Uncategorized
Deer harvested in special disease management hunt in south-central Montana
Published
6 years agoon
Posted By
Outlaw PartnersBy Jessianne Wright EBS Contributor
BOZEMAN – After chronic wasting disease was found this fall in five mule deer and one whitetail deer in south-central Montana, state wildlife officials have authorized a special management hunt south of Billings that began Dec. 15 with more than 100 deer harvested in the first weekend.
CWD is a progressive, fatal neurological disease that affects deer, elk and moose. The disease was found in Montana for the first time this fall after more than 1,000 samples were taken from harvested deer, elk and moose as a part of a special surveillance effort due to the disease’s presence in Wyoming, North and South Dakota, Saskatchewan and Alberta.
“It’s not only a problem, it’s a huge problem,” said Bob Gibson, Region 5 information and education manager for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. “It’s always fatal. It’s a real slow-moving disease geographically … but it’s persistent.” The disease is caused by a prion—or an infectious protein—which is believed to remain in the soil for years.
As one of the first steps in managing the outbreak, the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission approved a management harvest known as the Bridger Special Chronic Wasting Disease Hunt. Officials believe the hunt, which spans 1,200 square miles south of Laurel, will aid in determining the prevalence and distribution of CWD, which is critical information for managers as they plan for long-term disease management in the region.
“There’s really nothing we can do for each deer,” Gibson said, adding that there are no vaccines or medications. “All we can do is manage.”
Depending on the test results from the deer harvested during the surveillance hunt, officials may consider increasing hunting opportunities in order to decrease the density of deer “so there are fewer nose to nose contacts,” Gibson said, explaining that the disease is transmitted by direct contact. They might also try to limit congregation areas, perhaps by helping to fence haystacks.
In addition to the six deer found positive south of Billings, an additional mule deer buck shot about 30 miles north of Chester, near the Canadian border, tested positive for chronic wasting disease this fall. On Dec. 21, the day after EBS went to press, the commission held a conference call to authorize a special CWD hunt in district 401 on the Canadian border between Sweet Grass and Shelby.
Licenses went on sale for the special Bridger hunt on Dec. 11 at 5 a.m. online, and within three hours all 1,200 licenses had been sold. Officials have established a quota of 200 whitetail and 200 mule deer and the season will be halted or extended depending on how quickly the quotas are met. The special hunt is slated to end Feb. 15.
“There is a very high interest in this,” Gibson said. “The bulk of the people who got the tags are people who are concerned about their way of life here.”
All successful hunters are required to submit their animal for CWD sampling, either at the check station in Joliet or at the FWP Region 5 headquarters in Billings. Hunters have 72 hours from harvest to submit the animal for sampling, and test results are expected two to three weeks after they’ve been taken.
FWP has also established a transport restriction zone within Yellowstone and Carbon counties to limit the possibility of CWD-positive carcasses moving outside the general area of the hunt. Whole carcasses, heads and spinal columns are not to leave the area.
While CWD has not been shown to affect people or animals outside of the deer family, the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend not consuming animals that are infected with CWD.
For more information about FWP’s response to this CWD outbreak, visit fwp.mt.gov/cwd.
The Outlaw Partners is a creative marketing, media and events company based in Big Sky, Montana.
Upcoming Events
april, 2024
Event Type :
All
All
Arts
Education
Music
Other
Sports
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before 9/10/2024:
more
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before
9/10/2024: Kindergarten
enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year can be completed by following the
registration process now.
Children
born on or after September 11, 2019: 4K enrollment is now open for
families that have a 4-year-old they would like to enroll in our program for
the 2023-2024 school year. Please complete the 4K Interest Form to
express your interest. Completing this form does not guarantee enrollment into
the 4K program. Enrollment is capped at twenty 4-year-olds currently
residing within Big Sky School District boundary full time and will be
determined by birth date in calendar order of those born on or after September
11, 2018. Interest form closes on May 30th.
Enrollment now is critical for fall preparations. Thank you!
Time
February 26 (Monday) - April 21 (Sunday)
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm We will combine the heart-opening powers of cacao with the transcendental powers of breathwork and sound. Together, these practices will give us the opportunity for a deep
more
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm
Time
March 23 (Saturday) 6:00 pm - April 23 (Tuesday) 8:00 pm
Location
Santosha Wellness Center
169 Snowy Mountain Circle
Event Details
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a
more
Event Details
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a limited palette to create different color combinations? Are you tired of carrying around 15-20 different tubes when you paint plein air? Have you ever wanted to create a certain “mood” in a painting but failed? Do you create a lot of mud? Do you struggle to achieve color harmony? All these problems are addressed in John’s workbook in clear and concise language!
Based on the bestselling “Limited Palatte, Unlimited Color” workbook written by John Pototschnik, the workshop is run by Maggie Shane and Annie McCoy, accomplished landscape (acrylic) and plein air (oil) artists,exhibitors at the Big Sky Artists’ Studio & Gallery and members of the Big Sky Artists Collective.
Each student will receive a copy of “Limited Palette, Unlimited Color” to keep and take home to continue your limited palette journey. We will show you how to use the color wheel and mix your own clean mixtures to successfully create a mood for your paintings.
Each day, we will create a different limited palette color chart and paint a version of a simple landscape using John’s directives. You will then be able to go home and paint more schemes using the book for guidance.
Workshop is open to painters (oil or acrylic) of any level although students must have some basic knowledge of the medium he or she uses. Students will be provided the book ($92 value), color wheel, value scale and canvas papers to complete the daily exercises.
Sundays, April 14, 21 and 28, 2024
Noon until 6PM.
$170.
Time
14 (Sunday) 12:00 pm - 28 (Sunday) 6:00 pm
Event Details
Everyone is invited to join us in celebrating 2 years of arts education in the BASE Art Studio with us! Take a tour
Event Details
Everyone is invited to join us in celebrating 2 years of arts education in the BASE Art Studio with us! Take a tour of the studio, meet our instructors, and meet other artists of all levels in our community. We’ll be getting creative and you’ll have the chance to make your very own artful button pin.
Stick around for our Volunteer Appreciation and Social beginning at 6:30 p.m.!
Time
(Thursday) 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Location
BASE
285 Simkins Dr