with the culling, the council also approved seeking grants to improve signage, add reflectors or fencing to roadways and continuing to educate residents about the deer population. As well, the meat from the deer killed will be processed free of charge by Safari Club International and the Michigan Sportsmen Against Hunger and donated to local food banks, DeVoe said.
The council also enacted a feeding ban in September.
Rochester Hills resident Jean Teschendorf, who has deer passing through her yard every day, is in favor of culling the deer. She said she’s concerned that deer can carry Lyme disease or that a buck could charge through the back windows of her home.
“I have more fear of the deer than anything else,” Teschendorf said.
For months, the council has considered several ways to control the deer, which caused 219 car wrecks last year, according to the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments.
“I’m very fearful that there are going to be continuation of accidents and more problems,” said Councilman Vern Pixley. “My feeling is, and the research that I’ve done is, if there are fewer deer, there will be fewer accidents.”
DeVoe said the city is also mailing out informational pamphlets about the deer and is looking to improve signage alerting drivers to high-population deer areas.
He also said putting reflectors on roadways could cost up to $14,300 for a half-mile area or $28,600 for a mile.
DeVoe said taking a multifaceted approach to the deer population problem is more effective.
“Deer are wild animals,” he said. “They’re not supposed to be eating out of our hand and getting names and recognizing every member of the family. They should be in the woods, behaving as wild animals are supposed to behave.”
Source: Detroit Free Press
The council voted 5-2 in favor of the controversial measure for the service, which will be provided by the sheriff’s office for free to the city and will allow up to 200 deer to be culled initially. It’s estimated that there are at least 1,000 deer in the city.
Councilmen Jim Rosen and Ravi Yalamanchi voted against the issue, which would not allow culling on private or commercial properties.
Residents on both sides of the issue spoke out, with opponents expressing concern about the danger of having sharp shooters in the city.
“I don’t want our city to become a target practice range,” said Agnes Domanska, 32, of Rochester Hills. “I do realize the sharp shooters are skilled, but accidents can happen to the best of us.”
The council plans to review the results of this winter’s culling in June 2009 to determine its effectiveness. It’s unclear whether the sheriff’s office would continue to provide the service for free each year.
Lance DeVoe, the city’s naturalist, said culling is more effective when it’s done over multiple years.
Along with the culling, the council also approved seeking grants to improve signage, add reflectors or fencing to roadways and continuing to educate residents about the deer population. As well, the meat from the deer killed will be processed free of charge by Safari Club International and the Michigan Sportsmen Against Hunger and donated to local food banks, DeVoe said.
The council also enacted a feeding ban in September.
Rochester Hills resident Jean Teschendorf, who has deer passing through her yard every day, is in favor of culling the deer. She said she’s concerned that deer can carry Lyme disease or that a buck could charge through the back windows of her home.
“I have more fear of the deer than anything else,” Teschendorf said.
For months, the council has considered several ways to control the deer, which caused 219 car wrecks last year, according to the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments.
“I’m very fearful that there are going to be continuation of accidents and more problems,” said Councilman Vern Pixley. “My feeling is, and the research that I’ve done is, if there are fewer deer, there will be fewer accidents.”
DeVoe said the city is also mailing out informational pamphlets about the deer and is looking to improve signage alerting drivers to high-population deer areas.
He also said putting reflectors on roadways could cost up to $14,300 for a half-mile area or $28,600 for a mile.
DeVoe said taking a multifaceted approach to the deer population problem is more effective.
“Deer are wild animals,” he said. “They’re not supposed to be eating out of our hand and getting names and recognizing every member of the family. They should be in the woods, behaving as wild animals are supposed to behave.”
Source: Detroit Free Press
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
MINNESOTA NEWS: Cougars Join Deer Hunt This Season
CULVER, MINN. -- Two deer hunters waited a few minutes to track a doe they shot northwest of Duluth -- only to find two hungry cougars tearing away at their kill.
It took Ted Kline and Ron Smith only about 30 minutes to reach their doe on Monday. In that time, Kline estimates the cougars ate about a third of the usable meat.
"When we got there, they had both been eating on it. We scared them off, but they kept circling us. They didn't want to leave," said Kline, who owns the land where the two were hunting along the Artichoke River, about 25 miles northwest of Duluth.
The hunters called for help so two men could drag out the deer while Kline kept his hands on his rifle. "The chunks they tore off that doe were huge. The claw marks were huge," he said.
Photos of the carcass show that the deer's neck, rear leg and abdomen were mauled. Kline said it appeared the cats attacked the deer before it died.
Kline says the animals had long tails and were 3 feet long. He says they weren't wolves, dogs or bobcats.
Kline and Smith reported their story to a conservation officer from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
"We probably get 200 cougar reports each year ... but most turn out to be bobcats or house cats or yellow dogs," said John Erb, DNR forest wildlife biologist in Grand Rapids. "We do get confirmation on occasion. We had two confirmed last year, including one near Floodwood, but they are very, very rare. And for there to be two cougars together in one spot, that would be the first time in Minnesota probably in 75 years."
While cougar sightings are somewhat common in the area, it's unclear whether the animals are former pets or part of a small population of wild cougars. The closest established population of cougars is in the western Dakotas.
The large cats are protected in Minnesota and can't be shot, although law enforcement officers can put down an animal if they determine it may be a threat to people.
Source: Star Tribune
It took Ted Kline and Ron Smith only about 30 minutes to reach their doe on Monday. In that time, Kline estimates the cougars ate about a third of the usable meat.
