DNR Deer Station visit

The day before firearms deer season opened we visited a DNR check point. Hunters bring their deer here to have them checked for diseases, especially chronic wasting disease or CWD.

Michigan has been fortunate not to have any cases of deer in Michigan with this terrible disease. The cases that have been found have been from animals brought in from other states. It is caused by something that isn't a bacteria or a virus! It is called a prion. It is a non-living infectious protein. I know...it sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie. It is actually a protein that folds wrong. The body recognizes that it doesn't belong and begins attacking it. The problem with that is that it is also destroying the cells that the prion is in. Eventually, it destroys enough cells in an animal that it can't function. The animal may begin to drool, have an awkward stance, walk the same path, look mange or undernourished. There is no cure and the animal needs to be put down. The best fight against this is prevention which brings us back to why we went to learn about the DNR check point.

The DNR inspector showed us how to tell how old a deer is by looking at its teeth.

You can't always tell by their antlers. Some young deer can grow good strong antlers if they feed on farmers corn and other crops. Deer in the upper peninsular aren't as lucky. They really have to work for their food like eating the bark off of trees and as a result, their antler growth is not as significant.

The DNR inspector is very interested in the health of fawns or very young deer, 1 1/2 - 2 years old. Below are pictures of teeth from 1 1/2 year old and 2 year old deer. At about 18 months, they begin to get their molars. That is how he can tell how old the deer is by just looking to see if they have them yet.

Hunters get this very cool patch when they bring in a deer to have it checked. They have become collector items and are worth A LOT of money to some hunters. If you help out the DNR by bringing in your deer, you get one of these for FREE! You are also helping to protect our state from this most unwelcome disease and keeping hunting in our state a favorite activity that many families have enjoyed for generations.