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Commissioners Adopt Big Game Hunting Regulations

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission

LINCOLN, Neb --(AmmoLand.com)- The Nebraska Game and Parks Board of Commissioners on Friday adopted regulations designed to increase the harvest of antlerless white-tailed deer in 2010.

A record deer harvest was expected in 2009, but a late crop harvest, a cold winter with record snowfall and low interest in the October Antlerless season resulted in an antlerless white-tailed deer harvest that fell below objectives.

In 2009, 29,711 antlerless whitetails were harvested. The goal for this year is 42,000.

Commission deer management goals are to reduce white-tailed deer populations, especially in eastern Nebraska, and along the major river corridors, and to allow mule deer populations to increase in eastern and southwestern mule deer units.

Among the deer regulations the board adopted at its regular meeting in Lincoln are:

• Expanding the October Antlerless season – The season is lengthened from three days to 10, and the hunting area is expanded. The hunting area includes land in the following Season Choice Areas: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9 River, 11, 12, 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22. An unlimited number of permits, which allow the harvest of two antlerless whitetails each, will cost $10 for residents, $54 for nonresidents. Hunter orange no longer is required of archers during the October Antlerless season, but the requirement remains in place for firearm hunters.
• Earn-a-Buck – This tool, designed to increase doe harvest, requires hunters with Elkhorn and Wahoo unit November firearm permits to check in a doe before or at the same time as they check in a buck. The November firearm season will be extended two days for hunters in these units.
• Mule Deer Conservation Area – The area is comprised of the Buffalo, Frenchman, Republican, and Platte units. The only hunters who may harvest a mule deer buck are youth, landowners and those with the new Republican mule deer buck, Buffalo, Platte, or Frenchman permits. These permits allow harvest in archery, muzzleloader and November firearms seasons. Restricted statewide buck, archery and muzzleloader permits will not be valid for mule deer bucks in the Mule Deer Conservation Area.
• Establishing new Season Choice Areas – The following Season Choice Areas are established within existing areas: SCA 8 West, SCA 9 North, SCA 9 River, SCA 17 White River, SCA 24 River, and SCA 25 North. These are intended to allow for additional pressure on white-tailed deer in riparian areas and to allow for mule deer doe harvest where needed.
• Expanding January late antlerless season – The season is lengthened from 15 to 24 days and begins Dec. 26. Hunter orange is required for archers.
• Using bow with firearm permits – Archery equipment will be allowed as a legal weapon on firearm permits in November and January. Hunter orange is required.
• Establishing new Statewide Whitetail Buck permit – This permit will be unlimited in number and valid in archery, muzzleloader and November firearm seasons. The bag limit will be one whitetail buck and one antlerless whitetail. The permit price is $72.50 for residents, $521 for nonresidents.

More permits available – An additional 45,000 antlerless permits and bonus tags will be available statewide.

Regulation changes to antelope hunting include increasing the landowner quotas from 20 percent of general tags to 50 percent, making electronic checking available for archery and muzzleloader seasons, establishing a new Cherry Late firearm unit and a corresponding late doe season for that unit.

Regulation changes to elk hunting include increasing permit quotas in most units and expanding elk zones in many units to increase landowner eligibility.

Following are the 2010 big game season dates:

Deer

• Archery – Sept. 15-Nov. 12 and Nov. 22-Dec. 31
• Mule Deer Conservation Area – Sept. 15-Dec. 31
• October Antlerless (any weapon) – Oct. 2-11
• November Firearm – Nov. 13-21
• Earn-a-Buck November Firearm (Wahoo and Elkhorn units) – Nov. 13-23
• Muzzleloader – Dec. 1-31
• Season Choice (antlerless) – Sept. 15-Jan. 18, 2011 with bow; Dec. 1-31 with muzzleloader and Nov. 13-21 and Jan. 1-18, 2011 with firearm
• Youth and Landowner – Sept. 15-Dec. 31 with bow; Dec. 1-31 with muzzleloader; Nov. 13-21 with firearm; and Dec. 26-Jan. 18, 2011 (antlerless only) with bow or firearm
• DeSoto Muzzleloader – Oct. 16-17; Oct. 30-31; Dec. 11-12; and Jan. 8-9, 2011
• Boyer Chute – Oct. 23-24; Nov. 20-21 and Dec. 18-19

