Fish and Game gears up for harvest, health monitoring

by Jay Crenshaw - Idaho Department of Fish and Game

Stepping outside early this morning to retrieve my newspaper provided me with a chilly reminder that cooler autumn temperatures have arrived. Often times, the big game hunting season opening day begins with sunny skies and shirt-sleeve weather, but this year, it appears we may be in for a bit of a change.

Along with the opening of the season, come the department's efforts to monitor big game harvest. Wildlife staff will be visiting with hunters at two check stations this fall - one near Kooskia along Highway 12 and the other along the South Fork of the Clearwater River upstream from Mt. 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, the department monitors wildlife populations for the presence of disease. As part of a statewide monitoring program begun in 1997, samples will be taken from deer and elk that are brought to the check stations as well as those recovered from collisions with automobiles on busy highways. These samples are later tested for the presence of chronic wasting disease or CWD. Although no occurrences of the disease have been documented in Idaho wildlife, some other states have not been so lucky.

Soon after CWD was first identified in 1967 in captive deer and elk at specific sites in Colorado and Wyoming, it was found in wild deer and elk in northeastern Colorado and southeastern Wyoming. More recently, CWD has been found to be more widespread in several states including New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, Illinois, and Wisconsin, as well as some Canadian provinces. It does not appear to be spreading out from these affected areas rapidly.

CWD is a rare, but fatal disease of the central nervous system of deer and elk. Animals affected by it generally show no apparent signs of illness throughout much of the course of the disease. However, in the terminal stages, they typically appear thin and display abnormal behavior. Fortunately for us, the World Health Organization has stated that there is currently no evidence that CWD is associated with illness in humans or livestock. However, they do recommend that no animal part or product with evidence of CWD be fed to any species-human, domestic, or captive.

Although CWD occurs at very low levels, generally in less than five percent of the population, concern is sufficient to warrant monitoring programs by state wildlife management agencies. Hunters should be aware that a number of states have established regulations about CWD and the transport of hunter-killed animals to minimize the possibility of transporting infected animal parts. This is especially important for nonresident hunters who should be familiar with both the regulations of the state in which they hunt as well as those set by their home states.

The department will continue its surveillance efforts for CWD and other diseases to ensure healthy wildlife populations. It has also taken steps to reduce the risk associated with the importation of live animals into Idaho by banning importation of captive deer. Also, the department will not transplant deer or elk from out of state into Idaho. Finally, the department is cooperating with the Department of Agriculture to minimize the risks associated with privately owned elk.

If you come across any animals showing obvious signs of illness, contact the nearest IDFG office, your local conservation officer, or the department's Wildlife Health Laboratory. In the meantime, have a pleasant autumn and enjoy the great outdoors.

Jay Crenshaw is the Wildlife Manager in the Clearwater Region. He has worked for IDFG since 1987.