"When we got there, they had both been eating on it. We scared them off, but they kept circling us. They didn't want to leave," said Kline, who owns the land where the two were hunting along the Artichoke River, about 25 miles northwest of Duluth.
The hunters called for help so two men could drag out the deer while Kline kept his hands on his rifle. "The chunks they tore off that doe were huge. The claw marks were huge," he said.
Photos of the carcass show that the deer's neck, rear leg and abdomen were mauled. Kline said it appeared the cats attacked the deer before it died.
Kline says the animals had long tails and were 3 feet long. He says they weren't wolves, dogs or bobcats.
Kline and Smith reported their story to a conservation officer from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
"We probably get 200 cougar reports each year ... but most turn out to be bobcats or house cats or yellow dogs," said John Erb, DNR forest wildlife biologist in Grand Rapids. "We do get confirmation on occasion. We had two confirmed last year, including one near Floodwood, but they are very, very rare. And for there to be two cougars together in one spot, that would be the first time in Minnesota probably in 75 years."
While cougar sightings are somewhat common in the area, it's unclear whether the animals are former pets or part of a small population of wild cougars. The closest established population of cougars is in the western Dakotas.
The large cats are protected in Minnesota and can't be shot, although law enforcement officers can put down an animal if they determine it may be a threat to people.
Source: Star Tribune
Monday, November 10, 2008
INDIANA NEWS: Some State Parks to Close for Deer Hunt
Seventeen Indiana state parks will be closed for a pair of Monday-Tuesday periods while hunters reduce the deer population.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources says the parks will close Nov. 17-18 and Dec. 1-2.
The hunters invited to the parks were selected in September from a pool of applicants.
DNR biologists say reducing the deer herd in the parks helps protect endangered plants.
The parks that will be closed are Brown County, Chain O'Lakes, Charlestown, Harmonie, Indiana Dunes, Lincoln, McCormick's Creek, Ouabache (WAH'-bash), Pokagon (poh-KAY'-gun), Shades, Spring Mill, Summit Lake, Tippecanoe River, Turkey Run, Whitewater Memorial, Fort Harrison and Clifty Falls.
Source: Chicago Tribune
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources says the parks will close Nov. 17-18 and Dec. 1-2.
The hunters invited to the parks were selected in September from a pool of applicants.
DNR biologists say reducing the deer herd in the parks helps protect endangered plants.
The parks that will be closed are Brown County, Chain O'Lakes, Charlestown, Harmonie, Indiana Dunes, Lincoln, McCormick's Creek, Ouabache (WAH'-bash), Pokagon (poh-KAY'-gun), Shades, Spring Mill, Summit Lake, Tippecanoe River, Turkey Run, Whitewater Memorial, Fort Harrison and Clifty Falls.
Source: Chicago Tribune
Thursday, November 06, 2008
HEALTH NEWS: Blood Lead Levels Linked to Wild Game
The article makes recommendations for children under 6. I would extend that to children under 9, recognizing that kids between the ages of 2-6 are most vulnerable. This is a good argument for lead bullet substitutes.
People who eat wild game killed with lead bullets tend to have higher levels of lead in their blood than people who don't, according to a first-of-its-kind study of 738 North Dakotans.
"People who ate a lot of wild game tended to have higher lead levels than those who ate little or none," Dr. Stephen Pickard, epidemiologist for the North Dakota Department of Health, said Wednesday.
The study also showed that the more recent the consumption of wild game killed with lead bullets, the higher the level of lead in the blood.
The blood lead levels of those tested were considered low, but even low levels can have adverse health effects, especially for children and pregnant women.
Officials recommended that pregnant women and children under 6 not eat any venison from deer killed with lead bullets -- the same recommendation made last month by the Minnesota Health Department.
"Children under 6 are particularly vulnerable because their brains are still developing," Pickard said. "It causes permanent brain damage even in very small quantities. There is no safe exposure level for small children. We see children with permanent lower intelligence and changes in behavior."
Lead can increase the risk that a pregnant woman could lose her baby or deliver it prematurely, Pickard said. In adults, lead can cause high blood pressure, hearing loss and infertility, though usually with higher lead levels.
The study, done by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the North Dakota Department of Health, appears to add to the evidence that using lead bullets can pose potential health problems for hunters and their families. A Minnesota study last summer showed lead bullets fired from high-powered rifles scatter lead fragments -- many too small to see or feel -- up to 18 inches from the wound.
Source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune
People who eat wild game killed with lead bullets tend to have higher levels of lead in their blood than people who don't, according to a first-of-its-kind study of 738 North Dakotans.
"People who ate a lot of wild game tended to have higher lead levels than those who ate little or none," Dr. Stephen Pickard, epidemiologist for the North Dakota Department of Health, said Wednesday.
The study also showed that the more recent the consumption of wild game killed with lead bullets, the higher the level of lead in the blood.
The blood lead levels of those tested were considered low, but even low levels can have adverse health effects, especially for children and pregnant women.
Officials recommended that pregnant women and children under 6 not eat any venison from deer killed with lead bullets -- the same recommendation made last month by the Minnesota Health Department.
"Children under 6 are particularly vulnerable because their brains are still developing," Pickard said. "It causes permanent brain damage even in very small quantities. There is no safe exposure level for small children. We see children with permanent lower intelligence and changes in behavior."
Lead can increase the risk that a pregnant woman could lose her baby or deliver it prematurely, Pickard said. In adults, lead can cause high blood pressure, hearing loss and infertility, though usually with higher lead levels.
