Most deer hunters in Central New York are familiar with Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) that was found here back in 2005. As you may remember, the NYSDEC set up an exclusion zone around the Oneida area, and did extensive testing over several years in conjunction with the Department of Ag and Markets. After thousands of deer were checked, it was determined that CWD did not exist in the New York deer population, and so the monitoring, testing, and quarantine program was suspended.

CWD occurs naturally only in mule deer, white-tailed deer, moose and Rocky Mountain Elk – and very likely other subspecies of elk. Thus, there are regulations in place affecting the import of these species into our state, whether they are live (for display, breeding or to a game farm) or harvested by hunters and brought in as game meat. The regulations affected animals brought in from western states and Canadian provinces.

Recently, CWD was found in a deer population in Maryland, and the DEC has revised its CWD regulations to prohibit the importation of certain parts of white-tailed deer taken in the state of Maryland. This addendum takes effect immediately. According to Commissioner Joe Martens: “Hunters who take a deer in Maryland must butcher the animal and remove the prohibited parts before entering New York State. Most successful hunters will opt to butcher a deer and put the meat in a cooler before traveling back to New York.”

I wondered how many New York resident hunters traveled to Maryland to hunt. But through some exhaustive research, I was unable to come up with any such figure. However, at several sports shows I've attended this winter here in New York, Maryland hunting guides and outfitters were present selling their services. Interestingly, the various weapon Maryland deer hunting seasons start in early September and runs until the last day of January. With its long seasons and fairly close proximity to New York, I would think there would be quite a number of New York hunters partaking in Maryland deer hunts. So if you plan on hunting deer in Maryland next fall, please be mindful of New York’s importation regulations.

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I was headed out to Eastern Montana to hunt antelope a year ago when the outfitter told me to stay home as a new disease, called “Blue Tongue,” had hit the antelope population really hard. In speaking with John Rybinski, President of the NYS Quality Deer Management Association, he informed me that such a disease is now being found in white-tailed deer.

Recently, DEC identified an uncommon bacterial disease in a deer from Warren County. This bacterial disease does not affect humans. However, the DEC is seeking additional information to determine the prevalence of this disease in the deer herd, and is responding to reports of deer that are acting abnormally. Deer with this bacterial disease may have a swollen head, neck or brisket. They also may exhibit excessive drooling, nasal discharge or respiratory distress. To aid in this investigation, the DEC would also like to examine any deer that are found dead from unknown causes.

“One of the ways that DEC monitors the health of New York’s deer herd is by performing postmortem examinations to determine the cause of the illness or death,” said Assistant Commissioner for Natural Resources Kathleen Moser. “We depend on information provided by people who are outdoors to tell us when they see something that does not look right to them.”

The DEC is asking the public to report any instances of deer appearing sick or acting abnormally. DEC is only investigating deer that appear to have died of unknown causes and not those that were killed by a vehicle. Anyone who sees a white-tailed deer acting abnormally or who finds a dead deer that was not struck by a vehicle is asked to report the animal to the nearest DEC regional office or to an Environmental Conservation Officer or Forest Ranger.

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Unless you have been to Canada or are very lucky, odds are you have never seen a spruce grouse. The same size as our more familiar ruffed grouse, the spruce grouse has black and white feathering with a distinctive red spot on the neck area of the male. I have been lucky to view and photograph several while bear hunting in Ontario. However, I've never seen any in New York.

Come to find out, there are only a few small areas in the northwestern Adirondacks where these birds are found. So, in an effort to increase the population of spruce grouse, the DEC has recently proposed the Spruce Grouse Management Plan.

“The spruce grouse is a historic resident of New York state and represents an important and visible animal component of the boreal forest community. Conservation of the spruce grouse and the habitat in which it thrives is important to conserving New York's biodiversity and unique character,” Moser said. “Recommendations in the plan are intended to stabilize and improve the distribution and abundance of this rare bird species and ultimately increase its population.”