Missouri deer-hunting seasons end with harvest of nearly 280,000

2015-2016 harvest is increase of more than 21,000 over 2014-2015.  

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri's 2015-2016 deer-hunting seasons ended Jan. 15 with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reporting a preliminary total harvest of 279,401 deer. Top counties for the overall seasons were Texas with 5,812 deer harvested, Franklin with 5,463, and Howell with 5,440. Hunters harvested 258,341 deer during the 2014-2015 deer hunting seasons.

Deer hunting ended with the close of the archery season. Preliminary data from MDC showed that hunters checked 50,085 deer during the archery season. Top counties for the archery season were Jefferson with 1,153 deer harvested, St. Louis with 1,051, and Franklin with 1,012. Archery hunters checked 51,755 deer the previous year. 

2015-2016 fall archery turkey hunting also ended Jan. 15. Preliminary data from MDC showed 3,067 turkeys harvested. Top counties for the fall archery turkey season were Texas with 80 birds harvested, Franklin with 74, and Laclede with 67. For the previous year, huntersharvested 2,587 turkeys.       

For more information on this season’s deer harvest numbers (Telecheck: Deer and Turkey Harvest Data) and past-year harvest summaries (Deer Harvest Summaries), go online tohuntfish.mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/deer/deer-harvest-reports.

For more information on this season’s fall turkey harvest numbers (Fall Turkey Harvest Map) and past-year fall harvest summaries (Turkey Harvest Summaries For Past Seasons), go online to huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/turkey/turkey-reports.

MDC reported seven firearms-related hunting incidents during the fall deer and turkeyhunting seasons. All were non-fatal and involved self-inflicted injuries. In addition, the Department was notified of three tree-stand falls, one of which was fatal.

Conservation makes Missouri a great place to hunt deer and turkey. For more information, go online to huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping.

Related articles

• Deer, turkey hunting dates set for 2016 (ky3.com)
• MDC sets turkey and deer hunting dates and regulation changes (missourioutdoors.blogspot.com)
• Missouri Department of Conservation proposes new regulations for CWD management zones (midwestdeerhunting.blogspot.com)

Michigan DNR lauds partners in continuing battle against chronic wasting disease

Deer suspected positive for CWD found in Watertown Township; Jan. 12public meeting set

With deer hunting seasons coming to a close, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources wants to thank the important partners who have emerged in the ongoing fight against chronic wasting disease (CWD) – a neurological disease always fatal once contracted by deer, elk or moose.

Earlier this year, Michigan’s first case of CWD in free-ranging white-tailed deer was confirmed in Meridian Township in Ingham County.

Since May, nearly 4,000 deer have been tested for CWD. Of those deer, four have been confirmed positive for the disease in Clinton and Ingham counties. One new suspected CWD-positive deer was found recently in Clinton County.

Although discovering CWD in Michigan’s wild deer herd was something wildlife officials had hoped to avoid, DNR deer program managers are pleased with the cooperation and commitment that have made surveillance of CWD more productive.

“From the individual who reported the initial sick deer, to U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services doing targeted surveillance, to the hunters who complied with regulations and checked their harvested deer, to the township officials who have supported DNR efforts - they are all important pieces to hopefully eradicating this disease in Michigan,” said Chad Stewart, DNR deer, moose and elk management specialist.

The latest suspected CWD-positive deer was located in Watertown Township, a new location for CWD in Michigan.

The DNR is trying to inform individuals near that area of the critical role they can play.

“An archery hunter brought his deer from Watertown Township into a DNR check station to have it aged and receive a successful hunter patch. He wasn’t going to have it tested,” Stewart said. “We suggested that he test just in case. If he hadn’t agreed, we may not have found another suspect.”

To inform area residents about what this most recent finding of the disease may mean for them, the DNR has scheduled a town hall meeting from 6 to 8 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 12 in the DeWitt Charter Township Valley Farms Community Center, which is located at 16101 Brook Road in Lansing.

At the meeting, Stewart and Dr. Steve Schmitt, DNR wildlife veterinarian, will provide information on CWD, its impacts on deer and deer populations, and how the DNR has responded to the discovery of the disease thus far.