The study, done by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the North Dakota Department of Health, appears to add to the evidence that using lead bullets can pose potential health problems for hunters and their families. A Minnesota study last summer showed lead bullets fired from high-powered rifles scatter lead fragments -- many too small to see or feel -- up to 18 inches from the wound.
Source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
MAINE NEWS: Low Deer Harvest Expected
Over the years, I have heard firsthand disparaging comments from the disgruntled deer hunter camp, accusing state wildlife mangers of not knowing how many deer are in the woods. Here, the Maine DIFW has put forth a very specific prediction about harvest numbers for the forthcoming season. I'll wager that the projected figure (24,000) is within 10% of the actual harvest, largely because the DIFW DOES know the size of the population they are managing. Check back next spring--time will tell.
State wildlife officials say the harvest from next month's deer season is projected to be the smallest in more than two decades because of the heavy toll of last winter's harsh conditions on the deer herd.
Hunters are expected to kill about 24,000 deer during the season, which begins Saturday for residents and Monday for nonresidents.
Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife spokeswoman Deborah Turcotte said that would be the lowest number since 1987.
Hunters last year harvested 28,884 deer, which is in line with Maine's 20-year average.
Source: WCSH6
State wildlife officials say the harvest from next month's deer season is projected to be the smallest in more than two decades because of the heavy toll of last winter's harsh conditions on the deer herd.
Hunters are expected to kill about 24,000 deer during the season, which begins Saturday for residents and Monday for nonresidents.
Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife spokeswoman Deborah Turcotte said that would be the lowest number since 1987.
Hunters last year harvested 28,884 deer, which is in line with Maine's 20-year average.
Source: WCSH6
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
MICHIGAN NEWS: Anger Over Deer Baiting Ban
FRANKENMUTH - Farmers say the state is stealing their livelihoods with a deer-baiting ban to battle a killer disease.
Hunters are up in arms complaining that the state is adding unfair rules for pursuing their game.
More than 70 hunters and farmers gathered in Frankenmuth during a heated presentation Monday from state officials on chronic wasting disease.
Economists estimate that deer bait sales bring in $50 million annually in the state.
Department of Natural Resources officials presented information on the disease and how to prevent its spread during the two-hour meeting at the Wallace and Irene Bronner and Family Performing Arts Center.
An hour-long question-and-answer session aimed heated dialogue from audience members toward the four-person panel.
"You're taking away people's livelihoods," said Roy E. Stolz, a 51-year-old Saginaw County resident. "You're killing a mosquito with a sledgehammer."
Stolz said he raises 25 to 30 acres of sugar beets for deer bait and stands to lose around $25,000 because of the permanent ban.
"They really have no sound scientific evidence," he said.
Stolz said takes umbrage with the ban's timing.
"They could have told us in the spring," he said. "The way they took it away ... it's a little unsettling with me."
Scientists first confirmed the disease Aug. 25, when a 3-year-old doe at a privately operated cervid facility in Kent County tested positive. The state killed the doe and 50 other deer at the facility.
Chronic wasting disease is fatal in white-tail deer, elk, moose and mule deer and spreads through contaminated food, water, feces and saliva.
"There is no cure," said Michael E. Bailey, wildlife management supervisor for the DNR. "It's a death sentence once they get it."
It does not cross to humans.
The DNR implemented a response plan, drawn up in 2002 after a deer in Wisconsin tested positive for the disease, following the state's first, and only, positive test.
Steps include a deer bait ban, quarantine on all private facilities, prohibiting deer rehabilitation and widespread testing.
A surveillance zone also is in place around Kent County. Officials will test 300 deer in Kent County, nine townships in Kent County, and the seven counties surrounding Kent County. In the remainder of the Lower Peninsula, scientists will test 50 deer in each county.
"From that sampling, we should be able to determine with some certainty if the disease has spread," Bailey said. The state's game and fish protection fund provide testing, which costs around $50 a deer. General fund money will supplement the cost.
The DNR ordered the baiting ban to extend for six months starting in August and extended it indefinitely on Oct. 9 after an Ingham County judge upheld the DNR's authority to make the decision.
"We all knew what the outcome would be," said Kevin Kirk, special assistant to the state veterinarian, of people's complaints about the ban. "We are trying to find some avenues for your product."
William R. Adams, a hunter for 52 years, agrees with the ban and preventative measures the state has taken.
"They should have never accelerated it like they did," the 68-year-old Birch Run resident said of baiting. "I've seen people with pick-up loads of apples dump them in a hunting area. I think it's something that needs to be addressed."
Cass City resident Garry F. Gamet said he can understand the anger from farmers who are losing money from deer bait sales.
He does, however, disagree with using bait as a hunting technique.
"Shooting deer in a bait pile is like going to the zoo and shooting animals," he said.
Gamet said a power point slide Monday evening, showing a precipitous dip in the deer population during the next 50 years if the disease is not brought under control, impressed him.
"If we allow baiting, and it (wasting disease) gets into our wild herd, our kids and grandkids will suffer for it," Gamet said.
Source: MI Live
Hunters are up in arms complaining that the state is adding unfair rules for pursuing their game.
More than 70 hunters and farmers gathered in Frankenmuth during a heated presentation Monday from state officials on chronic wasting disease.
Economists estimate that deer bait sales bring in $50 million annually in the state.
Department of Natural Resources officials presented information on the disease and how to prevent its spread during the two-hour meeting at the Wallace and Irene Bronner and Family Performing Arts Center.
An hour-long question-and-answer session aimed heated dialogue from audience members toward the four-person panel.
