Public Health Awareness: A Fox Parasite.

Remember This: Parasites are like computer hackers. They get in, get what they want and really work you over before they are done. Some you can treat; others stay like family come to visit that don't know how to leave.

After roaming the woods, working in an animal hospital and the extreme sport of getting myself into trouble, my doctor is treating me now with medication directed at would be interlopers into my system. I wondered after years of beating my head into the brick wall of medicine,  given my previous animal related history, no one listened? Finally, someone did and he's a pretty smart MD. I bring this up to merely remind you not to scare you.

I got to thinking,  as a stab at public awareness for all those that hunt, to spotlight a nasty bugger.

Enter Echinoccoccs multilocularis.

Personal story #1:

Two different clients came to the office I was employed at. The first client exhibited a sickly cat. Out of it fell this thick fleshed, white tightly segmented parasite. For all intents and purposes,  looked like a monster tapeworm. It was placed in a red-topped blood tube with formalin and placed in the refrigerator. At this time, the veterinarian who saw this in the litter pan,  stepped back and looked like he had smelled the worst pile of manure ever dropped out an animal. "That is a fox tapeworm." By his actions, I determined this was like nuclear waste. A massive cleaning in the spirit of OCD proportions was carried out by staff.  We didn't want that parasite. Said parasite was shipped off to the State laboratory for testing and confirmed as a fox parasite.

Second client came in with a dog and a stool sample in a clear plastic bag with a UFO (unidentified fecal object). The same reaction followed of intensive cleaning. We were happy that both animals did not get a chance to defecate on our lawn, thereby transmitting this little gremlin.

Hopefully no one got infected through cross contamination.

I got to thinking about all the times I have seen people dressing out animals. Some rupture the gut through misplaced shots, the dogs ripping the animal (fox) open, or pick through a carcass, found dead or scraped off the road for that night's dinner. Let's face it,  there are people with morbid curiosity and ghoulish ways when crossing the path of a situation where they may not get the chance again, will poke around into the unknown, contrary to personal harm. We all do it. Reminded me of Chunk of Goonies fame when he yells to Mikey, "Dead things, Mikey. Dead things!"

These same hunters/huntresses will half-heartedly wipe their faces while dressing out to scratch an unconscious itch, remove sweat, or finger around in the body cavity. This unconscious action moves closer and closer to the eyes and the mouth, which are oral entry ways for parasites and disease. I don't even want to go there thinking about bloody fingers and someone eating uncooked meat, safe or not. It's human nature, I guess.

On the other hand, lets consider those hunters that keep scat collections. Hopefully,  you had someone put that literal crap in a autoclave after it petrified to kill whatever was in it or at least a plastic container lined with 60 cc syringes and filled minutely with Formalin and closed for several days. (Trust me on this. Make sure you get someone to test a sample to see if you left it in long enough.)
Otherwise every time you handle the scat you are at risk,  if you're not already repeatedly infecting yourself. 

If the Fox defecates on the ground, then a wild boar comes rooting through, there you go: up the ole pie hole.  Now the wild boar has it. At another time and incident, you could have a person walking through the woods eating off the land: berries, dandelions, and root tubers. Oooops. Infestation. On another occasion, you could have a family pet playing with their food and eating a rat. Gotcha again, then the cat uses the litter pan, which you clean. I can't recall Haz-mat suits being sold at Wal-mart because a lot of time the OB-GYN will only tell you about Trichomonas possibly infecting pregnant women. Another scenario is the hunter picking up scat for closer inspection while saying, "It looks like fox crap to me."

Think of all the ways this could come visit you at your door.

Personal Story #2:

Had a co-worker come down sick at the animal hospital. We will call her June.  June went to her doctor only to find that she had this case of Pseudomonas which had lodged itself in her sinus. 

June was a poor example of washing her hands and she was always snotting and wiping her nose. After coming back from her doctor with a confirmation, she thought to test all her animals. She had 3-4 horses, ~5 dogs, and a house cat. All of them were positive. All were administered a medicinal regime including Old June. June couldn't take time off because of the demands of her boss and job. She had to come to work sick, potentially infecting us all, and wearing a Picc line, which is a peripheral inserted central catheter that fed her medicine. It was like someone walking around pushing an IV pole except she could hide it on her person. This was what I called 'extreme fucking over of your employee'. I hated it for June; her personal problems aside. I was also considering the erroneous attitude the doctor had at bullying June into potentially infecting the other patients, clients, and staff. She touched everything. In the above personal story June was no longer with us.

Personal story 3#:
A well meaning citizen brought in a sick red fox. When I got to work, the other worker applied an intravenous catherter while medicating and giving fluids to this sick fox. I walked in and thought, "Oh Shit. Tapeworms/rabies? Take your pick." The doctor finally showed up and found out about the fox.  He directed them to euthanize it. While declaring stupidity among those few that had done such works, the doctor himself did not feel the need to have the head tested by DHEC, which is done at no cost as a public service.  This service caters to any animal found to be suspicous of carrying the Rabies disease.

Here I report,  Veterinary medicine is filled with true professionals, given the quality of the practice. Which at times is not perfect,  but then there are places that make you question the belief in God, the Anti-Christ and the fact someone in Psychology missed their calling to study the mentality of people working in this particular field.


Here you have two incidences, where you could have contamination or infestation. Think about it.This is just examples that can happen at a job. Imagine if you are at leisure.

My understanding it is worse in Europe but researchers cry foul with lack of money, so who knows for sure at any given place just how prevalent things are.

As an example I jumped in the Scientific Time Machine and visited a poster presentation written in 2008 entitled, Wild life surveillance on Echinococcus multilocularis in Sweden written by Birgitta Andersson, Bodil Christensson, Susanne Johasson, Eva O Lind, and Göran  Zakrisson.
Here is the link:
www.actavetscand.com/content/pdf/1751-0147-52-S1-S10.pdf

There are several good examples of information here:
http://www.actavetscand.com/search/results?terms=Echinococcus%20multilocularis

Here this poster is saying the Swedish government is paying for investigations into the existance of this parasite.

