Check Stations Monitor Harvest and Disease

By Clay Hickey - Idaho Department of Fish and Game With big game hunting season in full gear, a time when hundreds of thousands of hunters head to Idaho's hills, the Fish and Game Department is busily working to monitor harvest and presence of disease. Locally, Fish and Game will be visiting with hunters at two check stations this fall - one near Kooskia along Highway 12, and another along the South Fork of the Clearwater River upstream from Mount Idaho. Each year we visit with hunters at these sites to collect sex and age information on animals harvested and to track changes in the impacts on deer and elk populations. In addition to gathering harvest data at check stations, the department also monitors wildlife populations for the presence of disease - namely Chronic Wasting Disease or CWD. CWD is a rare but fatal disease of the central nervous system of deer and elk. While related to Mad Cow disease in cattle and scrapie in sheep, there is no evidence that CWD is associated with illness in either humans or livestock. It is, however, highly contagious and must be controlled. Samples for CWD require collecting a specific portion of the brain or lymph nodes located along the trachea or wind pipe. By allowing the department to collect these samples, hunters can help monitor for the disease and insure the health of big game populations in Idaho. However, providing a sample is voluntary and not required. CWD was first found in southern Wyoming and northern Colorado in 1967. Although no occurrences of the disease have been documented in Idaho wildlife, some other states have not been so lucky. Recently CWD has been found in captive elk and free-ranging elk in several states and Canadian provinces. Wisconsin discovered the disease in 2002 and has tried total eradication of deer in the effected area of several counties. To date, Wisconsin has been unsuccessful. Montana, which found CWD on a game farm, destroyed all animals at the facility. Authorities in the Big Sky state have yet to find the disease in free ranging animals, with early detection likely helping them avoid introducing into free-ranging populations. Concerned Montana voters have since outlawed game farms in the state. In addition to harvested big game, road killed and sick animals that die or need to be put down are also sampled. If you would like more information on CWD surveillance in Idaho visit our web site http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/wildlife/manage issues/cwd.cfm. To make your check station visit a pleasant one, hunters are reminded to know their hunting regulations. One common mistake hunters make is not having the appropriate proxy statement when they transport game taken by someone else. Proper tagging and transportation of harvest game information, including a blank proxy form can be found on page 11 of the current big game regulations. Another mistake is not leaving evidence of sex naturally attached on all big game animals harvested. This means if you are going to remove the head you need to leave the sex organs attached or an udder for a doe or cow. Also, in seasons restricted to mule deer or white-tail deer only, proof of species must remain naturally attached. So if you remove the head, you must leave the fully-haired tail attached. To help speed up your visit, please remember to put your harvested game with proof of sex and the tag attached where our check station staff can easily access it. Have a great hunting season and good luck. Clay Hickey is a regional wildlife biologist in the Clearwater Region. He has worked for IDFG since 2002.