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CWD, CATFISH, MORE -- matthews/gurrola -- outdoor package 20sep06
Citations to be issued this year for hunters who violate CWD rules
By JIM MATTHEWS Outdoor News Service
Big game hunters traveling out of state for fall big game seasons need to be aware of regulations relating to the importation of deer and elk carcasses back into California or face a citation at one of many check points to be run by the Department of Fish and Game this fall.
The rules, designed to prevent the introduction of chronic wasting disease (CWD) into California game herds, have been in effect since 2002, but most hunters who travel out of state are still unaware of the regulations. And while the DFG has been tolerant in the past, citations are going to be written this year for those who don't comply.
"We had a 95 percent non-compliance rate last year at our checkpoint on Interstate 15," said Mike McBride, DFG warden captain in Ontario.
McBride said a survey of big game hunters during the dove season opener showed only a 31 percent knowledge rate, which he called "disappointing."
"We don't want to write citations. We want hunters in California to protect our state's big game herds," said McBride "I'm depressed over the dove season survey, but being unaware is no longer an excuse. "What does it take to get the word out? We've had it everywhere, but I guess people don't read any more."
So the DFG has gone with a new flyer that warns hunters about getting a ticket. "Maybe the threat of a citation and fine will make them pay attention.", said McBride.
The DFG has launched a major information effort since last summer to inform hunters about the dangers of CWD to California deer and elk herds, and how they can help prevent the spread of the disease by following the 2002 law. There has been information in virtually all of the DFG's publications read by hunters -- the hunting regulations and the big game application booklet -- and material in hunting magazines, newspapers, and web sites.
After last year's check point on Interstate 15 in October, McBride said the DFG learned that virtually 100 percent of the hunters who pursued big game in other states were also California big game hunters, so getting the word out in state regulations should have reached all hunters who travel out of state.
CWD is a fatal neurological disease that has already been found in 14 states and two Canadian provinces. Passed in 2002, the CWD regulation helps protect the state's deer and elk herds by outlawing the importation of any deer and elks brain or spinal column. Noncompliance this year could result in a fine up to $1,000 and a six-month jail term, and the DFG will seize any animal believed to carry CWD.
According to the DFG regulations, only the following hunter-harvested deer and elk parts are allowed into California:
-- Boned out meat and commercially processed cuts of meat.
-- Portions of meat with no part of the spinal column or head attached .
-- Hides with no heads attached.
-- Clean skull plates (no meat or tissue attached) with antlers attached .
-- Antlers with no meat or tissue attached .
-- Finished taxidermy heads.
-- Upper canine teeth (elk buglers, whistlers, ivories).
DFG-operated checkpoints last year were at Department of Food and Agriculture inspection stations on major routes into the state. There will be even more checkpoints this year, said McBride.
"Hunters who have spent a lot of money to go out of state to hunt should be prepared to go to court and spend more money if they bring back illegal portions of deer or elk", said McBride. "The time has come to get tough against those who put California at risk from this disease."
Besides checkpoints, wardens have authority to inspect harvested game, and conduct vehicle stops once successful hunters return to California.
Although not present in California, CWD has been detected in Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. It has also been detected in the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta. Scientists have no cure for the disease, which remains resilient and has a long incubation period.
Scientists first saw CWD in captive deer and elk in the 1960s and in wild deer and elk in the early 1980s. By the mid-1990s, scientists identified the disease in several captive herds and believed it spread among captive herds when owners unknowingly exported sick animals to other states. Today, the disease is in wild deer and elk in at least 11 states. How CWD spread to wild deer in most cases is unknown. Scientists know little about how the disease transmits from animal to animal.
California is considered a low risk state for CWD due to its long-term ban on the importation of live elk, its prohibition on elk farming, and its strict monitoring of live deer importations. Because of that, DFG Wildlife Veterinarian Dr. Pam Swift said DFG believes the likely introduction of CWD would be through hunters bringing in infected carcasses.
Animals carry the disease in their nervous tissue, and California's regulation bans importing brain or spinal cord tissue from deer and elk harvested out of state, Swift said.
For more information about chronic wasting disease, visit the DFG Web site at http://www.dfg.ca.gov/hunting/deer/wasting.html, or go to http://www.cwd-info.org.