The facts:

2007

• 245 red foxes shot by local hunters from different parts of Sweden. (Potential contamination/infestation). These harvests are not done in a localized area.
• Carcasses are placed in -80 degrees Celsius/week before sampling using coproantigen ELISA testing.
• 48 positive Fox and 28 additional specimens randonly selected were examined by sedimentation technique.

Results:

• 48 Foxes out of 245 were positive for Echinococcus sp. by the coproantigen Elisa.
• The Sedimentation technique was negative. (Using both positive and randomly selected individuals).

When ever a sedimentation procedure was done in our office we, used free feces. Older feces is not embraced because parasites have an odd way of migrating into soil around the area where the feces is deposited. You could think of dropping a stone in water. Once the stone hits the water there is an outerward wake. This wake is equal to the migration of parasites larvae from the feces.  That could go for some distance and it's hard to kill them even with burning,  depending on what parasite, nematode, or X factor you have.

When I was reading this, I saw where the sedimentation was not positive. That might have something to do with treatment of the carcass. What is in the bowel may die versus the samples needed for the ELISA, which is two different procedural tests. Sedimentation studies also depend on solute to solution percents and if they are mixed properly or you would have non-flotation or rupture of the eggs.

At this point, you can agree, always be careful with what you are handling.

Ways to avoid:

• Research and Read. Libraries give out library cards at low rates with free computer access.
• Don't touch it.  Cat's only have nine lives. You may not be a cat.
• Learn how to wash your hands like a professional.
• Get a professional to remove the carcass for testing or removal.
• In the South, people would  put gas on it and strike a match to watch the pretty colors of the flames.
• Wash all your fruit, vegetables, and berries.
• Don't eat and browse in the woods because it looks clean and uninfested. Your eyes are not electron microsopes or even 50X microscopes. Birds poop from the sky all the time; a statue can vouch for that.
• Buy surgical gloves or dish washing gloves. Use these when cleaning litter pans, dog poop, or gardening. (I have known clients to wash their cat pan right in their house sink and put the cat pan on the counter where their dinner is displayed. I can confirm: I don't eat anything they cook or stay long.)
• Take your prized pet/hunting dog to the Veterinarian for a yearly, semi-yearly check, vaccinations, diagnostic tests, and deworming/treatment.
• Go to the doctor when you show signs or feel you may have picked up a parasite. Don't wait for it to breed in your entrails like the Alien baby, to burst out your chest or float by in your eyeball juices (i. e. loa loa).
• Educate yourself.

Now when you read your hunting dog a bed time story before you go to bed at night ask yourself this:    
Have I done enough to keep my prized hunting dog parasite free?
Have I took precautions to keep myself parasite free?

Always be on guard and don't touch that shit.

Written by W Harley Bloodworth

~Courtesy of the AOFH~

Google these links for further reading :

(read on page 295-298:)
http://books.google.com/books?id=g_tBWVBevM0C&pg=PA297&lpg=PA297&dq=fecal+sedimentation+techniques&source=bl&ots=V6OeSumg5v&sig=k_PhiFKYVHkEHDrl9ZtMeGYYJwE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=fSxRUdm6MIfi0gHe-YC4DQ&ved=0CDwQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=fecal%20sedimentation%20techniques&f=false

http://www.mabtech.com/Main/Page.asp?PageId=26

http://www.biobest.co.uk/diagnostics/techniques/elisa-how-does-the-test-work.html

Interesting links to Scientific Research and General facts:
http://www.actavetscand.com/content/52/S1/S10
http://www.thefoxwebsite.org/disease/diseaserisks.html

Keystone XL Pipeline and Wildlife: Investigative Huntress Reports.

Remember this: As a hunter, when there is a potential threat to the quarry you hunt, find out what is at stake to disappear, or lower your standard of hunting. No quarry, no hunt.

With this post I am using this link as sourced material:
http://keystonepipeline-xl.state.gov/draftseis/index.htm

The whole purpose of this blog is to investigate hunting issues or concerns. The theme of hunting is born out of the realization that to hunt you need quarry, areas to hunt, necessary tools, and compromised/uncompromised conditions. What if there existed a foreseeable question as to the health, welfare, and longevity of one of those attributes? Mainly quarry. 

What hunter/huntress would not want to have a vested interest in that topic? Here you have the opportunity to join up with non-hunters that believe that wildlife, habitat and your environment is worth safe-guarding. There are no enemies here. What you do is let the world know your concerns that way if someone in the XL pipeline sector doesn't keep up their maintenance schedule, or overseeing the line they can't cry foul. I question what person wants to go down in history as the 'most hated president' either but we have had some real contenders for that title. 

The above photo illustrates there is an existing pipeline from Canada at Winnepeg, but after the pipeline generates itself out of Calgary's area that would mean the pipeline from Calgary to Winnepeg could be closed because why have two pipelines pumping to the same destination? If that pipeline were to close that would mean that Canada would have less ground line for the pipeline if something were to happen excluding the damage in the Tar Sands Region. 

Even if the Enbridge Northern Gateway (which in this is proposed and I have yet to check) doesn't go through that would mean most of the transfer across country would be done on American soil at TransCanadian benefit. If that is the case maybe they should be getting charged for that so we can pay off our national debt? Either way if TransCanada's faux oil pipeline ship should run afoul on American soil will there be any restitution for the damage to our once pristine land while Canada doesn't suffer other than the damage it has already done to itself or monetarily?

Can you imagine if some kind of war broke out and someone opened a match on that thing to watch it burn a line across America? Love speculation. What better way to screw a country by dividing it with a pipeline? An unassuming bomb? Interesting or as Johnny Cash put it 'Ring of Fire' which could do a loop back to Winipeg from Alberta.

