With deer season under way, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources reminds hunters that there are regulation changes in Shiawassee, Clinton and Ingham counties due to the confirmation of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Ingham County. A short video has been created to outline these important changes.
To recap: *All deer feeding and baiting is prohibited within Shiawassee, Clinton and Ingham counties. *All deer harvested in the following townships must be checked at a DNR check station within 72 hours of harvest: Alaiedon, Bath, Delhi, Dewitt, Lansing, Meridian, Wheatfield, Williamstown and Woodhull townships. *Removal of deer or any part of a carcass from the Core CWD Area is prohibited unless the head has been submitted to a check station in the Core Area.
*Once the head has been submitted for testing, the carcass may be taken to a processor or taxidermist. *Deboned meat, antlers, antlers with skull (clean of all brain and muscle tissue) and hides are approved for transporting out of the Core CWD Area as long as the head has been submitted.
DNR check stations within the Core CWD Area are located at: *Rose Lake Field Office, 8903 E. Stoll Road, East Lansing, 48823. *DNR Lansing Customer Service Center, 4166 Legacy Parkway, Lansing, 48842. *Williamstown Township Hall, 4990 Zimmer Road, Williamston, 48895. Check station hours can be found at mi.gov/cwd.
After the head is submitted, if CWD is detected, the hunter will be notified by phone. If CWD is not found, test results will be posted online at mi.gov/dnrlab within five to seven days of submission.
**When field-dressing deer, hunters may want to take additional precautions: *Wear rubber gloves.
*Minimize the handling of brain and spinal tissues.
*Wash hands and equipment thoroughly after field-dressing is completed. *Avoid consuming brain, spinal cord, eyes, spleen, tonsils and lymph nodes of harvested animals.
CWD is a disease affecting the central nervous system of cervids (deer, elk and moose). CWD can be spread by direct contact between animals or by contact of bodily fluids from infected animals, and it is always fatal.
More information on CWD, including weekly testing updates and a list of deer processors taking deer from the CWD Management Zone, is available at mi.gov/cwd.