Citations to be issued this year for hunters who violate CWD rules
By JIM MATTHEWS Outdoor News Service
Big game hunters traveling out of state for fall big game seasons need to be aware of regulations relating to the importation of deer and elk carcasses back into California or face a citation at one of many check points to be run by the Department of Fish and Game this fall.
The rules, designed to prevent the introduction of chronic wasting disease (CWD) into California game herds, have been in effect since 2002, but most hunters who travel out of state are still unaware of the regulations. And while the DFG has been tolerant in the past, citations are going to be written this year for those who don't comply.
"We had a 95 percent non-compliance rate last year at our checkpoint on Interstate 15," said Mike McBride, DFG warden captain in Ontario.
McBride said a survey of big game hunters during the dove season opener showed only a 31 percent knowledge rate, which he called "disappointing."
"We don't want to write citations. We want hunters in California to protect our state's big game herds," said McBride "I'm depressed over the dove season survey, but being unaware is no longer an excuse. "What does it take to get the word out? We've had it everywhere, but I guess people don't read any more."
So the DFG has gone with a new flyer that warns hunters about getting a ticket. "Maybe the threat of a citation and fine will make them pay attention.", said McBride.
The DFG has launched a major information effort since last summer to inform hunters about the dangers of CWD to California deer and elk herds, and how they can help prevent the spread of the disease by following the 2002 law. There has been information in virtually all of the DFG's publications read by hunters -- the hunting regulations and the big game application booklet -- and material in hunting magazines, newspapers, and web sites.
After last year's check point on Interstate 15 in October, McBride said the DFG learned that virtually 100 percent of the hunters who pursued big game in other states were also California big game hunters, so getting the word out in state regulations should have reached all hunters who travel out of state.
CWD is a fatal neurological disease that has already been found in 14 states and two Canadian provinces. Passed in 2002, the CWD regulation helps protect the state's deer and elk herds by outlawing the importation of any deer and elks brain or spinal column. Noncompliance this year could result in a fine up to $1,000 and a six-month jail term, and the DFG will seize any animal believed to carry CWD.
According to the DFG regulations, only the following hunter-harvested deer and elk parts are allowed into California:
-- Boned out meat and commercially processed cuts of meat.
-- Portions of meat with no part of the spinal column or head attached .
-- Hides with no heads attached.
-- Clean skull plates (no meat or tissue attached) with antlers attached .
-- Antlers with no meat or tissue attached .
-- Finished taxidermy heads.
-- Upper canine teeth (elk buglers, whistlers, ivories).
DFG-operated checkpoints last year were at Department of Food and Agriculture inspection stations on major routes into the state. There will be even more checkpoints this year, said McBride.
"Hunters who have spent a lot of money to go out of state to hunt should be prepared to go to court and spend more money if they bring back illegal portions of deer or elk", said McBride. "The time has come to get tough against those who put California at risk from this disease."
Besides checkpoints, wardens have authority to inspect harvested game, and conduct vehicle stops once successful hunters return to California.
Although not present in California, CWD has been detected in Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. It has also been detected in the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta. Scientists have no cure for the disease, which remains resilient and has a long incubation period.
Scientists first saw CWD in captive deer and elk in the 1960s and in wild deer and elk in the early 1980s. By the mid-1990s, scientists identified the disease in several captive herds and believed it spread among captive herds when owners unknowingly exported sick animals to other states. Today, the disease is in wild deer and elk in at least 11 states. How CWD spread to wild deer in most cases is unknown. Scientists know little about how the disease transmits from animal to animal.
California is considered a low risk state for CWD due to its long-term ban on the importation of live elk, its prohibition on elk farming, and its strict monitoring of live deer importations. Because of that, DFG Wildlife Veterinarian Dr. Pam Swift said DFG believes the likely introduction of CWD would be through hunters bringing in infected carcasses.
Animals carry the disease in their nervous tissue, and California's regulation bans importing brain or spinal cord tissue from deer and elk harvested out of state, Swift said.
For more information about chronic wasting disease, visit the DFG Web site at http://www.dfg.ca.gov/hunting/deer/wasting.html, or go to http://www.cwd-info.org.
