A Warning To Outdoor Users About Echinococcus, From Worms

by

Tom Remington

This is a warning to outdoor users about a potentially deadly biological event that could result from one’s curiosity to poke at and kick through scat from wolves, coyotes and foxes. Of course not everyone knowingly does this but many hunters, trappers and simply the curious, want to know what these animals have been eating. Read more

Picture This!

With all the great stories, equipment, adventures and people out there I thought it would be great to get some pictures.  If you have any pictures from a hunt, your gear or best of all you geared up that would be great.  If you send in pictures I will post on our site as well as putting some of the best pictures on all our sites.  Things I am looking for, but not limited to.

•    Gear: Clothes, utility tools, ATV’s…
•    Favorite weapons: guns, bows, sticks, stones…
•    Best Duck Blind or Hide…
•    You, family or friends dressed for the hunt…
•    Where you hunt

All I need is a digital picture in any PC compatible format and a description of the picture.  You can make the description as long or short as you would like.  If there is a story behind the picture we would love to hear about it.

Send Pictures to:

Todd Krater
U.S. Hunting Today
Managing Editor
todd@ushuntingtoday.com

Note: If you want a picture posted and do not have a digital copy I would be willing to scan it for you.  Please contact me for details.

US Hunting Today reserves the right to refuse any picture for any reason as well as edit it where appropriate.

Tennessee Action Alert

HB 386 Commercial Breeder Act introduced by Rep. Janis Sontany (D, Nashville) is scheduled to be heard in the Judiciary Committee on 4/29.

BILL SYNOPSIS

HB 386 classifies as a commercial breeder any person who possesses or maintains twenty (20) or more adult female dogs in whole or in part for the purpose of the sale of their offspring as companion animals. Requires background checks before license can be granted. Although not written in the bill, it has been confirmed that engineering standards will be used for facilities.

* TALKING POINTS *

* HB 386 assumes that an owner of 20 or more dogs or cats isn’t capable of managing and maintaining their animals in good health without state intervention. Numerical limits should not be used as the basis of legislation as numbers do not equate to the level of care a dog or cat receives.

* HB 386 calls for high license fees that could be easily increased.

* Background checks are required in order to obtain a license, treating dog/cat breeders as if they are potential criminals.

* It is already law that sales tax must be collected on puppy sales; creating and funding a huge regulatory scheme on breeders in order to collect tax is unnecessary and extreme.

* Enforcement of existing tax law and animal welfare laws are sufficient and new laws are not needed.

* Tennessee is facing a billion dollar budget shortfall. It is irresponsible to add approximately six million dollars to the budget to fund an inspection program that might cover a few hundred dog breeders.

ACTION NEEDED NOW! PLEASE CALL, FAX, AND EMAIL HOUSE JUSTICE COMMITTEE AND OPPOSE HB 386:

Rep. Kent Coleman (D, 49) – Chair
Phone (615) 741-6829 / Fax (615) 253-0332
rep.kent.coleman@capitol.tn.gov

Rep. Jon Lundberg (R, Bristol) – Vice Chair
Phone (615) 741-7623 / Fax (615) 253-0272
rep.jon.lundberg@capitol.tn.gov

Rep. Eddie Bass (D, 65)
Phone (615) 741-1864 / Fax (615) 741-1005
rep.eddie.bass@capitol.tn.gov

Rep. Karen D. Camper (D, 87)
Phone (901) 315-8899
Phone: (615) 741-1898
rep.karen.camper@capitol.tn.gov

Rep. Vance Dennis (R, 71)
Phone: (615) 741-2190 / Fax: (615) 253-0377
rep.vance.dennis@capitol.tn.gov

Rep. Henry Fincher (D,42) Vice Chair
Phone (615) 741-1875
rep.henry.fincher@capitol.tn.gov

Rep. Brian Kelsey (R,83), Chair
Phone (901) 522-9000
Phone (615) 741-4415 / Fax (615) 253-0349

rep.brian.kelsey@capitol.tn.gov

Rep. Mike Stewart (D, 52)
Phone: (615) 741-2184
rep.mike.stewart@capitol.tn.gov

Rep. Chad Faulkner (R, 36)
Phone: (615) 741-3335
rep.chad.faulkner@capitol.tn.gov