With this post I wanted to disclose which quarry would be in trouble if things were to go South on any given part of the Keystone XL oil pipeline.  Mind you wildlife does not have any concept of boundaries. Wildlife has no concept of legal ownership through survey of a piece of property that is registered at the tax office by a citizen.

In the section in the link 4.6.3.1 Big Game Species it is as quoted, "Construction of the proposed Project could impact hunter success rates with the Project area. Hunting could be adversely affected due to construction activities ocurring during hunting seasons, primarily due to the displacement of big game animals from construction and noise disturbances. Once the proposed pipeline is constructed, harvest rates could potentially increase after construction because of increased access by hunters using the pipeline ROW to access remote areas (Comer 1983). In addition, big game species that use a cleared ROW could be more likely to be hunted than animals in forested habitat. Increased hunting along cleared ROWs in the fall hunting season has been documented elsewhere (Crabtree 1984)."

If this is likely then it makes it to easy to hunt an animal because you are sitting on a pipeline which could result into a barrier to fence them in thereby possibly obliterating 'fair chase'. On the other hand if human disturbance stresses out the slow breeders then there might be some concern with taking animals during a season due to low birth rates. Something to consider.

Big Game Animals Possibly affected:
Pronghorn Antelope
Bighorn Sheep
Elk (as of the time of this impact study it was noted there was a re-establishment program going on) in Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska.
American Bison (States that there is no free-ranging bion in the propsed Project route.)
Mule Deer
Whitetail Deer

Note quoted on Big Game Species 4.6.3.1 from above link:

"Construction activities could result in increased agitation, physiological stress, and use of sub-optimal habitat. Animals can become physiologically stressed when energy expenditures increase due to alarm or behavioral avoidance (Lutz et al. 2011). These responses are often attributed to interactions with humans or activities associated with human presence such as traffic and noise. Physiological stress diverts time and energy away from critical activities such as foraging and resting, both of which are important to maintain or improve fitness (Gill et al 1995,  Frid and Dill 2002).
Construction of the proposed Project may alter migration routes and displace wildlife from preferred habitats (Sawyer et al. 2006) by creating barriers that hinder migration and use of these  habitats (Sawyer et al. 2009)" 

"In the northern portions of their range, white-tailed deer, mule deer and elk may aggregate or yard during winter in stream bottoms, on south-facing slopes, or in other areas where snow accumulations are reduced. In Nebraska, where the proposed pipeline ROW has been modified to avoid the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality-identified Sand Hills Region, white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, and pronghorn are principal big game animals that occur along the proposed Project route."

"The proposed Project has been designed to avoid impacts to many state and federally managed areas within the vicinity of the Project area. In Nebraska, all state-managed Wildlife Management Areas that provide protected habitats for wildlife have been avoided. These areas are all more than 500 feet from the proposed Project centerline."

I sat back and pondered thoughtfully if Ranger X was going to go out and sit the Wildlife down and explain to them that there will be no migration off of Wildlife Managed Areas. I wondered to myself does a Bison or an Elk really understand the '500 yard rule'? I then wondered in what land I was walking because I then contrived if the oil should come out of that pipe was there a command that TransCanada had taught pipeline oil to 'stay put there on the ground and not move'?

Moving on.

Below is a list of assorted animals. Glance down through it and see if you hunt any of these.

Small game and furbearers:
Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus)
Mountain Cottontail (Sylvilagus muttallii)
Coyote (Canis Latrans) ~on the fence with this one.
Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana)
Raccoon (Procyon lotor)
Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)
Squirrel (Sciurus spp.)
American Beaver (Castor canadensis)
American Mink (Neovision vision)
Least Weasel (Mustela nivalis)
American Badger (Taxidea taxus)
Black Tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus)
Bobcat (Lynx rufus)
Common muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus)
Desert Cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii)
Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus)
Eastern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger)
Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)
Eastern spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius)
Franklin's ground squirrel (Spermophilus franklinii)
Gray fox (Urocyon vinereoargenteus)
Long tailed weasel (Mustela nivalis)
Mink (Mustela vision)
Nutria (Myocaster coypus)
North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum)
River Otter (Lontra canadensis)
Spotted Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus spilisoma)
Souther Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys volans)
Striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis)
Thirteen-lined ground squirrel (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus)
Virginia opossum (Dipelphis virginiana)
White-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus townsendii)

Small game and furbearers would suffer:
Nest/burrow destruction
Abandonment
Loss of young
Foraging/Cover habitat
Displacement
Could fall into open trench during pipeline construction causing injury or death
Could be attracted by change in ground temperature


Birds Possibly Affected :
Hawks
Eagles
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Ducks/Geese
Chimney Swift
Nighthawks
Plovers Killdeer
Gulls, Terns
Sandpipers, Snipe, Woodcock
Dovers
Belted Kingfisher
Cuckoos
Kestrels, Merlins, Falcons
Common Loon
Northern Bobwhite
Upland Game Birds (Pheasants, Grouse, Turkey)
Cranes
Coots and Rails
Rock Pigeon
Snow Goose
Sharped Tailed Grouse
Northern Bobwhite
Greater sage-grouse
gray patridge
Mourning dove
American woodcock

Migratory and Non-Migratory birds affected by:
Destruction of nesting area
Nest or burrow abandonment
loss of eggs or young
death
Habitat loss
Alteration
Fragmentation
Degradation of habitat after revegetation due to spread of noxious and invasive species, noise, or human presence.
Communication pump stations tower collisions/guy wires

Possible Fish Affected:
Brown trout
Mountain Whitefish
Rainbow Trout
Burbot
Channel Catfish
Smallmouth Vass
Walleye
Crappie
Sauger
Shovelnose sturgeon
Sunfish
Yellow Perch
Bait fish

I also wanted to see what this draft stated were the Environmental Consequences of construction, operation, maintenance, and decommissioning of the proposed project: Page was left blank. Why? Its a draft come on. We want to know.