"You're taking away people's livelihoods," said Roy E. Stolz, a 51-year-old Saginaw County resident. "You're killing a mosquito with a sledgehammer."
Stolz said he raises 25 to 30 acres of sugar beets for deer bait and stands to lose around $25,000 because of the permanent ban.
"They really have no sound scientific evidence," he said.
Stolz said takes umbrage with the ban's timing.
"They could have told us in the spring," he said. "The way they took it away ... it's a little unsettling with me."
Scientists first confirmed the disease Aug. 25, when a 3-year-old doe at a privately operated cervid facility in Kent County tested positive. The state killed the doe and 50 other deer at the facility.
Chronic wasting disease is fatal in white-tail deer, elk, moose and mule deer and spreads through contaminated food, water, feces and saliva.
"There is no cure," said Michael E. Bailey, wildlife management supervisor for the DNR. "It's a death sentence once they get it."
It does not cross to humans.
The DNR implemented a response plan, drawn up in 2002 after a deer in Wisconsin tested positive for the disease, following the state's first, and only, positive test.
Steps include a deer bait ban, quarantine on all private facilities, prohibiting deer rehabilitation and widespread testing.
A surveillance zone also is in place around Kent County. Officials will test 300 deer in Kent County, nine townships in Kent County, and the seven counties surrounding Kent County. In the remainder of the Lower Peninsula, scientists will test 50 deer in each county.
"From that sampling, we should be able to determine with some certainty if the disease has spread," Bailey said. The state's game and fish protection fund provide testing, which costs around $50 a deer. General fund money will supplement the cost.
The DNR ordered the baiting ban to extend for six months starting in August and extended it indefinitely on Oct. 9 after an Ingham County judge upheld the DNR's authority to make the decision.
"We all knew what the outcome would be," said Kevin Kirk, special assistant to the state veterinarian, of people's complaints about the ban. "We are trying to find some avenues for your product."
William R. Adams, a hunter for 52 years, agrees with the ban and preventative measures the state has taken.
"They should have never accelerated it like they did," the 68-year-old Birch Run resident said of baiting. "I've seen people with pick-up loads of apples dump them in a hunting area. I think it's something that needs to be addressed."
Cass City resident Garry F. Gamet said he can understand the anger from farmers who are losing money from deer bait sales.
He does, however, disagree with using bait as a hunting technique.
"Shooting deer in a bait pile is like going to the zoo and shooting animals," he said.
Gamet said a power point slide Monday evening, showing a precipitous dip in the deer population during the next 50 years if the disease is not brought under control, impressed him.
"If we allow baiting, and it (wasting disease) gets into our wild herd, our kids and grandkids will suffer for it," Gamet said.
Source: MI Live
AUSTRALIA NEWS: Feral Deer Multiplying in Brisbane Area
Feral deer are being targeted by Brisbane City Council literally.
Four deer have been shot by Brisbane City Council officers in the past two months in response to complaints, with council abandoning the use of deer trapping in bushland or large land tracts.
It was revealed early this month council would hire a second animal control officer amid rapidly multiplying numbers of feral deer, which have caused problems on western suburb roads.
In April, police responded to calls from startled families in Seven Hills, Norman Park and Camp Hill about a stag wandering their streets.
After attempts to capture the animal failed, it was left to find its own way back to
Carina’s Minnippi Parklands, where a herd of up to 30 deer are known to roam.
While initially being told by council its primary response was to trap the animals, a spokesman for Lord Mayor Campbell Newman has revealed it will only continue use of traps when close to homes.
He said shooting would be the preferred option on large tracts of land where necessary as the deer were often harming themselves as they thrashed about inside the cages trying to escape.
But the spokesman denied reports a larger cull was being considered.
Councillor Newman would not be drawn except to say it was a major problem.
``It is not something that can be swept under the carpet anymore, it must be dealt with,’’ he said.
RSPCA spokesman Michael Beatty preferred the deer were humanely euthanised and not unnecessarily shot, but conceded finding a sanctuary or farm willing to take them in was difficult.
``It will get 10 times worse in another three years,’’ Mr Beatty said, of the feral deer problem.
Source: Wynnum Herald
Four deer have been shot by Brisbane City Council officers in the past two months in response to complaints, with council abandoning the use of deer trapping in bushland or large land tracts.
It was revealed early this month council would hire a second animal control officer amid rapidly multiplying numbers of feral deer, which have caused problems on western suburb roads.
In April, police responded to calls from startled families in Seven Hills, Norman Park and Camp Hill about a stag wandering their streets.
After attempts to capture the animal failed, it was left to find its own way back to
Carina’s Minnippi Parklands, where a herd of up to 30 deer are known to roam.
While initially being told by council its primary response was to trap the animals, a spokesman for Lord Mayor Campbell Newman has revealed it will only continue use of traps when close to homes.
He said shooting would be the preferred option on large tracts of land where necessary as the deer were often harming themselves as they thrashed about inside the cages trying to escape.
But the spokesman denied reports a larger cull was being considered.
Councillor Newman would not be drawn except to say it was a major problem.
``It is not something that can be swept under the carpet anymore, it must be dealt with,’’ he said.
RSPCA spokesman Michael Beatty preferred the deer were humanely euthanised and not unnecessarily shot, but conceded finding a sanctuary or farm willing to take them in was difficult.
``It will get 10 times worse in another three years,’’ Mr Beatty said, of the feral deer problem.
