Michigan officials are encouraging hunters to submit deer to be tested for bovine tuberculosis.
The Department of Natural Resources wants to check Michigan’s northeastern Lower Peninsula for the respiratory disease that impacts deer and elk.
The surveillance quotas help the DNR and Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development detect bovine TB changes in free-ranging white-tailed deer.
Deer head submission by hunters is critical in meeting these quotas and managing the disease in deer and cattle. Hunters are encouraged to submit deer carcasses with chest lesions suspicious for TB from anywhere in the state.
Only about 40% of deer that test positive for bovine TB have visible lesions in the chest cavity. This means 60% that test positive show no sign of the disease, which is why the DNR strongly encourages those hunting in counties with a history of bovine TB to have their deer tested.
Every year, at least 300 heads need to be collected from Cheboygan, Crawford, Iosco, Ogemaw, Otsego, Presque Isle and Roscommon counties.
A total of at least 2,800 heads need to be collected each year from Alcona, Alpena, Montmorency and Oscoda counties.
Hunters should be prepared to wait about a month for bovine TB test results, especially during the firearm deer season, when sample volume is high.
This story was originally written by Ronnie Das on November 20th, 2019 at 07:08 PM EST for WLNS..