I read the Potential Impacts on Wildlife in Section 4.6.3.1:
"Construction of proposed Project would have direct and indirect, and temporary (short-term and long-term) and permanent impacts on wildlife resources. Direct impacts could occur due to the vegetation removal or conversion, obstructions to movement patterns, or the removal of native habitats that may be used for foraging, nesting, roosting, or other wildlife uses. (Barber et al. 2010). Indirect impacts to wildlife are difficult to quantify and are dependent on the sensitivity of  the species, individual, type and timing of activity, physical paramters (e. g. cover, climate, and topography) and seasonal use patterns of the species (Berger 2003). Short term impacts on wildlife would occur during construction and may extend beyond construction activities. Disturbed habtitat may not be returned to former levels of functionality for up to 3 years following restoration efforts (Baun 1998), but long-term impacts on wildlife could extend through the life of a projcet and possibly longer for those habitats that require many years to be restored (Harju et al. 2013). Permanent impacts would result from construction of aboveground facilities that convert natural habitat to land used for pipeline operations, and where operational maintenance of the right-of way (ROW) permanently alters vegetation characteristics (Braun 1998).
The proposed Project could affect wildlife resources through the following:

• Habitat loss, alteration and fragmentation;
• Direct mortality during construction and operation;
• Indirect mortality because of stress or avoidance of feeding due to exposure to construction and operations noise, low-level helicopter or airplane monitoring overflights, and from increased human activity;
• Reduced breeding success from exposure to construction and operations noise and from increased human activity; and
• Reduced survival or reproduction due to less edible plants or reduced cover."

Listed of the Disturbances:
(~12, 696 acres of various habitat)
7744 acres of grassland/rangeland
40 acres of upland forest habitat
636 acres of wetland habitat
58 acres of forested wetlands
156 miles--150 temporary access roads
20 miles-41 permanent access roads.
80 acres each---*Building four or more construction camps
6.3 acres of grassland and developed land for a pump Station in N. Dakota
15.2 acres of grassland for a pump station in Kansas.
X amount-Pubic lands
X amount-Private lands
29 acres of forested wetlands converted to non-forested habitat due to ongoing ROW maintenance.
X amount -Access roads that increase human activity that affect Elk, Moose, Deer, Carnivores, small mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles (people do love to eat rattlesnake).
Slow-growing sagebrush inhibited by increased foraging by wildlife for browse.
Loss of shrubland and wooded habitat which moose and other animals eat.
High noise levels at site pumps which can mask wildlife communication whereby impuning reproduction during breeding seasons.
Nest abandonment
Decreased wildlife reproduction.
Vibrations detected in the soil surrounding roadways or construction
~285 acres of undeveloped habitat permanently lost due to construction of aboveground facilities
 Now I read this but near the end it says that "total habitat loss due to the pipeline construction would likely be small in the context of available habitat because of its linear nature. Restoration is suppose to follow construction with reseeding but areas of native vegetation could be converted to non-native species which could reduce the value of habitat for wildlife."

Moving on to Fragmentation.

"Fragmentation of wildlife habitat would result from the proposed Project. Fragmentation is the splitting of a large continuous expanse of habitat into numerous smaller patches of habitat with a smaller total habit area, and isolation within a matrix of habitats that are unlike the original (Wilcove et al. 1986). Habitat fragmentation has two components:
1)reduction in total habitat area;
and
2) reorganization of areas into isolated patches (Fahrig 2003.)
Habitat loss generally has adverse effets on biodiverity; fragmentation typically has a lower magnitude effect (realtive to habitat loss) that may be either beneficial or adverse (Fahrig 2003).
The effects of habitat fragmentation are dependent on many variables including original habitat structure, landscape context, predator communities, and susceptibility to nest parasitism (Tesksbury et al. 1998) Habitat fragmentation effects are typically most pronounced in forested and shrubland habitats and are generally reduced for pipeline corridors because of their wides can be narrowed in sensitive habitats, vegetative cover is re-established in temporary working areas, and there is minimal human disturbance during operations (Hinkle et al. 2002) During construction, however, pipelines can be significant barriers to wildlife movements (Hinkle et al. 2002). After construction, pipeline corricdors may be used as travel corridors by coyotes, deer, raccoon, and many other species.  The following are wildlife habitat fragmentation issues relevant for pipeline construction and operation:

• Reduction in patch size of remaining available habitats;
• Creation of edge effects;
• Creation of barriers to movement
• Intrustion of invasive plants, animals and nest parasites;
• Facilitation of predator movements;
• Habitat disturbance; and
• Intrusion of humans (Hinkle et al. 2002).

Pipeline construction would remove vegetation including native grasses, shrubs, and trees creating an unvegetated strip over the pipeline trench and the adjacent constrution areas.

Subsequent re-vegetation may not provide habitat features comparable to pre-Project habitats, and restoration of wetlands in arid regions is not always successful (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [FERC] 2004). Removal of vegetation increases the potential for the establishment and spread of noxious weeds and other invasive plants that have little use or value for wildlife and that displace native plants, resulting in degraded wildlife habitat values."

I stopped there because I don't believe in spoon feeding people but as you can see when in consideration for the encompassing conditions of a pipeline that affect the quarry that pipeline could affect the hunter/huntress and hunting act itself.

In each state and amongst hunters/huntresses in the hunting community there is a public declaration of how much revenue the hunting sport puts back in the system of conservation toward pubic lands, private lands, wildlife refuges, wetlands, state parks, natural resources, research, habitat restoration, animal specie monitoring and welfare and jobs for people.

Where is all that going to go in the face of a series of explosions?

