DNR Continues Bovine TB Surveillance in NE Minnesota

By CnAgri2012-10-30 19:35:34 Print

Bovine tuberculosis (TB) surveillance efforts will continue in northwestern Minnesota when the firearms deer season opens Nov. 3, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said.

"Last year's results were encouraging," said Michelle Carstensen, DNR wildlife health program supervisor. "If we don't find a positive this year, we'll be confident that bovine TB has been eliminated or is at an undetectable level in area deer."

Hunters who harvest deer in deer permit area 101, also known as the bovine TB management area, must register their deer at one of six check stations so tissue samples can be taken for testing. Electronic registration via phone and internet will not be available for hunters who indicated they would hunt in permit area 101 when purchasing a license.

Check stations will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily from Saturday, Nov. 3, to Sunday, Nov. 11. Stations will be located at the Wannaska forestry office in Wannaska; Olson's Skime Store in Skime; D&G Pro Station in Hayes Lake State Park; Grygla Sporting Goods in Grygla; Fourtown Store in Fourtown; and the Thief Lake Wildlife Management Area headquarters.

Hunters who harvest deer from surrounding deer permit areas also can register deer at these stations and will be asked to participate in testing to provide additional data.

"Cooperation from northwestern Minnesota deer hunters has been excellent during the seven years DNR has been testing for bovine TB," Carstensen said. "Getting samples from surrounding areas outside the bovine TB management zone provides additional information that is extremely useful in our efforts to eradicate the disease in wild deer."

All hunters who submit samples for bovine TB testing from permit area 101 will receive a DNR cooperator's patch and will be entered into a raffle for a Savage Axis .270 Winchester rifle with scope. The Roseau River chapter of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association purchased the rifle and is sponsoring the raffle.

Since 2005, bovine TB -- a progressive and chronic bacterial disease that primarily affects cattle but also wildlife -- has been found in 12 cattle operations and 27 free-ranging deer in northwestern Minnesota. More than 10,000 deer have been tested during that time. Every deer that tested positive for bovine TB was taken within a 10-mile radius of Skime, with most recent discovery coming in 2009.

In response to the disease, DNR implemented liberal hunting seasons and deer population reduction efforts to significantly reduce the number of deer in the area and help minimize the potential spread of the disease from deer to deer.