The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is establishing deer head collection sites during the 2004 deer gun season as part of its continuing effort to monitor the state's deer herd for chronic wasting disease.
Hunters are encouraged to stop at collection sites throughout opening weekend and provide the head from their deer. Heads will be removed on site, or hunters may drop off heads at one of these sites. Tags will remain on the ear or antler, and carcass tags will remain with the deer. Hunters will be given a temporary tag for transportation purposes.
Samples from hunter-harvested deer will be taken from animals this fall in 31 deer hunting units: 1, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2H, 2I, 2J1, 2J2, 2K1, 2K2, 2L, 3A1, 3A2, 3A3, 3A4, 3B1, 3B2, 3B3, 3C, 3D1, 3D2, 3E1, 3E2, 3F1, 3F2, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E and 4F.
Game and fish personnel will operate collection sites Nov. 5 from 3-8 p.m., Nov. 6 from 10 a.m. - 8 p.m., and Nov. 7 from 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. in:
* Belfield - Tesoro truck stop (only Nov. 6-7)
* Bottineau - Cenex C-Store
* Cavalier - Farmers Union
* Devils Lake - Ed's Bait Shop
* Elgin - Al's Body Shop
* Kenmare - Cenex C-Store
* Linton - Bosch's Meat Market
* Martin - Martin Bar
* Rhame - Cenex C-Store
* Rugby - Cenex C-Store
* Stanley - Cenex C-Store
* Steele - Coffee Cup
* Watford City - Lund Oil/One Stop
Through December, heads can also be dropped off at game and fish offices in Williston, Dickinson, Bismarck, Riverdale, Devils Lake, Harvey (Lonetree) and Jamestown; and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service offices in Coleharbor (Audubon NWR), Devils Lake, Moffit (Long Lake NWR), Upham (J. Clark Salyer NWR), Kenmare (Des Lacs NWR), Kulm and Berthold (Upper Souris NWR).
Also, meat processors participating in surveillance efforts are:
* Bismarck - West Dakota Meats
* Bowdon - Bowdon Locker and Grocery
* Cando - K and E Meats
* Carson - Double R Meats
* Garrison - Garrison Custom Meats
* Glen Ullin - Kuntz's Butcher Shop
* Hazen - Hazen Meats
* Hettinger - Dakota Packaging Co.
* Karlsruhe - Leier's Processing
* Kulm - People's Meat Market
* Langdon - Hickory Hut
* McClusky - Stein Butcher Shop
* Minot - S and K Processing
* Mohall - Engebretson Processing
* Parshall - Myers Meats
* Turtle Lake - Ken's Jack and Jill
* Wildrose - Wildrose Grocery
To date, CWD has not been diagnosed in wild or farmed deer or elk in North Dakota. Test results for CWD on more than 1,600 wild deer and 29 elk harvested during the 2003 hunting season were negative. During the 2002 hunting season, samples were taken from 470 deer and 25 elk - all tested negative for CWD.
Chronic wasting disease affects the nervous system of white-tailed deer, mule deer and elk and is fatal. Scientists have found no evidence that CWD can be transmitted naturally to humans or livestock.
More information on CWD can be found by logging into the game and fish website at discovernd.com/gnf. |