I would contend that every hunter/huntress should pick up a pen and paper or e-mail President Obama himself to tell him about your feelings on this. I dare not tell you what you should say. You have a mind, the power of google, initiative and where-with-all to decide if this is worth a sack of egg sucking  chicken killing dogs.

Whereby the power of your conviction for hunting is aided and abeded by non hunters with the same goal even if the motive is different. The outcome will be the same.

If you so desire to pen your feelings you can find our good man President Obama at this website and address:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact

Choose in the right hand column: Write us. Read the next page and send them an e-mail.
I am sure he'd be glad to hear from you plus you'll probably recieve a picture of him and the family dog.


Written by: W Harley Bloodworth and Angelia Y Larrimore
 (We stick together)

~Courtesy of the AOFH~

The Turkey Republic: State of the Union Address.

 

 

 

Remember this: When you are reading something from 'the experts' that is a contradiction of itself; question everything. Prior planning prevents piss poor performance. Get Informed.

Declaration Statement: I truly do appreciate all the work the SC DNR does especially with compromised funding and restricted budgets. Everything is a work in progress.

Part 1: The Introduction to the Situation At Hand.

Let's take a closer inspection of this problem why don't we?

Its March 12, 2013 and turkey season here in the Great Palmetto State starts on April 1, 2013. I previously went to the shopping center to buy some shells for the upcoming turkey hunting activities. I was standing there looking at an empty gun shell and bullet case. The Customer Service Manager of this store tells me they haven't gotten a shipment of ammo because of the current state of affairs with the 2nd Amendment being stepped on and gun ownership in America being thrown into some dark storm of distress, anger, and outrage.

I was outraged this political tirade was getting in the way of my turkey hunting by compromising my ammo availability. Its un-American and not to be heard. The Customer Service Manager sold me my box of shells at a discount after sending me off without paying then chasing me down in the store to tell me she has to sell them at the hunting counter or walk me up to the front and leave it with a cashier until I finish shopping for provisions. Great I thought. Crack-pots are ruining our lives and good times. Off I went thinking about hunting the turkeys. On the way home I saw five in a field migrating to their intended breeding grounds.

Whittling away in my inner sanctum I googled the 2013 Spring Turkey Season on Private Lands and WMA's off the internet. I already snagged a book from the hunting counter at the shopping center. I perused everything to plot my course. I had previously acquired my turkey tags to keep up with my limits in certain zones. There are five game zones in my state with defined do's and don'ts when hunting.

Today there was a post by the state DNR proclaiming the public could ask the 'Turkey Expert' any questions one might have. I thought that was a novel idea. I started to read the previous comments. My questions became unemotional reactionary questions because of what I was reading. The state I live in does not allocate enough money due to budgeting towards research of wild turkey in the state. There was a question on whether or not there was research done on poult mortality due to predation such as coyotes because since the establishment of 'fox pens' used for training dogs to hunt, coyotes are more rampant. Some 'fox pen' owners were acquiring 'coyotes' to put in the pens. Eventually due to hurricane damage or other unforeseen problems the coyotes escape and start to become a hazard to local wildlife. At this point I think coyotes transplanted into 'fox pens' become an invasive species to the local area and a damage to wildlife. It would be my opinion that 'fox pen' owner that are found to harbor clutches of coyotes in their pens should have to make financial amends to the habitats and wildlife. I wondered if this has anything to do with the well publicized open hunts for wild pigs and coyotes because now they are deemed 'nuisance' and 'pests'.Wild pigs and coyotes easily can go into a turkey nest and eat the eggs or crush them.

Back to our "Turkey Expert".

The walking contradiction (reminds me of the Korean/Scot on the Starburst commercial) I speak of is the comments made by the 'Turkey Expert' that there is no funding for wild turkey research but public statements about turkey herd health have been posted which to me could mislead the public into a false sense of security as they go out on their hunting excursions. Surveys that are mailed out are forms of research. Maybe rudimentary at best but something is better than nothing in the face of governmental agency poverty. Which limited budgets are a sign of interstate poverty in agencies. One gets grants and monies in feast while another aspect of the departments get the famine. The wild turkey got the famine while the deer sector got the feast. Poor turkeys.

This was the copy and pasted answer whoever was answering the questions applied to several questions:

No. Unlike our deer program, which has funding to conduct research through the sale of antlerless deer tags, the department's program has no dedicated source of funding. Therefore we are unable to conduct turkey research.

To me this indicates they have no current firm data on the aspect of turkey goings on in the state at all except ride bys looking out the window of a truck or walkabouts on the ground. Maybe they are going aquatic and viewing them from boats? Or planes?

Turkey season is April 1 to May 1. where bag limits are 2 turkey per zone with a total of 5 turkey statewide. Deer season is Sept 1 to Jan 1. The question I have about this is if the population of turkey which was previously restored at some point in time was in jeopardy why would the state agencies not fund that research to make sure the restoration program is not declining? Would not research be prudent to keep tabs on this game animal when by hunting season of thirty days and stringent bag limits that this would tell you the turkey population could be fragile at best if one excluded hunting from its ranks?

I also noticed that this Turkey Expert podium was a way to pump the general populace for problem solving tactics towards fund raising. The anonymous expert reported it was all a budgeting issue which I am sure it is.

A commenter mentioned paying for a turkey stamp and another mentioned charging for turkey tags. These are tags that are not public draw. If hunters want to hunt a particular WMA that requires a specific tag they have to appy and pay for it. Additional charging for turkey tags has to be approved into law by the General Assembly. There was also a question as to the change in legsilation.