Source: Wynnum Herald
Monday, October 27, 2008
RESEARCH NEWS: Deer Elevate Local Animal Diversity
Katherine Greenwald and colleagues recently published a paper in the Journal of Wildlife Management (2008: 72:1318-1321) that reports higher levels of animal diversity in areas with deer relative to deer exclusion plots. The experiment was conducted in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in NE Ohio. Deer exclosures were built in 1999, and were 10 x 10 m in size. The study of animal diversity was conducted in 2004 and 2005.
Key findings included:
1. Red-backed salamanders were about three times more abundant in deer plots.
2. Snakes were about five times more abundant in deer plots.
3. Gastropods (i.e. snails and slugs) were about 10% higher in deer plots.
To date, there have been relatively few studies conducted on relationships between deer browsing and animals, and as such this represents an important contribution. However, the results are somewhat surprising. All previous work (just 3 studies to my knowledge) has revealed negative relationships between gastropods and deer browsing. This is a counterintuitive result.
Conversely, the findings involving browsing and snakes makes sense. Snakes are ectotherms and would benefit from more open conditions, presumably.
I am surprised by the strong response of salamanders to deer. I would have expected a weaker response, and I would have expected a negative relationship between salamanders and deer.
This study reported some interesting patterns, but I do not know how generalizable they are. I hope there is some follow-up research forthcoming.
Key findings included:
1. Red-backed salamanders were about three times more abundant in deer plots.
2. Snakes were about five times more abundant in deer plots.
3. Gastropods (i.e. snails and slugs) were about 10% higher in deer plots.
To date, there have been relatively few studies conducted on relationships between deer browsing and animals, and as such this represents an important contribution. However, the results are somewhat surprising. All previous work (just 3 studies to my knowledge) has revealed negative relationships between gastropods and deer browsing. This is a counterintuitive result.
Conversely, the findings involving browsing and snakes makes sense. Snakes are ectotherms and would benefit from more open conditions, presumably.
I am surprised by the strong response of salamanders to deer. I would have expected a weaker response, and I would have expected a negative relationship between salamanders and deer.
This study reported some interesting patterns, but I do not know how generalizable they are. I hope there is some follow-up research forthcoming.
Monday, October 20, 2008
UTAH NEWS: Whitetails Extending Range into Utah
TJ Gale, like all hunters, was excited to get a good look at his buck. It was October 2004 and the then-19-year-old had just shot a deer close to his home in Morgan.
Gale's deer wasn't a trophy, but he still ended up with bragging rights. While the rack wasn't worth hanging on the wall, Gale's buck quickly became a hot topic in the hunting and wildlife communities.
"I thought it looked a little funny at first and then I knew it was different because it had a white tail that was like a foot and half long," Gale said last week. "I told my brother it was a whitetail deer and he didn't believe me until we took it to the wildlife offices."
Gale had become one of the small, but growing, number of hunters, to kill a white-tailed deer in Utah.
Most Utahns, including many big-game hunters, are unaware that there are now two species of deer that call the state home. The arrival of whitetail comes with mixed reactions. Some are excited to see a different species; others worry about the impact the pioneering whitetail could have on the Beehive State's beloved mule deer.
Named for their large mule-like ears, mule deer dominate Utah's mountain and desert landscapes, but the white-tailed deer has been creeping over the northern borders from Idaho and Wyoming and setting up home ranges. They have been spotted as far south as Bountiful and the Heber Valley.
Reports of whitetail in Utah have been around for decades, but the first documented sighting came in 1996 in Cache County. Although wildlife officials suspect some were killed by hunters earlier, the first recorded white-tailed deer was taken during the 2000 season.
As of Saturday afternoon, no whitetails had been shot on opening day of this year's deer season.
State wildlife officials considered the possibility of the whitetail influx back in 1996 and decided to make no effort to stop the immigrants. But the question arose whether or not it would be legal to shoot one in Utah. Because the state has a deer hunt and not a mule deer hunt, it is legal to take a whitetail.
The largest number of whitetail are found in the Cache Valley, but there is also a sizable population in Morgan County.
Anis Aoude, big-game coordinator for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR), estimates that there are now more than 1,000 whitetail in the state. That may seem like a large number, but not when compared to a mule deer population estimated at more than 300,000.
Still, wildlife managers and hunters are paying attention to the new arrivals.
"We need to carefully monitor the impact of whitetail in Utah and the West," said Miles Moretti, president and CEO of the nonprofit Mule Deer Foundation, headquartered in Salt Lake City.
As former director of the Utah DWR, Moretti is concerned the increasing number of whitetail may hamper efforts to restore struggling mule deer herds in the state.
"I do worry that the increasing number of whitetail in Utah may have to divert resources from mule deer recovery efforts for things like depredation," Moretti said.
"The mule deer is the symbol of the West and an animal that plays an important part of our pioneer heritage. The Mule Deer Foundation, and I hope the DWR, are not ready to give up on this historical species."
Whitetail deer were not introduced to the West by wildlife officials, but followed agricultural belts across the plains to reach the Rocky Mountains from the East.
The influx of whitetail is concerning on several fronts. Because they breed at an earlier age and are more likely to have multiple births than mule deer, the population can expand quickly.
Whitetail also tend to consume more crops, leading for depredation claims with farmers.
Mule deer and whitetail will breed, but the hybrid offsprings rarely survive the first year and are sterile, according to Dennis Austin, a retired state wildlife biologist living in the Cache Valley.
Austin has been tracking whitetail in Utah and, while the population has not grown as fast as he thought it may have, he is concerned that the numbers will eventually boom.