There will be plenty of time for questions.

“We would like to build the same type of support in DeWitt and Watertown townships that we have seen in Meridian,” Stewart said. “Township officials, hunters and landowners are critical to our plan.”

Schmitt said in many instances, misinformation, especially on electronic media, has caused resistance to DNR plans and actions to battle CWD.

Some groups do not believe CWD has a devastating impact on deer populations and instead think that by leaving deer alone they will grow resistant to the disease. On the contrary, some infected western deer populations have been reduced by half, with CWD contributing greatly to this decline.

“We have individuals and groups who want to provide their own opinions on this disease,” Schmitt said. “The information they are putting out is blatantly incorrect, and we want hunters and landowners to inform themselves through credible science.”

This disease is serious.

There will be no new hunting regulation changes from now through the end of the deer season as the DNR conducts CWD surveillance and decides what additional steps might need to be taken for next year's seasons.

CWD affects white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk and moose. It is caused by the transmission of infectious, self-multiplying proteins (prions) contained in saliva and other body fluids of infected animals.

Susceptible animals can acquire CWD by direct exposure to these fluids, or from environments contaminated with the fluids including soils, or the carcass of a diseased animal.

To date, there is no evidence the disease presents any risk to non-cervids, including humans, either through contact with an infected animal or from handling venison. However, as a precaution, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization recommend infected animals not be consumed as food by either humans or domestic animals.

Hunters submitting a deer head for testing will be able to find out the test results for their deer within seven to 10 days.

To learn more about CWD, visit www.michigan.gov/cwd.

Related articles

• Suspect deer confirmed positive for chronic wasting disease in Clinton County, Michigan (midwestdeerhunting.blogspot.com)
• MDC reports CWD found in Franklin County (missourioutdoors.blogspot.com)
• Well-known buck killed illegally in county park (jsonline.com)

IOWA'S LATE MUZZLELOADER DEER SEASON OPEN THROUGH JAN. 10, 2016

The final stretch for hunters to pursue Iowa’s world class deer began Monday with the start of the late muzzleloader season and the re-opening of the popular archery season. Both seasons close Jan. 10.

Hunters with a late muzzleloader license may use a bow, muzzleloader, handgun and Iowa residents may also use a crossbow. Hunters may not use a shotgun or centerfire rifles during late muzzleloader season and party hunting is not allowed.

Hunters have reported harvesting nearly 92,000 deer so far this year, which is similar to the harvest last year. Hunters who harvest a deer are reminded to report the harvest to the DNR bymidnight on the day after it is tagged or before taking it to a locker or taxidermist, or before transporting it out-of-state, whichever comes first.

For hunters with internet access, reporting online is the easiest and fastest way to report. Hunters may also report their harvest by phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week at the toll-free phone number printed on the harvest tag or through a license vendor during regular business hours.

Nonresident Holiday Season

Nonresidents may participate in the antlerless-deer only holiday season Dec. 24-Jan. 2, in counties where the nonresident antlerless deer quota has not been filled.

Hunters who do not have a nonresident deer license may purchase an optional antlerless-only license for the holiday season. Licenses may be purchased over the counter through any license agent beginning Dec. 15. Holiday deer licenses will not be sold online or through the telephone ordering system.

Nonresident hunters purchased 110 holiday antlerless licenses last year.

Related articles

• Iowa's 2015 Shotgun Deer Season Preview (midwestdeerhunting.blogspot.com)
• Hunting Private Land in Kansas is a Privilege (kansas-outdoors.blogspot.com)
• Hunters Encouraged to Attend Ohio's Deer Hunting Summits (ohiodnr.gov)

Michigan: Last elk hunt of 2015 is complete

Although it may not feel like a Michigan December, the final 2015 elk hunt drew to a close last weekend.

“We had crazy weather conditions for this year’s late elk hunt,” said Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologist Shelby Hiestand.  “In a typical year, we would have had a ton of snow on the ground, where hunters could track and pattern elk and really have a better chance at spotting them against the white snow.”