Here were the posted links:
http://www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/turkey/index.html
http://www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/turkey/baglimits12.html
http://www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/turkey/springseason09.html
http://www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/turkey/2012TurkeyHarvest.html
http://www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/turkey/2012BroodSurvey.html
http://www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/turkey/fallseason.html


Then the expert commented:

Anecdotally based on our deer research it would appear to be the case. However, unlike our deer program, which has funding to conduct research through the sale of antlerless deer tags, the department's turkey program has no dedicated source of funding. Therefore we are unable to conduct turkey research beyond the survey work we do now. Definitely agree that we need to be doing research along these lines.

We have an ongoing cooperative research agreement with Clemson, however neither Clemson or DNR has money for turkey research. Grants are available through some entities, but they are very competitive and currently most grants are related to non-game species.

With these statements I wondered this: If I have a yardful of chickens/turkeys and I don't feed them then walk out my front door one day to find all them dead....do I have a situation? Should I throw up my hands in exasperation because I didn't see that coming? Can I readily replace them? Should I have been more vigilante and responsible in my ability to feed said chickens/turkeys or take care of their needs to propagate my flock? Was I living in a dream world of magical corn that appeared for the chickens/turkey to eat while I was busy doing something else? Are all my eggs rotten? All my chicks dead?
I also thought: Prior planning prevents piss poor performance.

I looked at the 2012 Wild Turkey Summer Survey based on DNR data. Where I live is the North Coastal plain. This being a  previous restoration area.:

Figure 1. Map of physiographic regions for 2012 Summer Turkey Survey.

Table 1. Summary of reproductive data for 2012 Summer Turkey Survey by region.

Region	Gobbler Hen Ratio	No. Hens w/Poults	No. Hens w/o Poults (%)	No. Poults	Average Brood Size	Total Recruitment Ratio
Piedmont	0.68	576	726 (56)	2,261	3.9	1.7
Midlands	0.74	122	205 (63)	551	4.5	2.1
Northern Coastal	0.84	163	227 (58)	679	4.2	1.7
Southern Coastal	0.91	369	311 (46)	1,565	4.2	2.3
Statewide	0.78	1,208	1,472 (55)	5,085	4.2	1.9

Table 2. Statewide Summer Turkey Survey reproductive data 2007-2012.

Year	Gobbler Hen Ratio	No. Hens w/Poults	No. Hens w/o Poults (%)	No. Poults	Average Brood Size	Total Recruitment Ratio
2007	0.77	904	1,269 (58)	3,240	3.6	1.5
2008	0.71	1,504	1,446 (49)	6,336	4.2	2.1
2009	0.66	1,296	1,499 (54)	4,889	3.7	1.8
2010	0.69	1,687	1,151 (41)	7,508	4.5	2.6
2011	0.76	1,442	1,223 (46)	5,987	4.2	2.3
2012	0.78	1,208	1,472 (55)	5,085	4.2	1.9
Average	0.73	1,340	1,343 (50)	5,508	4.1	2.1

I read this on a link posted above:

Much of the state, particularly in the coastal plain, had no open season because there were few or no turkeys. In 1975, a comprehensive biological plan was developed by the Department for the restoration of turkeys in the coastal plain. This restoration plan was implemented between 1976 and 2003, resulting in the capture and translocation of approximately 3,542 turkeys on 204 restoration sites statewide. In 1993 a portion of all counties were open to spring gobbler hunting and in 1998 all counties were fully opened with the exception of recent restoration sites.

I am doing the math here: 1975-2013= 38 years ago. I hope they have updated their plans. How would we know? Not sure. They don't have money to figure that out or evaluate whether the current system is actually beneficial or working. I also took into account that this was done in the Piedmont region which is up near the top of the state as it was reported one of the areas that was turkey plentiful. Not the case in the lowlands so how the 'Turkey Expert' felt this would reasonibly answer my question became quite a mystery to me because as stated the area I live in which is Zone 4 was a restoration area because there was 'no purported turkey'.

Based on the fact there was a restoration project would make one think that intermittent turkey research with concrete data instead of abstract data would be more prudent and effect in making long-term decisions or evaluations of wild turkey populations in this state. Making decisions on vague or non-existant facts is a false sense of security and even worse lack of the value of responsiblity for our wildlife's habitat, health, and future in general. Undoubtedly there is some limited data collected as seen in the 2012 reports.

After reviewing this online conversation I was a little upset with the fact the expert just posted out-dated information as an answer to pressing current questions and problems without current empirical scientific data to support current trends in turkey populations in previous restoration sites versus restoration sites that were not in jeopardy of low to no turkey.  Also in my opinion I feel that if any statement is made as to the nature of the current turkey populations especially in the lowlands where I live then I would wonder just how accurate or true these statements are  based on the lack of long term scientific research put toward the wild turkey. If you are sending out surveys to hunters without reaching a broad range of people in different zones that information could be very emaciated in terms of content, quanitity, or quality.

I also understood how the 'Turkey Experts' hands were tied if there is no budgeting for wild turkey research. I guess they will pull that magically out of the air when a problem arises because the public will want answers immediately.No backlash there in the media if persons start to question why it took so long to get on that problem to solve it or head it off. Reminds me of those bovids in the Cambodian jungle that were left to become extinct or near extinct.

I know that the season starts on April 1 but there is also the problem of a slow spring where the weather fluctuates mostly to cold. This in itself could cause the wild turkey to be slow breeders. If this is the case there will be a lot of shooting with very little incidences of breeding to make up for an improvement in turkey populations for next year. If its not laid, hatched or lives to tell a tale then all we'll be shooting at next year is a printed turkey target or air.


Sidenote on Hunter Participation or a Naturalist: (Which granted by the comments and the lack of knowledge of this type of participation existing is that its not better marketed. This would give people access to data om terms of content and quality.) I would wonder if the DNR doesn't need better marketing strategies to get the information out there. I guess Q & A is one thing but its not in the spirit of educating the public if you're just tossing a page at them without making sure they understand what is before them. The other problem this poses is no education on surveyors because misguided or careless people could be tromping around in the woods, handling eggs, and scaring off the hens to abandon the nests could happen. If the survey period is July 1 there should be some kind of public seminar to train or educate people at least a month in advance.