Back in the early 1970s Austin worked as a biologist for the Bureau of Land Management in central Montana and he doesn't remember seeing a white-tailed deer. He recently returned to the area and noticed that 50 percent of the deer were waving the familiar white flag - the large tail that whitetail raise during flight.
"They have taken over in places like Montana, but have been a little slower to expand here," Austin said. "That's good I guess, but we will have to wait and see."
For the time being, whitetail deer remain something many Utah hunters enjoy hearing about and consider themselves lucky to see.
"I've been at the checkpoints when whitetail come through," Aoude said. "Hunters that took them seem to be kind of tickled that they took something different."
Source: Salt Lake Tribune
Gale's deer wasn't a trophy, but he still ended up with bragging rights. While the rack wasn't worth hanging on the wall, Gale's buck quickly became a hot topic in the hunting and wildlife communities.
"I thought it looked a little funny at first and then I knew it was different because it had a white tail that was like a foot and half long," Gale said last week. "I told my brother it was a whitetail deer and he didn't believe me until we took it to the wildlife offices."
Gale had become one of the small, but growing, number of hunters, to kill a white-tailed deer in Utah.
Most Utahns, including many big-game hunters, are unaware that there are now two species of deer that call the state home. The arrival of whitetail comes with mixed reactions. Some are excited to see a different species; others worry about the impact the pioneering whitetail could have on the Beehive State's beloved mule deer.
Named for their large mule-like ears, mule deer dominate Utah's mountain and desert landscapes, but the white-tailed deer has been creeping over the northern borders from Idaho and Wyoming and setting up home ranges. They have been spotted as far south as Bountiful and the Heber Valley.
Reports of whitetail in Utah have been around for decades, but the first documented sighting came in 1996 in Cache County. Although wildlife officials suspect some were killed by hunters earlier, the first recorded white-tailed deer was taken during the 2000 season.
As of Saturday afternoon, no whitetails had been shot on opening day of this year's deer season.
State wildlife officials considered the possibility of the whitetail influx back in 1996 and decided to make no effort to stop the immigrants. But the question arose whether or not it would be legal to shoot one in Utah. Because the state has a deer hunt and not a mule deer hunt, it is legal to take a whitetail.
The largest number of whitetail are found in the Cache Valley, but there is also a sizable population in Morgan County.
Anis Aoude, big-game coordinator for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR), estimates that there are now more than 1,000 whitetail in the state. That may seem like a large number, but not when compared to a mule deer population estimated at more than 300,000.
Still, wildlife managers and hunters are paying attention to the new arrivals.
"We need to carefully monitor the impact of whitetail in Utah and the West," said Miles Moretti, president and CEO of the nonprofit Mule Deer Foundation, headquartered in Salt Lake City.
As former director of the Utah DWR, Moretti is concerned the increasing number of whitetail may hamper efforts to restore struggling mule deer herds in the state.
"I do worry that the increasing number of whitetail in Utah may have to divert resources from mule deer recovery efforts for things like depredation," Moretti said.
"The mule deer is the symbol of the West and an animal that plays an important part of our pioneer heritage. The Mule Deer Foundation, and I hope the DWR, are not ready to give up on this historical species."
Whitetail deer were not introduced to the West by wildlife officials, but followed agricultural belts across the plains to reach the Rocky Mountains from the East.
The influx of whitetail is concerning on several fronts. Because they breed at an earlier age and are more likely to have multiple births than mule deer, the population can expand quickly.
Whitetail also tend to consume more crops, leading for depredation claims with farmers.
Mule deer and whitetail will breed, but the hybrid offsprings rarely survive the first year and are sterile, according to Dennis Austin, a retired state wildlife biologist living in the Cache Valley.
Austin has been tracking whitetail in Utah and, while the population has not grown as fast as he thought it may have, he is concerned that the numbers will eventually boom.
Back in the early 1970s Austin worked as a biologist for the Bureau of Land Management in central Montana and he doesn't remember seeing a white-tailed deer. He recently returned to the area and noticed that 50 percent of the deer were waving the familiar white flag - the large tail that whitetail raise during flight.
"They have taken over in places like Montana, but have been a little slower to expand here," Austin said. "That's good I guess, but we will have to wait and see."
For the time being, whitetail deer remain something many Utah hunters enjoy hearing about and consider themselves lucky to see.
"I've been at the checkpoints when whitetail come through," Aoude said. "Hunters that took them seem to be kind of tickled that they took something different."
Source: Salt Lake Tribune
Friday, October 17, 2008
NEW YORK NEWS: TB Found in Captive Deer
State officials say the health of wild deer and domestic animals could be threatened by the discovery of tuberculosis in a captive deer in Columbia County.
The Department of Agriculture and Markets says one animal in a captive herd of red and fallow deer tested positive for TB in routine testing and was euthanized.
The disease may affect nearly any organ in livestock and causes the animal to grow thin and weak.
The affected herd has been quarantined and animals on nearby farms will be tested to make sure the disease is isolated. In addition, the Department of Environmental Conservation plans to sample road-killed and hunter-killed deer for the disease. Hunters are advised to wear gloves while butchering deer.
The Health Department says strains of TB infecting deer can infect humans.
Source: Newsday
The Department of Agriculture and Markets says one animal in a captive herd of red and fallow deer tested positive for TB in routine testing and was euthanized.
The disease may affect nearly any organ in livestock and causes the animal to grow thin and weak.
The affected herd has been quarantined and animals on nearby farms will be tested to make sure the disease is isolated. In addition, the Department of Environmental Conservation plans to sample road-killed and hunter-killed deer for the disease. Hunters are advised to wear gloves while butchering deer.