Although conditions may not have been typical for the December elk hunt, the harvest was still quite successful.  Ninety-two percent of hunters harvested an elk this December season, totaling 46 elk.  Each hunter was selected out of a random, weighted lottery of more than 31,000 Michigan hunters who applied to hunt elk this year. 

The latest season, held Dec.  5-13, was open in all elk hunt units in the northern counties of the northern Lower Peninsula. Each elk hunter attended a mandatory elk orientation in Johannesburg to learn about hunting elk, regulations, biology and the history of elk in Michigan.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime hunt, and our goal is for every hunter to have a safe, enjoyable experience,” said Hiestand. “Most hunters have never hunted elk before, and may not be familiar with areas in northern Michigan.  Elk orientation is a great time to get to talk to hunters and answer any of their questions.”

One hundred elk licenses were available in 2015 – 50 in the early season and 50 in the late season.  

Elk hunting in Michigan is an effective management tool that biologists have used to maintain elk herd numbers, composition and even distribution since 1984, when elk hunts began to occur annually for Michigan residents. The elk application period runs annually from May 1 to June 1.

To learn more about elk in Michigan, including their comeback story, visit www.michigan.gov/elk.  

Related articles

• Oklahoma Quail Hunters Report Best Season Opener in Years (family-outdoors.blogspot.com)
• U.P. Focus: Firearm deer hunting season a mixed bag in the Upper Peninsula (midwestdeerhunting.blogspot.com)
• US Carnivore Hunting Policies Are Scientifically Lacking (conservationmagazine.org)

Missouri Department of Conservation proposes new regulations for CWD management zones

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) has been found in Adair, Cole, Linn, Macon and, most recently, Franklin counties. MDC's proposed CWD management zones, highlighted in orange, include all counties within a 25-mile radius of where a CWD-positive deer has been found. 

Proposed regulations would require testing of deer harvested during the opening weekend of the November portion of the fall firearms deer season and implement a ban on feeding deer in CWD management zones.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – At its meeting on Dec. 11, the Missouri Conservation Commission approved recommendations for regulation changes to help limit the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). The disease has been found in free-ranging deer from Adair, Cole, Macon, and, most recently, Franklin counties.

The proposed regulations would require mandatory sampling and testing for CWD of harvested deer taken in MDC's CWD management zones during the opening weekend of the November portion of the 2016 fall firearms deer season, Nov. 12 and 13.

The proposed regulations would also prohibit the feeding of deer and use of deer attractants such as grain, salt, and mineral products in MDC's CWD management zones. Feeding deer unnaturally concentrates deer in a small area, which can help spread the disease. Exceptions to the regulation include feeding of wildlife within 100 feet of any residence or occupied building, feed placed in a manner that excludes access by deer, feed and minerals used solely for normal agricultural, forest management, or wildlife food-plot-production practices.

MDC's proposed CWD management zones include all counties within a 25-mile radius of where a CWD-positive deer has been found. Those 27 counties in northeast, central, and east-central Missouri can be found on the MDC website at www.mdc.mo.gov/CWDManagementZones.

A regulation banning supplemental feeding of deer has been in place since 2012 in Adair, Chariton, Linn, Macon, Randolph, and Sullivan counties in Northeast Missouri, where the first cases of CWD in the state were found.

Missouri's rulemaking process includes a 30-day public comment period. Full verbiage of the proposed regulation changes will be posted on the MDC website after Jan. 1, 2016. Comments related to the proposed regulation changes can be submitted to the Conservation Department from Jan. 16 through Feb. 14, 2016 at http://mdc.mo.gov/node/24141%20.

MDC continues to ask hunters who harvest deer in the CWD management zones to avoid moving deer carcasses out of the zones, to properly dispose of deer carcasses, to report deer that appear sick or diseased to MDC staff, and to have all deer harvested in the CWD management zones sampled and tested for CWD.

Chronic Wasting Disease infects only deer and other members of the deer family by causing degeneration of brain tissue, which slowly leads to death. The disease has no vaccine or cure and is 100-percent fatal. For more information on CWD, visit the MDC website atwww.mdc.mo.gov/CWD.

