GW:  Don’t forget to report road-killed deer in the CWD management area.  The DNR will pick them up for testing.

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

From SCI and posted by firstforwildlife on December 22, 2015 · Leave a Comment

On December 21, 2015, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced a final rule to list African lions under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The rule, which will be published in the Federal Register on December 23, will list African lions as two separate subspecies – Panthera leo leo and Panthera leo melanochaita.

In October 2014, the FWS published a proposed rule to list all African lions as threatened. The FWS has since changed its mind about the listing status of the lion. Under the final rule, Panthera leo leo, found in western and central Africa, will be listed as endangered and Panthera leo melanochaita, found in eastern and southern Africa, will be listed as threatened.

Together with the listing rule, the FWS will issue a special “4(d) rule” that will require ESA permits for the importation of threatened lions harvested from eastern and southern Africa. It is not entirely clear yet how the FWS will issue these permits or make the required determination that hunting and subsequent importation enhances the survival of the species.

In conjunction with the listing, the Director of the FWS, Dan Ashe, has issued Director’s Order 212 which instructs all FWS employees to deny permits to individuals who have previously been convicted of violating wildlife laws.

Safari Club is still in the process of reviewing the 230-page listing rule and will provide further information and insights when available. The FWS’s announcement and additional information can be found here.

Read more

By Glen Wunderlich

The ever-evolving status of Michigan’s deer herd is showing some very positive results, based on information provided by our DNR. At the same time, concern over the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) has materialized into a greater threat to our cherished hunting tradition. While conscientious hunters are the first line of defense against this dreaded disease, ignorant hunters can also be the worst enemy of sportsmen and women, if they fail to heed the warnings and laws meant to combat this curse.

Overall, biologists have indicated approximately a 17 percent increase in deer kill in the Lower Peninsula, so far this year compared to last year. Although exceptionally mild weather has meant that deer are not as active in search of food as they would be in severe weather conditions, it also has encouraged hunters to spend more time afield. As much as we enjoy seeing more deer, the fact of the matter is that we have less and less habitat, as humans continue to build houses, shopping malls, and generally inhabit more available land; simply stated, something has to give.

No doubt the lowered cost of antlerless deer licenses in the CWD management zone has prompted hunters to take more antlerless deer. “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.

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 making it the fourth deer found with the disease.

“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.”

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.

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.

As part of the surveillance effort, Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officers in southwest Michigan recently conducted enforcement operations targeting illegal importation of harvested deer into Michigan from states with chronic wasting disease (CWD) in their free-ranging deer herds.

Conservation officers conducted operations near the I-94 corridor of the Michigan/Indiana border, resulting in the seizure of six harvested deer. Five deer were transported into Michigan from Illinois, and one was transported from Wisconsin. Michigan law prohibits importing deer from CWD-positive states and provinces.

Five Michigan residents have been charged with the illegal transportation of deer into the state. They will be arraigned in the 5th District Court in Berrien County. Violation of Michigan’s wildlife importation laws may result in fines of up to $500 and up to 90 days in jail.

As predicted, in the Upper Peninsula, the deer kill is down some 19 percent as a result of mortality from severe winter weather over recent years. DNR Wildlife Division Chief Russ Mason has announced that a Wisconsin captive cervid facility within 25 miles of the Upper Peninsula border has tested positive for CWD and emphasizes that it is critical that hunters comply with the ban on importing any live or dead deer from CWD states like Wisconsin.

If ever we are going to contain this disease, we’ve got to listen to the experts. We simply cannot afford to look the other way.