The Health Department says strains of TB infecting deer can infect humans.
Source: Newsday
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
SOUTH DAKOTA NEWS: Urban Cull Planned
Pierre officials say they will ask the state Game, Fish and Parks Department for a permit to kill 60 deer this winter.
Forty deer were shot last winter by police sharpshooters.
The city often gets complaints about deer tramping through yards and gardens in the capital city.
The marauding deer also are a problem for motorists.
Carcasses of deer that are killed by police will be made available to people who sign up on a first-come, first-served basis.
Source: KTIV
Forty deer were shot last winter by police sharpshooters.
The city often gets complaints about deer tramping through yards and gardens in the capital city.
The marauding deer also are a problem for motorists.
Carcasses of deer that are killed by police will be made available to people who sign up on a first-come, first-served basis.
Source: KTIV
WYOMING NEWS: New Cases of CWD
Two hunter-harvested buck mule deer in northeast Wyoming have tested positive for chronic wasting disease, according to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
Chronic wasting disease is a brain disease that, once active, is thought to be 100 percent fatal in deer, elk and moose.
The two deer were both shot on Oct. 3, one northeast of Buffalo near Lake DeSmet in deer hunt area 26, and the other 7 1/2 miles east of Kaycee, in deer hunt area 29.
Personnel at the Game and Fish Department laboratory discovered the infected animals in the process of the department"s annual CWD survey.
"This is the first time we have found CWD in these two hunt areas," said Warren Mischke, spokesman for the Game and Fish Department's Sheridan Region.
The department recommends that deer hunters from areas 26 and 29 transport only the following items: cut and wrapped meat, boned meat, animal quarters or other pieces with no portion of the spinal column or head attached, hides without the head, cleaned skull plates with no meat or nervous tissue attached and antlers with no meat or other tissue attached.
The head, spine and other nervous tissue should be left at the site of the kill or disposed of in an approved landfill.
Rubber or latex gloves should be worn when field dressing any animal and during butchering, according to Mischke.
Chronic Wasting disease has been diagnosed in some wild deer, elk and moose in 11 states and two Canadian provinces, but there is no confirmed link between CWD and any human illness.
Nonetheless, to avoid any risk, the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that people not consume parts or products from any animal that looks sick or tests positive for CWD.
The disease was first discovered in free-ranging elk in Wyoming in 1986, white-tailed deer in 1990 and mule deer in 1992, all in the southeast corner of the state, said Hank Edwards, wildlife disease biologist with the Game and Fish Department.
Although the disease's progress through the state is slow, it also appears to be steady, he said.
"It's definitely moving both north and west from the historical endemic area," Edwards said.
Many conservationists fear that if the disease ever reaches the elk feedgrounds in western Wyoming, it will decimate the elk herds there in much the same way the disease has caused catastrophic kills of elk raised on elk farms.
Officials with the Game and Fish Department say it's impossible to predict if CWD would decimate feedground elk the way it has farm elk, because the animals on feedgrounds live in close proximity for only a few months a year, as opposed to year-round as they do on farms.
Source: Casper Tribune
Chronic wasting disease is a brain disease that, once active, is thought to be 100 percent fatal in deer, elk and moose.
The two deer were both shot on Oct. 3, one northeast of Buffalo near Lake DeSmet in deer hunt area 26, and the other 7 1/2 miles east of Kaycee, in deer hunt area 29.
Personnel at the Game and Fish Department laboratory discovered the infected animals in the process of the department"s annual CWD survey.
"This is the first time we have found CWD in these two hunt areas," said Warren Mischke, spokesman for the Game and Fish Department's Sheridan Region.
The department recommends that deer hunters from areas 26 and 29 transport only the following items: cut and wrapped meat, boned meat, animal quarters or other pieces with no portion of the spinal column or head attached, hides without the head, cleaned skull plates with no meat or nervous tissue attached and antlers with no meat or other tissue attached.
The head, spine and other nervous tissue should be left at the site of the kill or disposed of in an approved landfill.
Rubber or latex gloves should be worn when field dressing any animal and during butchering, according to Mischke.
Chronic Wasting disease has been diagnosed in some wild deer, elk and moose in 11 states and two Canadian provinces, but there is no confirmed link between CWD and any human illness.
Nonetheless, to avoid any risk, the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that people not consume parts or products from any animal that looks sick or tests positive for CWD.
The disease was first discovered in free-ranging elk in Wyoming in 1986, white-tailed deer in 1990 and mule deer in 1992, all in the southeast corner of the state, said Hank Edwards, wildlife disease biologist with the Game and Fish Department.
Although the disease's progress through the state is slow, it also appears to be steady, he said.
"It's definitely moving both north and west from the historical endemic area," Edwards said.
Many conservationists fear that if the disease ever reaches the elk feedgrounds in western Wyoming, it will decimate the elk herds there in much the same way the disease has caused catastrophic kills of elk raised on elk farms.
Officials with the Game and Fish Department say it's impossible to predict if CWD would decimate feedground elk the way it has farm elk, because the animals on feedgrounds live in close proximity for only a few months a year, as opposed to year-round as they do on farms.
Source: Casper Tribune
Monday, October 13, 2008
INDIA NEWS: Deer Populations Exploding in Guindy National Park
At a time when dwindling animal populations are a concern in most national parks, Guindy National Park (GNP) is struggling to contain its exploding deer population.
Most species of deer reproduce rapidly, leading to stress on their habitat and population explosion. There is also a lot of in-breeding at GNP and as a result, the population is not a healthy one.
