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What should be the hour of joy and unhindered party, the first day of Saturday's five-month deer season in Louisiana usher in a critical period for whitetail hunters.
In January, the chronic, life-threatening, debilitating disease was discovered in a Mississippi deer, at a blazing distance from three parishes in north-central Louisiana. This discovery triggered the heaviest response from the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. had crossed the Mississippi River in the wild flocks of Louisiana.
Even worse, it meant that the three neighboring states of Louisiana had CWD in their deer and even though Saturday's first game was played in four of the state's ten deer areas – the four are in the parishes of the state. south-central and south-west –
Johnathan Bordelon, the deer program manager, worked with Dr. Jim LaCour, LDWF veterinarian, to develop a plan to test 300 deer in the parishes of East Carroll, Madison and Tensas. The ban was canceled in June when laboratory tests found no cancerous substance in any of these 300 samples.
Since June, Bordelon and LaCour have been working with the LDWF Wildlife Division to develop a program to combat CWD for the coming season.
The plan
At the September 6 meeting of the National Commission for Wildlife and Fisheries, Bordelon presented a more aggressive surveillance strategy for the disease.
"It's obvious that we want the hunters to report seeing a deer that appears to be sick," said Bordelon. "These are our first sampling targets."
After that, the focus was on white cherries and exotic deer that escaped from high fence areas. "We have to deal with escapes, not only because of MDC, but also to other diseases," Bordelon said.
This is because the spread of CWD from the western United States, at least in part, is due to the presence of deer and other deer family animals transferred to other areas. from the country. Noted here, the CWD was prevalent in at least 25 states and two Canadian provinces.
Deer killed on the road are next on the sampling list and the end goal of this test protocol is what Bordelon has labeled as "hunted hunter sampling".
The plan involves harvesting 300 or more deer samples from LDWF-managed wildlife management areas and from 600 Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) hunters.
The following levels consist of obtaining state-wide samples from taxidermists – it is planned to train these people to remove the samples – and then ask the public to submit their tests for the CWD.
"We will actively pursue the hunters to give us samples during the next season," Bordelon said. "We will open field offices to collect deer samples from hunters. We need them. "
Join to help
LaCour and Bordelon explained how hunters can help with the sampling protocol.
LaCour insisted that humans should never consume the meat of a sick deer. His treatise on the LDWF website comes with another warning about always wearing gloves and goggles when cleaning the game and collecting samples.
A major problem in the treatment of MDC is that studies show that infected animals do not show symptoms until at least 16 months after being infected. Several CWD websites identify the symptoms: excessive salivation, urination and thirst; grinding teeth; difficulty swallowing and walking; head shaking; lowered the head and ears and a position away from the legs and a lack of awareness of their environment. MDC is always deadly for deer and other infected animals.
Knowing this, the LDWF staff are asking hunters who submit samples:
- Note the GPS position of the location where the deer was taken;
- For MDC testing, remove the deer's head about 5 inches below the ear;
- The deer heads may be covered with wood and the skull cap must be removed because the deer brain is needed for sampling;
- Do not freeze the samples; refrigerate or keep on ice;
- And since MDC can be transmitted through saliva, blood, urine, and / or dead animal feces, hunters should double or even triple their submitted samples.
Hunters will use their stag tag number to submit a sample, and hunters will need this number to find the results of their sample that will be posted on the LDWF website: wlf.louisiana.gov/hunting/CWD .
Now where?
This new program opens collection sites in LDWF's regional offices from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Monday to Friday.
Here are these places:
- Hammond, (985) 543-4777; 42371 Promenade Phyllis Ann, Hammond.
- Lafayette, (337) 262-2080; 200 Dulles Drive, Lafayette.
- Lake Charles, (337) 491-2575; 1213 North Lakeshore Drive, Lake Charles.
- Pineville, (318) 487-5885; 1995 Shreveport Hwy., Pineville.
- Minden, (318) 371-3050; 9961 US 80, Minden.
- Monroe, (318) 343-4044; 368 Century Link Drive, Monroe.
Why everyone?
LDWF and other organisms identify MDC as "a deadly neurodegenerative disease affecting members of the deer family" and spread through the bodily fluids of the infected animal, with transmission of the disease also
Here is more
It is forbidden to bring certain deer and other cervids to the state as a result of hunting outside the state. See page 18 of the Louisiana Hunting Regulations 2018-2019 booklet for these regulations.
- In August, LDWF staff warned hunters of the use of deer urine perfumes to attract money because urine is a transmitter of MDC. There is no absolute ban in Louisiana, but seven states have banned the use of deer urine lures.
- The Rocky Mountain Foundation Elf – rmef.org – has a nearly 4 minute video on the MDC, and explains in detail why hunters in Louisiana need to be aware of this disease.
- The LDWF website (wlf.louisiana, giv) has a video titled "Deer for Transportation" in the "Chronic Disease" block from the "Hunting" drop-down list.
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