“Anyone interested in participating in the annual Summer Turkey Survey is encouraged to sign-up”, said Ruth. The survey period is July 1-August 29 annually and those who participate typically spend some reasonable amount of time outdoors during that time period. Cooperators obviously must be able to identify wild turkeys and must be comfortable in telling the difference between hens, poults, and gobblers. Cooperators are provided with survey forms prior to the survey and a reporting notice and postage paid envelop at the end of the survey period. If you would like to participate in the survey, send your name and address to Summer Turkey Survey, P.O. Box 167, Columbia, SC 29202. You will be added to the cooperator list and receive materials at the end of June annually. Those interested in the survey can also download instructions and survey forms at the following website:
http://www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/turkey/volunbroodsurvey.html

Get involved I say, ask questions and for the love of God don't wonder when someone is going to do something about problems. You are that somebody. Go make it happen.

Written by W Harley Bloodworth
~Courtesy of the AOFH~



Here is some good sites to go visit to learn more about Wild Turkey:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/my-life-as-a-turkey/wild-turkey-fact-sheet/7299/
www.nwtf.org

 

Man & Beast: A Story of Many Bovids.

 

 

Remember this: Every living thing has value but it’s in error that humans think that animals are objects of value for their use only without any consideration for life itself. Ownership is a false reality. Co-existing is more relevant and valuable because it perpetuates life for mutual benefits.
 

In the book, Man & Beast Revisited, Norman Myers writes an article entitled Man’s Future Needs the Beasts that argues proactively for using untapped wildlife as potential food sources. I zoned in on the following passage for their relevance to the thoughts I was having being a woman who hunts on wild game being farmed indefinitely anywhere in the world. On the timeline this book was published in 1991. Considering the concept Myers put forth years ago I wondered what the progress for foul or fair was doing its work in the present day. The passage was as followed:

“A good number of wild animal species offer potential as sources of new food. Several dozen wild antelopes and other herbivores of African savannas are prime examples, as are certain species of Amazona. The kouprey is a secretive cow like creature that inhabits the forest of the Thailand Kampuchea border. The animal is believed to have been one of the wild ancestors of the humped zebu cattle of southern Asia, suggesting that fresh crossbreeding between two bovids could boost cattle raising throughout the entire region. Regrettably, the kouprey’s survival is doubtful, due to military activities within its habitats during the past 20 years. Other wild bovids of Southeast Asia’s forest, such as the selatang, the tamarau, and the anoa, could help cattle husbandry. Like the kouprey, their numbers have been severely reduced through human disruption of their life-supporting systems. Cattle breeds elsewhere can likewise be improved through hybridization with related species from the wild.” (Myer 320).

 

I take into consideration wild animal species being potential sources of food as long as they aren’t high contaminants for reservoirs of disease that can transfer to humans. I also believe that when you are taking a wild species to farm that it is regulated for sanitary and ethical practices. I have noted that most of the farmed ‘wild’ animals are selective such as buffalo that were previously hybridized with farm cows, deer are being farmed, ostriches, emu, and several other species. There is also the excuse for smoothing over public worry over deviation from regular farm animals is to save a species. My thoughts are not overexploit the availability of the species.

Take the now extinct kouprey (Bos sauveli). Extinct in the way there is so low a number to be consider not a viable population or completely wiped from the Earth. By nature the creature was secretive and hide in the Thailand forest. I can only guess that it used the forest for cover and like most wild beasts did not like being stressed. After watching the video I can see they blend into the forest and disappear quite easily. Hiding in a forest is soon to be limited if agriculture and human progress start eating away at the perimeter. The habitat becomes a smaller island to drift on. I looked for information but the only known observation of this Kouprey was made in 1957 by a zoologist named Charles Wharton who actually studied and filmed it. I thought this odd seeing how I saw a video that looked pretty current. The WWF comments on their internet page that hunting for subsistence, trade, low gene pool, and disease contributed to the decline of the kouprey. Myers contends that there was military occupation in that area. In war the animals are among the first to go because of starving soldiers that have to live off what is available or burning large tracts of land to war against the enemy. There are several military tactics that are detrimental to local habitat and wildlife when war is a consideration.

I also looked into the Tamaraw (Bubalus mindorensis) which is also on the critically endangered list at a whopping population of ~300 which most are adults but the expected outcome is to lose about 25% over the next 30 years. This doesn’t sound like good odds.

The Lowland (Bubalus depressicornis) and Mountain Anoa (Bubalus quarlesi) are both on the endangered list.

The selatang I guessed to be the Gaur because google as I may could not find a specie of bovid by that name. The Gaur is endangered.

As I browse these different bovids it becomes clear that in consideration of Myers previous statements made 22 years ago, prospects are looking bleak because over half are in the critically endangered zone well on their way to truly being extinct. If hopes were high not so long ago, what happened? Then again, what didn’t happen? Could this be one of those golden opportunities where a near extinct species can be pulled back to grow into its previous glory?

Maybe these bovids were just not that important for sustainability of populations on the part of the country or lands they occupied.

For hunters that love to hunt bovids this has to be a challenge and worrisome while they receive news that game animals can no longer be hunted or even exist due to ignorance, negligible, and the idea of the creature being thoughtlessly expendable.

The only bovid that seems to be working on survival is the N’Dama in West Africa.

This kind of thought makes you wonder how many other species fell along the wayside to disappear quietly from radar. Could this be a working example that can be applied to other species in terms of early detection, forming plans of specie re-establishment without crossbreeding? Or do they need to ship animals to a foreign country to save them such as the African game in Texas ranches that were eventually targeted because of the canned hunting of the animals.