Antelope

• Archery – Aug. 20-Nov. 12 and Nov. 22-Dec. 31, but closed during firearm antelope season in all areas open to firearm antelope hunting
• Muzzleloader – Sept. 18-Oct. 3
• Firearm – Oct. 9-24
• Late Firearm (Cherry Late unit) – Oct. 9-Nov. 12

Elk

• Bull Permits – Sept. 25-Oct. 24
• Antlerless Permits – Sept. 25-Oct. 24 and Dec. 1-21
• Boyd Unit – Aug. 15-Nov. 12 and Nov. 22-Dec. 31

In other business, the board:

• – Adopted changes to underwater spearfishing regulations. The regulations give underwater spearfishers the same daily bag and possession limit on walleyes as hook-and-line anglers: four walleye over 15 inches, of which only one can be 22 inches or longer. This replaces regulations allowing the take of two fish greater than 15 inches, one of which had to be 22 inches or longer.
• – Approved regulations allowing the Commission to sell expired permits and stamps for no more than $25.
• – Adopted a resolution to expand the focus area of activities for the Focus on Pheasants plan in Nebraska. The plan is an effort of landowners and conservation partners to increase pheasant habitat and populations as well as hunter opportunities.
• – Approved a gift of the O. John Emerson Tract in Holt County from the Nebraska Game and Parks Foundation. The land has been managed by the Commission as O. John Emerson Wildlife Management Area (WMA).
• – Approved the acquisition of 40 acres of land in York County for wildlife diversity and hunting and designated it as an addition to Kirkpatrick Basin WMA.

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Drug Residue Study In White-tailed Deer

Texas Deer Association

SAN ANTONIO, TX --(AmmoLand.com)- A cooperative research study between the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M University and the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, College Station determined that tissue residues on the 11th day post-treatment in chemically immobilized white-tailed deer were at minimal levels.

A total of thirty-three adult white-tailed deer donated by the Texas Deer Association were immobilized with a combination of the predominantly used capture drugs, Xylazine and Telazol, and then reversed 45 minutes later with Tolazoline.

All injections were given intramuscularly in the neck above the shoulder. The dosages used were in the upper range of dosages recommended by a panel of five practicing veterinarians and two wildlife biologists all with a minimum of 10 years experience immobilizing whitetail-tailed deer.

Body weights were estimated prior to drug treatment, and the dose was calculated as would customarily be done when darting deer on the hoof in a permitted facility. A blood sample was collected from each deer prior to and following drug treatment to assure all deer received a full dose of each immobilizing and reversal drugs. After anesthesia and prior to reversal, actual body weights were taken and exact dosages in mg/Kg of body weight were determined. After the deer recovered from the reversal of anesthesia, they were returned to their resident pen, given unlimited access to feed, water, and shelter for the following ten days.

On day 11 post-drug injection, the deer were brought into a Cervid Handling Facility, blood samples were collected, and then the deer were humanely sacrificed by a penetrating captive bolt by trained Texas Parks & Wildlife personnel. At necropsy, tissue samples were collected from the right and left side of each deer’s neck muscle, right and left hindquarter muscle, and liver. All the collected tissue samples were taken to the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory for analysis of metabolites of the injected drugs. Triplicate samples of all tissue and blood samples were analyzed and the results are summarized. Mean tissue residues for Xylazine, Tiletamine and Tolazoline were all below 1 part per million (ppm) and below 1.4 ppm for Zolazepam. The levels of Xylazine and Tolazoline in the deer tissue were ten times less than those published as safe for human consumption in beef following a withdrawal period of three days in a New Zealand study.

The results of the present study in white-tailed deer indicate that there is no evidence that any residue present in venison eleven days post-treatment at the dosages delivered would have any adverse pharmacological effect in humans. Specifically, at 1 ppm (i.e., 1 mg/Kg and a Kg is 2.2 pounds), a person would have to consume 35 oz (2.2 lbs) of venison in a few hours to ingest 1 ppm of the subject pharmaceuticals. The study indicates that a withdrawal period of ten days is sufficient and safe for Xylazine, Telazol and Tolazoline in white-tailed deer at the usual and customary dosages of these drugs utilized in the immobilization of white-tailed deer.

Dr. Donald S. Davis is Associate Professor, Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University

About:
Headquartered in San Antonio, the Texas Deer Association is the only non-profit organization solely committed to improving the quality of Texas deer herds through improved habitat practices, modern harvest strategies and use of superior deer to enhance the deer herds. To learn more about the TDA or for membership information, visit www.texasdeerassociation.com or call (210) 767-8300.

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