Rep. Judd Matheny (R, 47)
Phone (615) 741-7448 / Fax (615) 253-0226
rep.judd.matheny@capitol.tn.gov

Rep. Eric Watson (R, 22)
Phone (615) 741-7799 / Fax (615) 253-0252
rep.eric.watson@capitol.tn.gov

Additional talking points and contact information are available on the SAOVA website http://www.saova.org/Tennessee2.html

ACTION ALERT TENNESSEE BILL HEARINGS 4/7/09

A SAOVA message to sportsmen, pet owners and farmers concerned about protecting their traditions, avocations and livelihoods from anti-hunting, anti-breeding, animal guardianship advocates. Forwarding and cross posting, with attribution, encouraged.
ACTION ALERT TENNESSEE BILL HEARINGS 4/7/09

Senate Bill 258, sponsored by Sen. Doug Jackson (D-25) and House Bill 386, sponsored by Rep. Janis Baird Sontany (D-53) will classify a Commercial Breeder as any person who possesses or maintains twenty (20) or more adult female dogs in whole or in part for the purpose of the sale of their offspring as companion animals. If even one litter of puppies is bred commercial breeder licensing would be required. Numerical limits should not be used as the basis of legislation as numbers do not equate to the level of care a dog or cat receives. Breeders must open homes for inspection that has no criteria. They can be fined, have licenses revoked and suspended for rules not yet written. The bill would allow the state to outsource some animal control work to HSUS or other outside animal organizations.

SB 258 is scheduled to be heard April 7 at 1 PM in the Senate Commerce Labor & Agriculture Committee.

HB 386 is scheduled to be heard April 7 at 12 Noon in the House Subcommittee on Civil Practice & Procedure.

Talking points, phone numbers, and contact information are posted on the SAOVA website: http://www.saova.org/Tennessee.html

Call, fax and email committee members until the hearings begin. Email committee members with ONE CLICK thru the SAOVA website! It is urgent to OPPOSE this radical animal rights legislation now!

Please share this message widely.

Susan Wolf
Sportsmen’s and Animal Owners’ Voting Alliance – http://saova.org
Issue lobbying and working to identify and elect supportive legislators

The message above was posted to North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky residents by the Sportsmen’s and Animal Owners’ Voting Alliance (SAOVA).

SAOVA is a nonpartisan volunteer group working to protect Americans from the legislative and political threats of radical animal rightists. It is the only national organization fighting this struggle for both sportsmen and animal owners, natural allies, in these arenas. Visit our website at http://saova.org for this program’s goals, methodology and list signup details.

Woodhaven Custom Calls Vision Series

These friction calls are without a doubt the most realistic on the market today. With each oval on the calling surface the sweetest yelps you have ever heard are attained. The cutts are sharp and the purrs on melodious. Each Woodhaven call is hand assembled and tuned to perfection. There is no doubt if you put one of these calls in your hands you will be performing turkey music the minute you remove it from the package.

Each call comes complete with an instructional dvd, a surface saver cover, two strikers and a surface conditioning kit. There are two surface choices, crystal and anodized aluminum. Either one will be devastating on gobblers in your neck of the woods this spring. Read more

Bear Hunting Seasons In Tennessee And Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania yesterday opened its annual 3-day bear hunting season and Tennessee is in the middle of their season that is a considerably more extended season than that of Pennsylvania. Both states believe they have an abundance of bears and if the weather holds favorable, record harvests could be reported.

To date, Tennessee has reported 246 bear taken with 17 days left in the season. The later part of the season into December allows dogs for bear hunting. Officials predict as many as 400 bears could be harvested if the weather doesn’t get too cold too quickly. That would be a record. Read more

EHD A Bit “Ho-Hum” In The Deep South

We are at a point where it would be safe to say that this year’s outbreak of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) is quite widespread. Here’s a list of states that have confirmed cases of the virus that is carried to deer by biting midges or no-see-ums: Virginia, West Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, New Jersey, Montana, Mississippi and Georgia. In addition, some states are waiting for test results to confirm what they already suspect – South Carolina is one such state.

To confirm the presence of the disease, blood and certain tissue has to be analyzed.

