Tagged: deer

It’s been a while since Jeff Lampe turned on his windshield wipers. But even on a rainy day like this it’s easy to see the toll the drought has taken on his land.

The Missouri Conservation Department says it has been getting reports of hundreds of dead deer around the state.

The agency says the deer appear to have fallen victim to hemorrhagic disease, which is spread by the bites of the small midge fly.

As of mid-September, the department had received reports of about 2,800 dead deer, with the disease being the suspected cause.

The department says outbreaks of hemorrhagic disease tend to increase during droughts, when deer and flies both congregate near the diminished number of watering spots.

Missouri deer hunters who head out during the fall season are being asked to help the state determine the spread of chronic wasting disease, especially in northern counties.

The Department of Conservation will take tissue samples from Sept. 15 through Jan. from deer killed in Adair, Chariton, Linn, Macon, Randolph and Sullivan counties. Hunters are asked to take their deer to collection points that will be set up in those areas.

Joe Jerek is a spokesperson for the MDC. He says it’s easy for hunters to get samples and it’s crucial to the MDC’s containment efforts.

The Missouri Conservation Commission has stopped issuing permits for new big-game hunting and breeding facilities that hold white-tailed or mule deer.

Officials say the goal is to help protect deer from fatal chronic wasting disease, a contagious illness that attacks the nervous system.

Officials have scheduled a series of open houses in north-central Missouri to discuss a disease that's fatal to deer.

The Missouri Department of Conservation will hold six public meetings this month in towns near areas where chronic wasting disease has been found. The events will include presentations on the disease and actions that have been taken to prevent its spread.

Missouri conservation officials are holding a public meeting Saturday to discuss a disease affecting deer in the northern part of the state.