GNP, the only national park within city limits, has around 1,100 spotted deer and 380 black bucks. As the foliage reserve in the park is insufficient for the animals, the deer often stray outside in search of food.
"The deer population inside the park has gone beyond control and something has to be done immediately. The park does not have enough foliage to meet the huge demand," a worker at GNP told The Times of India. The park authorities have so far managed to hush up the straying of spotted deer from the park as the city has a strong free-ranging deer population. However, when the forest authorities rescued a black buck from the heart of Velachery in April last year, the straying of animals came to light.
Karunapriya, city wildlife warden in charge of GNP, said that some animals do stray out of the park. "The straying of deer from the park is very difficult to contain. We have open areas near Raj Bhavan and due to security reasons we cannot fence those areas. However, there is no shortage of foliage inside the park.
Otherwise such a huge population of deer could not be thriving," she said.
She also admitted that the gene pool of the deer inside the park is unhealthy because of in-breeding. "We are trying to find a solution to this. We often trap some of the healthy free-ranging spotted deer and let them into the park to enable cross-breeding," Karunapriya said. She said they are also planning to create open grass areas inside the park to increase the availability of foliage. "There are many such developmental plans but they are still being conceptualised," Karunapriya said.
Experts say that such problems are bound to happen as the park is located in the heart of the city. "There should be a plan of action to tackle problems like in-breeding and population explosion. Authorities should shift a few animals to other parks in the state and bring in some from other parks to encourage cross-breeding," a senior wildlife official said.
Source: Times of India
Most species of deer reproduce rapidly, leading to stress on their habitat and population explosion. There is also a lot of in-breeding at GNP and as a result, the population is not a healthy one.
GNP, the only national park within city limits, has around 1,100 spotted deer and 380 black bucks. As the foliage reserve in the park is insufficient for the animals, the deer often stray outside in search of food.
"The deer population inside the park has gone beyond control and something has to be done immediately. The park does not have enough foliage to meet the huge demand," a worker at GNP told The Times of India. The park authorities have so far managed to hush up the straying of spotted deer from the park as the city has a strong free-ranging deer population. However, when the forest authorities rescued a black buck from the heart of Velachery in April last year, the straying of animals came to light.
Karunapriya, city wildlife warden in charge of GNP, said that some animals do stray out of the park. "The straying of deer from the park is very difficult to contain. We have open areas near Raj Bhavan and due to security reasons we cannot fence those areas. However, there is no shortage of foliage inside the park.
Otherwise such a huge population of deer could not be thriving," she said.
She also admitted that the gene pool of the deer inside the park is unhealthy because of in-breeding. "We are trying to find a solution to this. We often trap some of the healthy free-ranging spotted deer and let them into the park to enable cross-breeding," Karunapriya said. She said they are also planning to create open grass areas inside the park to increase the availability of foliage. "There are many such developmental plans but they are still being conceptualised," Karunapriya said.
Experts say that such problems are bound to happen as the park is located in the heart of the city. "There should be a plan of action to tackle problems like in-breeding and population explosion. Authorities should shift a few animals to other parks in the state and bring in some from other parks to encourage cross-breeding," a senior wildlife official said.
Source: Times of India
WISCONSIN NEWS: New Case of CWD At Hunting Preserve
For the first time in nearly four years, a Wisconsin hunting preserve has confirmed a positive case of Chronic Wasting Disease within its fences. Last week, the state's agriculture department announced that a white-tailed deer owned by Alligator Creek Whitetails LLC near Junction City in Portage County tested positive for CWD. The animal was killed on September 20 and was tested as part of standard procedure.
According to State Veterinarian Dr. Robert Ehlenfeldt, the seven-year-old doe was one of about 150 deer in the preserve. He says the Animal Health Division of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture will investigate the animal's history and trace movements of deer onto and off the property to find out whether other herds may have been exposed to the disease.
Deer herds on hunting preserves are generally not on the state's CWD monitoring program. However, new rules require that all farm-raised deer and elk 16 months or older must be tested when they die, go to slaughter or are killed.
Ehlenfeldt quarantined the Alligator Creek herd immediately. The business will be allowed to conduct hunts through January 15, because properly handled dead animals leaving the premises do not pose a disease risk. Hunters must be notified of the quarantine and the reason for it.
This is the first new CWD-infected herd on a Wisconsin farm since January 2005. To date, 97 farm-raised animals in Wisconsin have tested positive for CWD on eight farms and hunting preserves, including 82 on a single Portage County operation.
Source: Wisconsin Ag Connection
According to State Veterinarian Dr. Robert Ehlenfeldt, the seven-year-old doe was one of about 150 deer in the preserve. He says the Animal Health Division of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture will investigate the animal's history and trace movements of deer onto and off the property to find out whether other herds may have been exposed to the disease.
Deer herds on hunting preserves are generally not on the state's CWD monitoring program. However, new rules require that all farm-raised deer and elk 16 months or older must be tested when they die, go to slaughter or are killed.
Ehlenfeldt quarantined the Alligator Creek herd immediately. The business will be allowed to conduct hunts through January 15, because properly handled dead animals leaving the premises do not pose a disease risk. Hunters must be notified of the quarantine and the reason for it.
This is the first new CWD-infected herd on a Wisconsin farm since January 2005. To date, 97 farm-raised animals in Wisconsin have tested positive for CWD on eight farms and hunting preserves, including 82 on a single Portage County operation.
Source: Wisconsin Ag Connection
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