According to both the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and the Alabama Department of Conservation, dealing with EHD is quite routine. Charles Ruth, Deer/Turkey Project supervisor for the South Carolina DNR says flair-ups in that state seem to run in cycles of 3-5 years and there’s a reasonable explanation.

“This is probably related to the fact that once deer are exposed to the disease they are more resistant to it. Therefore, if you have disease one year the deer become exposed or inoculated to the disease and you do not see much disease activity until there is turnover in the deer population. After several years you are dealing with another cohort of deer and their systems are ‘naïve’ to the disease. The last time there was significant hemorrhagic disease activity in South Carolina was in 2002, therefore, disease activity could be relatively high this year.”

This theory is confirmed by a spokesman for the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

“We have some cases every year,” said Keith Guyse, a whitetail specialist with the Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division in the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. “In the Coastal Plain, the virus is there frequently enough that deer have been exposed to it and have some resistance to it.

Both representatives indicate that EHD in their respective states is pretty much routine only because of the build up of a certain degree of immunity. Therefore, these southern states don’t see wide outbreaks of the disease that often. When EHD hits the more northern climes, EHD seems to grab harder. Ruth explains.

Deer likely die in South Carolina each year from hemorrhagic disease, however, there is no indication that a major outbreak has occurred in the state since the mid 1970s. The disease is part of life for deer in the Southeast and fortunately it appears that Southern deer have acquired some immunity to the disease, said Ruth. Northern deer, on the other hand, are not exposed to the disease as frequently since the insect vector is not as common in cooler climates. For this reason, significant outbreaks and mortality from hemorrhagic disease are more likely in northern deer populations.

Guyse from Alabama makes reference to the same theory.

“Typically in North Alabama and above the fall line, they’re not exposed to it as often. So over a period of time you have a population that doesn’t have much resistance. When you have (outbreaks) up there, it tends to be more noticeable.”

This helps us understand why some states may have more severe outbreaks, killing larger numbers of deer, than others but why this year are outbreaks so widespread across the landscape of the country? Some have related it to the summer heat and drought. That may be true, I don’t know. It would be logical to assume that being that the virus is carried and spread by tiny midges or gnats, a larger than normal population of that insect would be directly proportional to the spread of the disease. Of course science isn’t that simplistic and we know that there are probably many more factors to consider or it could be just merely a coincidence.

However, Guyse from Alabama eludes to the theory of increased numbers of midges, somewhat.

“Auburn (researchers) had traps out to catch the flies and they might catch a few every once in a while, and then all of a sudden they catch hundreds,” Guyse said. “Much of that still is a mystery.”

Obviously, they don’t have a good handle on it either.

Hunters and others should be aware of the symptoms they may find on deer suffering from the disease.

Symptoms of hemorrhagic disease include poor physical condition, sloughing hooves, abrasions or sores on the brisket and legs, and ulcerations on the mouth, tongue, and rumen (stomach).

As I said earlier, verification of the disease has to be done in the lab.

If you see sick or dead deer in your travels, please report it to the appropriate authorities. It is highly recommended that nobody eats any of the meat from deer sickened by EHD.

Tom Remington

EHD Outbreak Widespread And Following Drought

As most hunters are aware, several states are experiencing outbreaks of EHD (Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease). To date, states involved are, Virginia, West Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, New Jersey and Montana. In those states, some are experiencing widespread outbreaks while others are sporadic. Either way, it appears that this year’s outbreak is one that could be classified as the most widespread in some years.

J.R. Absher, the Newshound, and I sent a couple emails back and forth this morning about what’s happening with EHD. In one of my emails, I asked J.R. if this was what he would consider a large outbreak from his years of experience in the field. What he told me was that in a previous article he mentioned that he had talked with a friend of his, Doug Markham, information officer for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, about this year’s outbreak.

My good friend Doug Markham, information officer for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, dropped me an email over the weekend saying it’s as bad as he’s ever seen it in his 20 years with the agency.

Some especially hard-hit areas of the Volunteer State could lose half their deer to EHD this year, Markham speculated.

One other thing that J.R. mentioned was that it seemed that the EHD outbreak was following a similar path as this summer’s drought. I’ll have to do some investigating to see if I can find out if that is a common occurrence.

