MDC Asks Public to Report Hemorrhagic Disease in Deer

The Missouri Department of Conservation is asking people to report hemorrhagic disease in deer this summer. The MDC is receiving reports of it in Missouri deer this summer. This is a general term for two related viruses, epizootic hemorrhagic disease and bluetongue. They are spread to deer through the bite of a native midge.

To report, contact Brandon Lyddon for Gentry and Worth Counties at (816) 294-8144. For Harrison, call Josh Roller at (816) 294-8767. For Daviess County, call Jaycob O’Hara at (660) 605-2893. The Northwest Regional Office is at (816) 271-3100. People can also report through the MDC website.

While the MDC does not anticipate a large outbreak this year, every report helps biologists monitor deer health and better understand the impacts of the disease. Outbreaks are most common between July and October and typically end after a heavy frost that kills the midges that spread it.

Symptoms include reluctance to move, difficulty breathing, swelling of the head, neck, and tongue, and appearing dazed or unresponsive. The disease can cause high fever, prompting deer to seek water. Deer that die from it are frequently found in or near water. Death can occur within days.

Hemorrhagic Disease does not spread to humans. The viruses that cause it are not zoonotic, meaning that they do not spread from animals to humans. Consuming venison from infected deer is generally considered safe; however, it is advised not to eat visibly sick animals and to use gloves when field dressing. Domestic ruminants like sheep and cattle can be affected.

 

Early Youth Firearms Deer Season Starts

The 2016/17 firearms deer season has five portions. The Early Youth portion is Oct. 29-30. The November portion (main rifle season) is Nov. 12-22. The Late Youth portion is Nov. 25-27. The Antlerless portion is Dec. 2-4. The Alternative portion is Dec. 24-Jan 3, 2017.

There are changes to the deer and turkey regulations this year which can be found in the 2016/17 Fall Deer and Turkey regulations and information booklet which is available at license vendors, at MDC offices, or available online at www.missouriconservation.org. To report conservation violations you can contact the local Missouri Conservation Agent (State Game Warden) directly (numbers on MDC website or in regulation booklet), by calling the county dispatch center, or call MDC’s OGT (Operation Game Thief) 24 hour Dispatch Center at 1-800-392-1111, you can remain anonymous and rewards are possible.

MDC Telecheck has new questions on deer and turkey harvests

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) wants deer and turkey hunters to know that its Telecheck system for reporting harvests will ask some new questions this fall and winter when hunters check their game.

Telecheck will ask deer hunters who harvest does if the distance from the edge of the eyeball to the edge of the nostril is greater than 4.5 inches. For deer hunters who harvest antlered bucks, Telecheck will ask if the circumference of an antler one inch above the base is greater than 2.5 inches (the approximate circumference of a nickel). The measurement request will not apply to hunters who harvest button bucks.

MDC advises hunters to take a tape measure or other measuring device with them while deer hunting. For hunters using paper permits, MDC has included a handy ruler on all printed deer permits.

The measurements will help Department staff better determine age classes of harvested deer as part of MDC's deer management efforts.

To help assess the impacts from crossbows on the archery-methods deer harvest, Telecheck will ask archery hunters if they used a crossbow to harvest their deer. The upcoming deer-hunting season is the first to allow crossbows under archery methods.

Telecheck will also ask whether a deer or turkey was harvested on public or private land.

The Conservation Department thanks Missouri?s deer and turkey hunters for their help.

Get details on the new Telecheck requirements for deer and turkey harvests, along with other fall deer and turkey hunting information, from MDC's 2016 Fall Deer and Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet, available where hunting permits are sold and online at mdc.mo.gov.

Buy permits online at mdc.mo.gov/buypermits.

Four New Cases of Chronic Wasting Disease in NW Missouri

Four new cases of Chronic Wasting Disease in deer have been confirmed in Northwest Missouri, the Gallatin North Missourian and the Missouri Department of Conservation Report. The disease was first found in Northwest Missouri in early 2012 and has been confined to Linn and Macon Counties. There have been 10 confirmed cases, all from that area. The Missouri Department of Conservation has tested over 3000 deer so far and will continue to do so during deer seasons.