Fish & Game request........

muley

October 19, 2002 06:55

One of my life long buddies just called me from Arizona. He told me that he received some mail from the Arizona DFG that contained a plastic tube and a packet to be mailed back to them. They did not explain why, but if he is successful in shooting a deer, they want him to fill the tube with deer blood and send one of the deer's teeth back to them. This is something new for us and I was just wondering if this is common practice in other states. I assume this is because of the desease in some deer herds that has been found back east.
What do you think??????

muley

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  He Dog

  October 19, 2002 07:13

  The tooth would allow them to age the deer, lending some information on the age structure of the state herd, and giving information on the age of deer harvested. The blood is likely a check for spongiform myoencepholopithy, and perhaps West Nile or other disease. Seems like a good idea to me. The more they know the better they will be able to manage the herd. Hunting and fishing fees are much of their income and they have an incentive to do the job well. I know a number of the biologists in the non-game section of the Az game and fish dept. and they are fine biologists. I would assume the same is likely to be true of the game biologists.

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  nelchris

  October 19, 2002 08:20

  I have seen that but it was done after you got a deer not by mail before you killed one

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  timbroman

  October 20, 2002 07:32

  Similar practice has been done for some years on some management areas here in Louisiana...agent uses bolt-cutter type nipper to remove piece of jaw containing bone, teeth, blood, tissue...all the elements to age and judge general health, etc. Not a bad idea...and note that the current scourge of Chronic Wasting Disease (?) is no longer an eastern or northeastern problem. Best, Jim
  
  timbroman@aol.com

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  GWNelson

  October 20, 2002 14:26

  Wyoming has been collecting blood samples for several years now from elk harvested. Excuse is to track the disease brucelosis. If one is successful in the limited draw, soon, along comes a packet in the US Mail, complete with collection vials. GW.

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  muley

  October 20, 2002 14:27

  Thanks fellas....good answers and makes sense to me. I'll pass this on to my buddy in AZ.
  
  muley

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  clarkivan

  October 21, 2002 05:58

  I agree that the tooth would be for ageing the deer, and the blood may be for detection of chronic wasing disease. As far as I know the only accruate test that they have for detecting CWD is brain/spinal cord tissue or lympnode tissue. Another intresting fact is that CWD has not been found in the EAST OR NORTHEAST, it has been found in insolated areas in free ranging/ and captive animals in the WEST and MID WEST... Here is a link with the latest up to date info for locations.
  http://www.cwd-info.org/
  
  Ivan
  
  Death by projectile

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  clarkivan

  October 21, 2002 06:28

  If the Game and Fish were worried about CWD I don't think that they would intentionaly ask you to handle blood that could be contaminated... They possibly could be held liable.
  
  This should make it easier for you to find.
  http://www.cwd-info.org/images/CWD_Map.gif
  
  Public health and wildlife officials advise hunters to take the following precautions when pursuing or handling deer and elk that may have been exposed to CWD:
  
  Do not shoot, handle or consume any animal that is acting abnormally or appears to be sick. Contact your state game and fish department if you see or harvest an animal that appears sick.
  
  
  Wear latex or rubber gloves when field dressing your deer or elk.
  
  
  Bone out the meat from your animal. Don't saw through bone, and avoid cutting through the brain or spinal cord (backbone).
  
  
  Minimize the handling of brain and spinal tissues.
  
  
  
  Wash hands and instruments thoroughly after field dressing is completed.
  
  
  
  Avoid consuming brain, spinal cord, eyes, spleen, tonsils and lymphnodes of harvested animals. (Normal field dressing coupled with boningout a carcass will remove most, if not all, of these body parts. Cuttingaway all fatty tissue will remove remaining lymph nodes.)
  
  
  
  Avoid consuming the meat from any animal that tests positive for the disease.
  
  
  If you have your deer or elk commercially processed, request that your animal is processed individually, without meat from other animals being added to meat from your animal.
  
  Hope this helps
  
  Ivan
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Death by projectile

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  muley

  October 21, 2002 11:31

  Ivan......thanks a lot for the info and links. More stuff then I had hoped to find out. Again, thanks.
  
  muley

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