In the meantime, we all need to be praying for some frost and freezes to kill this thing off.

Tom Remington

Further Spreading Of EHD And Troubles With Water Contamination In Pennsylvania

We can now add Montana to the growing list of states confirming outbreaks of epizootic hemorrhagic disease, EHD, or blue tongue. EHD is contracted by the bite of insects called “biting midges.” The virus usually kills the animals within five to 10 days. It is not spread by deer-to-deer contact and is rare in domestic cattle. States already having confirmed cases of EHD are: Virginia, West Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and New Jersey.

Montana officials have confirmed the presence of EHD in the southeastern part of the state.

So far “hundreds” of antelope and deer carcasses have been reported.

The heaviest concentration of the disease appears to be in the Melstone area east to Ingomar and Sumatra.

There really is not much that can be done about the disease. We just wait until the first good frost or freeze that will kill the midges that carry the virus.

In the meantime, troubles from dying deer in Pennsylvania are raising concerns about the possible contamination of drinking water supplies. In Beaver, Greene and Washington counties estimates are that over 1,000 deer carcasses are lying about rotting and stinking up the air. For some, there is concern that the decaying carcasses, many of which are lying in water, are contaminating the water supplies.

Russell Morgan is a Greene Township Supervisor and a farmer. He’s concerned about the water problems but is getting no help from the Pennsylvania Game Commission to get the carcasses cleaned up.

Already, Morgan said, he has confirmed 17 dead deer on and around his property. Township secretary Sandy Wright said one resident found 50 dead deer within a short distance of each other. Another resident reported finding 35 dead deer, Wright said.

Morgan said the game commission should at least help remove the remains from water sources. Instead, he was told removal of the deer is the responsibility of the homeowner,

“No one wants to take responsibility for what’s going on,” he said.

One of the side effects of the disease in deer causes the body temperature to rise, thus sending the deer to water to cool off. This is often where they expire.

Game Commission Supervisor Barry Zaffuto says it isn’t the responsibility of the PGC to take care of the dead animals and that the rotting deer are not contaminating the water.

“A deer is 100 percent natural,” he said. “This virus is not transferable, so it would be just like a deer that dies in the water naturally, because it does happen.”

The commission, he said, does not have the resources to search across a three-county area for deer and then remove them, especially when nature is taking care of that for them.

“That would just be totally impossible. What would we do with them?’ he said. “Deer decompose naturally and rapidly.”

Morgan isn’t buying Zaffuto’s explanation about deer being all natural and wouldn’t ruin the water. As a farmer, he is required by law to remove any of his livestock if it should dye in or near water. Under the watchful eye of the Department of Environmental Protection, he is made to clean up the carcass immediately because it will contaminate the water. Morgan wants to know what the difference is between a cow and a deer?

Morgan isn’t the only one concerned about the dying deer and how to clean up the mess. According to the PGC, it’s the landowners’ responsibility but this is angering citizens because of the double standards being exemplified in this video.

Tom Remington

EHD Or Blue Tongue Showing Up In More States

Epizootic hemorrhagic disease or blue tongue is affecting whitetail deer herds in several states now. On the list are Virginia, West Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and now New Jersey. There may be more.

Fred J. Aun of the Star-Ledger, in reporting about the discovery of the disease in New Jersey, describes EHD this way.

EHD is not uncommon and it’s not dangerous to humans. It is caused by the bite of certain midges and results in high fevers and hemorrhages in the mouths, noses and eyes of deer prior to death. Fish and Wildlife said deer usually expire within 10 days of getting EHD.

Vice President of Global Operations for Skinny Moose Media and U.S. Hunting Today, John Stabley, called Dr. Colleen O’Keefe, IDOA division manager of Food Safety and Animal Protection, in Illinois to ask her specific questions about the disease, its affect on deer and other animals as well as humans. You can read the entire interview at Stabley’s blog, Stabley Outdoors.

J.R. Absher, the Newshound, has been keeping his readers abreast of the locations and severity of the disease.

In the meantime, as we hunters head into the woods to do our scouting or for the start of any of hunting seasons, keep an eye open for the possibility of EHD being present in deer. If you encounter any cases you are encouraged to contact your fish and game department with the information.

Tom Remington