Chronic wasting disease confirmed in Crawford County, Wisconsin buck harvested on private land

MADISON -- The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Tuesday confirmed test results showing chronic wasting disease in a 3 1/2 year old buck harvested on private land in Crawford County.

Tami Ryan, DNR wildlife health section chief, said the result represents the first positive test for CWD detected in the county. The buck appeared healthy at the time of the kill, which is not unusual with CWD detections as it takes up to 16 to 18 months before infected animals display symptoms.

"Crawford County is already classified as a CWD-affected county, so the finding will not result in any regulatory changes," Ryan said. "We have interviewed the hunter to confirm the location, which is in the town of Clayton, west of Richland Center. The deer was harvested 13 miles from the nearest previous positive test result."

Crawford County and the surrounding counties of Vernon, Richland and Grant are already classified as CWD affected counties and have baiting and feeding bans in place.

DNR appreciates the assistance from hunters in providing samples from their harvest to advance monitoring efforts, Ryan said. CWD monitoring remains a priority for DNR and the department continues to work with cooperating taxidermists and meat processors within targeted surveillance areas. The department also has piloted new self-serve kiosks around the state to make it more convenient for hunters to submit deer heads for testing.

"Hunters have played a key role in expanding our knowledge of CWD in Wisconsin," Ryan said. "Their willingness to deliver samples is absolutely essential to disease monitoring efforts that inform our understanding of CWD distribution and prevalence."

Test results are generally returned within three to four weeks. To learn more about CWD in Wisconsin, search the DNR website, dnr.wi.gov for keyword "CWD." For information about restrictions on moving carcasses from areas affected by chronic wasting disease, search "carcass movement." The website also contains more information about "sampling and registration" and locations where samples can be delivered, by searching "hunting registration stations."

Wisconsin's deer hunt continues through Jan. 31 for archery and crossbow harvest in some metro subunits.

Suspect deer confirmed positive for chronic wasting disease in Clinton County, Michigan

Deer was harvested in Dewitt Township; Eaton County hunters urged to voluntarily check deer and stop baiting and feeding of deer

As of Thursday, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources reports a total of 3,695 deer in Michigan this year have been tested for chronic wasting disease (CWD). Four deer have been confirmed positive for the disease, with the fourth positive just recently found.

During the firearm deer season, a hunter from Dewitt Township (Clinton County) in the Core CWD Area brought a 1 1/2-year-old buck into the DNR’s Rose Lake deer check station. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, confirmed the deer as CWD positive.

Because the deer was harvested within 10 miles of the Eaton County border, the DNR strongly encourages all hunters within Eaton County to voluntarily stop baiting and feeding, continue hunting and, most importantly, bring harvested deer into a DNR check station.

“Deer hunters in DMU 333 have been a great help by bringing in their deer to be tested. We couldn’t be more thankful or impressed with their dedication to the resource,” said Chad Stewart, DNR deer specialist. “We continue to need their help and are also asking Eaton County hunters to join our efforts. In addition, we have begun conversations with DeWitt Township, and they, too, are becoming great partners in this fight against CWD.”

There will be no mandatory regulation changes from now through the end of the deer season, as the DNR conducts CWD surveillance and decides what additional steps might be needed for the 2016 season.

CWD is a fatal neurological disease that affects white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk and moose. It is caused by the transmission of infectious, self-multiplying proteins (prions) contained in saliva and other body fluids of infected animals. Susceptible animals can acquire CWD by direct exposure to these fluids, or from environments contaminated with these fluids or the carcass of a diseased animal. 

Some chronically CWD-infected animals will display abnormal behaviors, progressive weight loss and physical debilitation; however, deer can be infected without showing internal or external symptoms for many years. There is no cure; once a deer is infected with CWD, it will die. 

To date, there is no evidence that chronic wasting disease presents any risk to non-cervids, including humans, either through contact with an infected animal or from handling venison. However, as a precaution, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization recommend that infected animals not be consumed as food by either humans or domestic animals. 

The DNR provides weekly CWD updates at mi.gov/cwd. Announcements of additional CWD-positive deer also will be posted online.