Sports

Deer hunters whet their appetites

By Dick Nelson

The long awaited big game hunting season opened across the Southern Tier on Saturday and, unlike previous years, there seemed to be more hunters in the woods. The reason for the surge can be attributed to a number of reasons: the new Saturday opener, the influx of more junior hunters and the high cost of food being three of them.

It was probably no different in your neck of the woods, then from where I and other hunters were staked out. Shots rang out long before the legal sunrise to sunset shooting time, only this time there seemed to be more of them.

I’ve often wondered why some hunter’s jump the gun, and how many of those shots fired in the eerie early light actually hit the intended target; or in a worse case scenario, another hunter.

Seems to me the sunrise to sunset shooting regulations were established for a reason.

In any event, the season opened under a cloud of light rain (heavier as the day progress) and morning temperatures hovering around 57 degrees.

Now while that was great weather for stalking, on opening day most hunters sit and wait for deer to come to them, which was not so great for anyone not wearing rain gear.

Still, some hunters managed to fill their tag. George Holloway nailed a nifty 10 pointer about 15 minutes into the season, which is about the same time Mike Connolly dropped a six. Both managing to get out of the woods before the rain got heavier.

But in some Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) rain wasn’t the only thing deer hunters were concerned about. In all or parts of WMUs 4T, 4U and 4Z (all in Columbia County), the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) in cooperation with the state Department of Agriculture and Markets and the USDA Animal and Plant Inspection Service is seeking hunter cooperation as the agency looks for signs of Bovine Tuberculosis (TB) within those WMUs.

The study is being conducted following the discovery of TB during routine Ag and Markets testing in which one fallow deer tested positive for the disease at a Ghent deer farm.

The deer was subsequently euthanized, but according to DEC Fish and Wildlife Specialist Nancy Imhof, the presence of TB in this captive deer herd could threaten the health of wild deer populations, as well as the health of nearby domestic animal populations.

Speaking to a delegation of Columbia County Sportsmen last Monday, Imhof said DEC wildlife biologists have been and will continue to examine and collect samples from both road-killed and hunter-harvested deer in and around Columbia County to be sure the infection has not spread to New York's wild deer population.

As she distributed written information on the subject, Imhof urged hunters or others who handle deer to take basic precautions, such as wearing protective gloves when field dressing deer and minimizing exposure to blood and other body fluids.

“When field dressing deer, hunters should be alert to abscesses in the lungs and rib cage, intestines, liver or stomach,” she said, adding that anyone seeing these signs or other unusual lesions in deer to contact the DEC at 518-402-8965.

Meanwhile the state Department of Health reports that while strains of TB affecting deer can be transmitted to humans, there is no evidence of such in this situation.

Sporadic outbreaks of TB have occurred since it was eradicated with the last case in cattle detected in 1992 and the last case in captive deer detected in 1995. Due to the limitations of current TB tests, depopulation of animals in infected herds is the only long term strategy to contain the disease, and was applied both in 1992 and 1995 when the disease was successfully contained and eliminated.

However, the owner of the deer farm where the infected deer was discovered has taken legal steps to prevent the depopulation of his herd.

Another hot topic affecting deer hunters is the use of lead bullets. According to a study conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) there is a correlation between eating venison shot with lead bullets and increased levels of lead in your blood.

Undertaken in May 2008 for the North Dakota Department of Health (NDDoH), the report stated that people who ate a lot of wild game tended to have higher lead levels than those who ate little or none. The study also showed that the more recent the consumption of wild game harvested with lead bullets, the higher the level of lead in the blood.

Loaded with that information, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) issued a press release calling for a nationwide ban on lead ammunition.

However as the United States Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA) emphatically pointed out, the report found that while the levels of lead in the blood of those tested who were frequent consumers of wild game taken with traditional, lead ammunition appeared to be somewhat higher than those not consuming wild game, none had levels approaching those that would be of concern to the CDC. In fact, in its own press releases, NDDoH indicated food pantries could continue accepting venison, provided the meat was appropriately processed.

According to USSA Senior Vice President Rick Story, “HSUS should stop hyperventilating and actually read the report since it makes clear that the average level of lead in the people tested is actually lower than the level of the average American. That fact completely undermines its call for banning traditional ammo.”

On the other hand, anyone concerned about the finding can use alternative projectiles such as the Barnes TSX copper bullet, or the Nosler E-Tip non-toxic bullet.

Speaking of venison consumption processor Mike Tate, called to say he’s back in the area, and will be butchering deer through the remainder of the season. Tate, who specializes in special processing such as breakfast and hot and sweet sausage, kielbasa, salami and other special cuts, said he is thinking of adding a smoke house. Tate can be reached at 518-969-5681.

News and Notes: New York State Rifle and Pistol Association Legislative Vice President Jacob Rieper reports that while successful deer hunters were basking in their opening day success, incoming Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith was the featured guest speaker at the NYC League of Humane Voters annual banquet on Saturday. What he said should give you some idea as to how the state Senate will be voting in 2009.

* The Coxsackie Sportsmen's Club, will be conducting a free Junior Civilian Marksmanship Program on Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. Open to youngsters ages 14-17, participants will receive instruction in firearm safety and marksmanship. According to Jim Lee, the club will also provide single shot target rifles, ammunition and all the necessary safety equipment. Registration by a parent of guardian is mandatory. For more information call Pete at 518-756-1707 or Bob at 518-945-3639. The club is located at 99 Reservoir Road, New Baltimore.

Dropping anchor ‘til next time.

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