Night time sharpshooting through most the summer.
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MERIDIAN TWP. – Less than a week after officials announced a diseased deer was found in Meridian Township, sharpshooters began killing deer in the township Wednesday.
The shooting is focused on a 2-mile radius from the intersection of Marsh and Haslett roads. The deer with chronic wasting disease -- the first such wild deer found in Michigan -- was discovered near there about a month ago. State officials didn't announce the find until last week.
It's not clear how many deer the state plans to kill or who is killing them. DNR deer management specialist Chad Stewart referred those questions to USDA Wildlife Services, which did not return a message seeking comment. It's also unclear how many deer are in the township, but township Manager Frank Walsh said there is no immediate plan to conduct a count.
"We don't know how widespread the disease is and over what geographic area," Stewart said. "We'll start within two miles and go out from there."
The hunt will take place on public and selected private lands within the two-mile radius , Meridian Township Police Lt. Ken Plaga said, and private land owners have been notified.
Plaga said the shooters, who will be working under a MDNR-issued permit, will be using rifles with suppressors that reduce the amount of noise and flash made when the rifle fires. They will work daily during the last two hours of daylight and into as much of three hours of darkness, when the deer are most active.
Plaga said police dispatchers will know where the shooters are at any given time, in the event residents hear gunshots and are concerned.
The hunt "certainly will" continue through a lot of the summer, Stewart said, but he doesn't anticipate it extending into hunting season. Bow season begins Oct.1.
"We are in this for the long haul, unfortunately," he added.
It's thought that chronic wasting disease — which is not transmittable to humans — is more common in larger populations. The fatal neurological disease affects white deer, mule deer, moose and elk.
Ultimately state officials will be testing deer that are killed for signs of the disease.
"This disease is a situation where … they're going to want to collect as much data as they can to see how widespread the situation is," Plaga said.
The animal's spinal column, neck and head are the areas commonly tested, Plaga said.
Walsh said due to concerns with the disease, no meat will be donated to local food banks.
Other restrictions are already in place. Baiting and feeding has been banned in Clinton, Ingham or Shiawassee counties. Mandatory testing will be required for deer killed by hunters within Alaideon, Delhi, Lansing, Meridian, Wheatfield and Williamstown townships in Ingham County; Bath and DeWitt townships in Clinton County and Woodhull Township in Shiawassee County. Moving deer carcasses or parts out of the zone also will be restricted.
Additionally, deer killed by vehicles in the nine-township area cannot be claimed. Rather, DNR staffers will pick up road-killed deer for testing.
Stewart said anyone who sees a deer that appears to be sick to call the Rose Lake State Wildlife Area in East Lansing at 641-4903 or the Report All Poaching (RAP) hotline at (800) 292-7800.
Contact Dawn Parker at (517) 528-4675 or dlparker@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @arewen22266.
How to help
The DNR asks help from the public and hunters in reporting deer that are:
•Unusually thin.
•Exhibiting unusual behavior (for example, acting tame around humans and allowing someone to approach).
To report a suspicious-looking deer, call the DNR Wildlife Disease Lab at 336-5030 or fill out and submit the online observation report found on the DNR website.
Anyone who sees a sick deer may also call Rose Lake State Wildlife Area in East Lansing at 641-4903 or the Report All Poaching (RAP) hotline at (800) 292-7800.
http://ift.tt/1BLoKwI
MERIDIAN TWP. – Less than a week after officials announced a diseased deer was found in Meridian Township, sharpshooters began killing deer in the township Wednesday.
The shooting is focused on a 2-mile radius from the intersection of Marsh and Haslett roads. The deer with chronic wasting disease -- the first such wild deer found in Michigan -- was discovered near there about a month ago. State officials didn't announce the find until last week.
It's not clear how many deer the state plans to kill or who is killing them. DNR deer management specialist Chad Stewart referred those questions to USDA Wildlife Services, which did not return a message seeking comment. It's also unclear how many deer are in the township, but township Manager Frank Walsh said there is no immediate plan to conduct a count.
"We don't know how widespread the disease is and over what geographic area," Stewart said. "We'll start within two miles and go out from there."
The hunt will take place on public and selected private lands within the two-mile radius , Meridian Township Police Lt. Ken Plaga said, and private land owners have been notified.
Plaga said the shooters, who will be working under a MDNR-issued permit, will be using rifles with suppressors that reduce the amount of noise and flash made when the rifle fires. They will work daily during the last two hours of daylight and into as much of three hours of darkness, when the deer are most active.
Plaga said police dispatchers will know where the shooters are at any given time, in the event residents hear gunshots and are concerned.
The hunt "certainly will" continue through a lot of the summer, Stewart said, but he doesn't anticipate it extending into hunting season. Bow season begins Oct.1.
"We are in this for the long haul, unfortunately," he added.
It's thought that chronic wasting disease — which is not transmittable to humans — is more common in larger populations. The fatal neurological disease affects white deer, mule deer, moose and elk.
Ultimately state officials will be testing deer that are killed for signs of the disease.
"This disease is a situation where … they're going to want to collect as much data as they can to see how widespread the situation is," Plaga said.
The animal's spinal column, neck and head are the areas commonly tested, Plaga said.
Walsh said due to concerns with the disease, no meat will be donated to local food banks.
Other restrictions are already in place. Baiting and feeding has been banned in Clinton, Ingham or Shiawassee counties. Mandatory testing will be required for deer killed by hunters within Alaideon, Delhi, Lansing, Meridian, Wheatfield and Williamstown townships in Ingham County; Bath and DeWitt townships in Clinton County and Woodhull Township in Shiawassee County. Moving deer carcasses or parts out of the zone also will be restricted.
Additionally, deer killed by vehicles in the nine-township area cannot be claimed. Rather, DNR staffers will pick up road-killed deer for testing.
Stewart said anyone who sees a deer that appears to be sick to call the Rose Lake State Wildlife Area in East Lansing at 641-4903 or the Report All Poaching (RAP) hotline at (800) 292-7800.
Contact Dawn Parker at (517) 528-4675 or dlparker@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @arewen22266.
How to help
The DNR asks help from the public and hunters in reporting deer that are:
•Unusually thin.
•Exhibiting unusual behavior (for example, acting tame around humans and allowing someone to approach).
To report a suspicious-looking deer, call the DNR Wildlife Disease Lab at 336-5030 or fill out and submit the online observation report found on the DNR website.
Anyone who sees a sick deer may also call Rose Lake State Wildlife Area in East Lansing at 641-4903 or the Report All Poaching (RAP) hotline at (800) 292-7800.
CWD Deer Kill Underway
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