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DFG ENFORCING CWD RULES -- Jim Matthews column 26oct05
Chronic wasting disease rules being enforced by DFG
Outdoor News Service
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has become huge problem in Western deer and elk herds, causing major dieoffs of these big game animals. But the disease has not been detected in California big game.
The California Department of Fish and Game would like to keep it that way.
Concern about CWD led to the emergency passage of a law in 2002 that made it illegal to bring diseased or potentially diseased wild animals into the state, dead or alive. The simple solution to see this doesn't happen was to ban the importation of spinal fluid and brain tissue into the state. For the past three seasons, the California hunting regulations have carried warnings about CWD and the precautions hunters who pursue big game out of state must follow when they return with their game to California.
On Tuesday this week, the DFG set up a hunter check station in Yermo on Interstate 15 between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. During that time, over 6,500 vehicles passed through the check station and the DFG examined 74 hunters' vehicles returning to California. A total of 60 big game animals were being brought into the state, including 55 deer, four elk, and one pronghorn. Of those 60 animals, only four met with DFG regulations, according the DFG warden captain Mike McBride.
"One of the disheartening things was the compliance rate," said McBride. "The spinal column and brain tissue can't come into the state. No one has to sacrifice their trophy or meat, but big game hunters are going to have to think about doing more in the field or having their game processed out of state."
While the DFG could have issued 60 mandatory-appearance citations for the violations, fully two-thirds of the hunters were merely warned, and everyone stopped was given assistance by eight wardens, five federal agents, and a DFG biologist to remove spines and brain tissue before being allowed to continue. Of those given citations, several had other state or federal violations, the most common being a failure to declare they were bringing game into the state.
McBride said the DFG has aggressively been trying to educate hunters on the danger CWD presents to California deer and elk herds and why it is so important to keep it out of the state, and this was the first enforcement effort to see if the education campaign was working.
"Most of the hunters we contacted has some familiarity with CWD, but compliance was a serious concern. CWD is not in this state and we want to keep it that way," said McBride.
Hunters still heading out of state can bring meat, antlers, and hides back into the state. Only the spinal column and brain tissue is restricted. This means that quartered or boned out game meat complies. Antlers can be left attached to a skull cap, but the brain cavity must be completely cleaned out so all tissue is removed and only hard bone remains. Hunters accustomed to bringing back whole heads to delivery to local taxidermists will either have to learn how to cape out their game or leave heads with taxidermists in the state they hunt to do all of the taxidermy or, at least, the initial caping.
McBride said he didn't know what the fine would be for the citations issued for the CWD violations, but he expected the fee to be small, mostly to cover court costs, if there were no other violations involved.
Lt. Joe Branna, the Blythe DFG warden who also participated in the check station, said that most of the hunters they spoke with during the day also hunted big game in California, and he hoped they would recognize the damage CWD could have on California herds and take more precautions in the future.
Chronic wasting disease rules being enforced by DFG
Outdoor News Service
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has become huge problem in Western deer and elk herds, causing major dieoffs of these big game animals. But the disease has not been detected in California big game.
The California Department of Fish and Game would like to keep it that way.
Concern about CWD led to the emergency passage of a law in 2002 that made it illegal to bring diseased or potentially diseased wild animals into the state, dead or alive. The simple solution to see this doesn't happen was to ban the importation of spinal fluid and brain tissue into the state. For the past three seasons, the California hunting regulations have carried warnings about CWD and the precautions hunters who pursue big game out of state must follow when they return with their game to California.
On Tuesday this week, the DFG set up a hunter check station in Yermo on Interstate 15 between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. During that time, over 6,500 vehicles passed through the check station and the DFG examined 74 hunters' vehicles returning to California. A total of 60 big game animals were being brought into the state, including 55 deer, four elk, and one pronghorn. Of those 60 animals, only four met with DFG regulations, according the DFG warden captain Mike McBride.
"One of the disheartening things was the compliance rate," said McBride. "The spinal column and brain tissue can't come into the state. No one has to sacrifice their trophy or meat, but big game hunters are going to have to think about doing more in the field or having their game processed out of state."
While the DFG could have issued 60 mandatory-appearance citations for the violations, fully two-thirds of the hunters were merely warned, and everyone stopped was given assistance by eight wardens, five federal agents, and a DFG biologist to remove spines and brain tissue before being allowed to continue. Of those given citations, several had other state or federal violations, the most common being a failure to declare they were bringing game into the state.
McBride said the DFG has aggressively been trying to educate hunters on the danger CWD presents to California deer and elk herds and why it is so important to keep it out of the state, and this was the first enforcement effort to see if the education campaign was working.
"Most of the hunters we contacted has some familiarity with CWD, but compliance was a serious concern. CWD is not in this state and we want to keep it that way," said McBride.
Hunters still heading out of state can bring meat, antlers, and hides back into the state. Only the spinal column and brain tissue is restricted. This means that quartered or boned out game meat complies. Antlers can be left attached to a skull cap, but the brain cavity must be completely cleaned out so all tissue is removed and only hard bone remains. Hunters accustomed to bringing back whole heads to delivery to local taxidermists will either have to learn how to cape out their game or leave heads with taxidermists in the state they hunt to do all of the taxidermy or, at least, the initial caping.
McBride said he didn't know what the fine would be for the citations issued for the CWD violations, but he expected the fee to be small, mostly to cover court costs, if there were no other violations involved.
Lt. Joe Branna, the Blythe DFG warden who also participated in the check station, said that most of the hunters they spoke with during the day also hunted big game in California, and he hoped they would recognize the damage CWD could have on California herds and take more precautions in the future.