 

For all of Myers high hopes at generating new breeds and sustaining existing species the numbers do not lie. As a potential food source this idea falls to the wayside when you see the label 'critically endangered' or 'endangered'. That implies a limited supply in extremes. Its not looking good at all.

 

Written by: W Harley Bloodworth

~Courtesy of AOFH~

A video is available here of a sighting of kouprey (looks current):

http://www.arkive.org/kouprey/bos-sauveli/video-00.html

 

Further Reading:

http://www.globalwildlife.org/projects/research/kouprey
http://www.asianwildcattle.org/

Wild Game Meat: Be Responsible. Handle With Care.

Remember this:  Field dressing wild game is not monitored by Public Health Officials. No one knows for sure how you are handling your wild game meat but you.  Handle with Care.

The outcome of hunting is the procurement of quality meat, but what is done with that meat after death has occurred is vitally important to how well you fare upon cooking and eating the meat. You have to consider if you share your portions with someone else. They can be worry free you are not setting them up for dysentery, salmonella, or something else they weren’t planning on. The goal is not to make a person who hunts paranoid about eating meat, but empowered. All meat can come with its precautions but living oblivious to what lurks as a food-borne illness isn’t a smart idea. As I have said before, people tend to get comfortable and a little to secure or confident in their ability to let things slide every now and again. I remember one time Emeril made the joke about the Poultry Police on his show. 

Wild game meat overall is a wholesome healthy food source for those who use it to supplement low food stores or as the main source. I say this to exclude farmed game meat. There would not be enough to feed the population of Earth, so those businesses are more like niche markets where people that are localized with the random global buyer has the privilege of buying processed or prepared at a restaurant. It can also be a guilty indulgence for tourist in a foreign land to try as an exotic option to a fast food joint. I am not against farming game animals that were once wild but that incurs the label of domesticated stock, which eventually someone will get the idea to better the quality by manipulation, antibiotics, or some other rhetoric, while justifying wild game meat being raped of its originality. 

In a previous post we noted the diseases that possibly accompany wild game meat such as Salmonella, Trichinella, and Escherichia coli. Escherichia coli has been found in jerky deer meat. Trichinella is found in hog meat that is undercooked. Brucellosis  is contracted through exposure to blood during field dressing in wild hogs. Not only do you have to worry about disease but contaminants/pollutants,  where fish pose a worry of Tungsten and Mercury poisoning from river systems.

You have eyes and prudent judgment, use it.

There is also the issue of using protective latex  or rubber gloves to cover unhealed wounds. If someone gives you grief, just tell them you’re practicing in case someone gets hurt. You might have to saw off a leg just like in the civil war. 

Try to bone out the meat cleanly to avoid bone chips and avoid cutting through the brain or spinal cord. If you can don’t play around with the brain or the spinal tissue/fluids there is always meningitis. Lysol works really well as a disinfectant or Lemon Quant to clean tools used to process the meat. There are other products on the market to fight against protein. Make sure you soak the processing instrumentation while changing the water out because blood and tissues can get caught in the smaller parts of a knife’s mechanism waiting to make you sick.

I don’t make it a habit to eat eyeballs, brains, spinal cords, spleens, or lymph nodes of deer. I do keep the heart. There are a lot of people with gout, so one would have to consider their personal dietary discretions.

If you are going to take your wild game meat to a processor, tell them to do yours separately. Otherwise it could go in with a mass amount of random meat. What you get back may be nowhere near the deer you dropped off in quality. Make sure the meat was in appropriate refrigeration while being processed. Coolers go out all the time.

Hunting participants should always avoid field dressing a sickly animal. You might contract an unknown contagion. Pass on the prospect of making it a meal then turn it into authorities for inspection or testing. Don’t give it to anyone either.

If wild game is healthy promptly eviscerate the animal of the gastrointestinal contents without rupturing the lining. The reasoning for this is the process of death and chemical reactions along with hormones can ruin the meat causing waste. Huntress/hunters should not be in the business of waste. If you are going to keep organ meat inspect each one before packing.  Hair carries all kinds of contaminates, parasites, and bacteria so when field dressing a person could disseminate on the ground, hung by rope in a tree, left intact to transfer to a meat processing plant, or cut up after skinning then placed in a cooler for transport for further processing.

Of course, you have to take into consideration the idea of public consumption to have sanitary meat processing in processing factories dealing with bulk butchery. There has to be an enclosed clean environment inside of a building with shielded clothes, goggles, hair nets, disinfectants and a food inspector present. You will not be doing this out in the field. 

I always inspect the inside body cavity of the carcass. This is where you can see fat stores, abscesses, or lesions.  If this puts you off or just feel like passing on this meat, call your local state wildlife agency just to be safe. There again, your local Department of Resources may not think this is something to bother them with.  You might just have poor quality meat though poor nutrition or bad DNA.

I covered this in brief because of another issue I have seen lately. All in all, even when packing out elk, moose, bear, or deer you will dress out the animal in the field. Hopefully,  you’re not a poor shot, where the bullet hits the guts, spewing digestions minions out on the precious meat it took hours, days, or weeks to stalk down, before it runs off in the bushes. It’s great to see people talking about meat procurement as their reason for hunting.

 It’s even more important, we as hunters, show we are responsible for our technique of clean field dressing. It is anything but sterile.  It’s how we work in the environment of the field dressing procedure. Each person has their own way of doing the field dress procedure. The form of storage for transport is essential. The only person out there with you, unless you’ve carried your buddies, is you, a sharp knife, Nature and a sack to put the meat in. 

You will not find a Public Health Inspector looking over your shoulder with a clipboard, writing you up for failure at identifying the obvious. Be a connoisseur of fine quality game meat first by hunting, processing, and cooking it yourself. Refine your technique. After that,  the germ is its own and the Poultry Police are always watching.

Written By: Angelia Y Larrimore

~Courtesy of the AOFH~