As part of the Game Commission’s order, which is part of
the response plan, Roe used emergency regulatory authority to set in place a
variety of actions that will impact hunters. Namely:
1. Hunters within the DMA are prohibited from moving
high-risk parts outside of the DMA.
High-risk cervid parts include: the head (including brain, tonsils, eyes
and any lymph nodes); spinal cord/backbone; spleen; skull plate with attached
antlers, if visible brain or spinal cord tissue is present; cape, if visible
brain or spinal cord tissue is present; upper canine teeth, if root structure
or other soft tissue is present; any object or article containing visible brain
or spinal cord tissue; unfinished taxidermy mounts; and brain-tanned hides.
Parts not considered high-risk include: meat, without the backbone; cleaned
skull plate with attached antlers, if no visible brain or spinal cord tissue is
present; tanned hide or raw hide with no visible brain or spinal cord tissue
present; cape, if no visible brain or spinal cord tissue is present; upper
canine teeth, if no root structure or other soft tissue is present; and
finished taxidermy mounts. To accomplish this, the agency will contract with
processors to be available at the check station to serve those hunters who plan
to move their harvest outside of the DMA without taking high-risk parts with
them.
2. Hunters who harvest a deer within the DMA during the
two-week firearms deer season (Nov. 26-Dec. 8) are required to bring their deer
to a mandatory check station so that samples can be collected for CWD testing.
For those participating in any other deer season prior to or after the two-week
firearms deer season within the DMA, bringing harvested deer to the check
station is voluntary, but encouraged. Deer harvested outside of the DMA will
not be eligible for testing at the check station; however, hunters may get
their deer checked by the Department of Agriculture’s Veterinary Laboratory,
for a fee, by calling 717-787-8808. The check station is the Game Commission
maintenance building on State Game Land 249, 1070 Lake Meade Road, East Berlin,
Adams County. GPS coordinates for the building are -77.07280 and 39.97018. The
check station will begin operation from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct.
18, through Tuesday, Oct. 23, except for Sunday, when the check station will be
closed. Details about check station hours for the remainder of the early
archery and the regular firearms deer season, as well as the late archery and
flintlock seasons, will be announced at a later date. The benefit to the hunter
is two-fold: the Game Commission will cover the cost of having the animal
tested, and the hunter will be notified if the harvested deer is found to be
infected with CWD. The benefit to the
agency is that it will be able to test a sufficient number of deer within the
DMA without having to resort to culling deer simply for testing.
3. Hunters within
the DMA are prohibited from using or possessing any cervid urine-based
attractants. Such attractants cause deer to congregate in certain areas and
increases the likelihood that CWD could spread if it is found in the wild.
Additionally, the order prohibits the rehabilitation of deer
within the DMA, as those deer will be euthanized and tested for CWD.
No comments:
Post a Comment