Columnist Paula Del Giudice: Nevada deer herds continue to rebound

Wednesday, Oct. 14, 1998 | 10:21 a.m.

Paula Del Giudice outdoors notebook appears Wednesday. Reach her at PDelgiudice @compuserve.com.

Deer hunters from Southern Nevada are reporting hunting success in the central part of the state. The weather has been a little nicer since the opening weekend that brought rain and snow to some areas. Deer are a little more wary now, according to hunters, and the bigger bucks are holding in some of the more inaccessible spots, so hunters need to work hard for the bigger animals.

Deer herds in the state are on the rebound following the crash in populations caused by the prolonged drought and the harsh winter of 1992-93. Nevada deer herds tumbled from an estimated record high of 251,326 in 1988 to 126,567 in the fall of 1993, according to reports from the Nevada Division of Wildlife (NDOW).

At the beginning of the 1998 hunting season, the deer population was estimated at 132,530, or 20,000 below its long-term average.

Moisture brought in by El Nino early this year helped spawn vegetation that grew abundantly on ranges across Nevada, helping to further improve the health of the deer in the state's herds.

The NDOW will be checking deer harvested during this fall's hunts to determine if herds are infected with Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).

CWD is a deadly disease of the brain tissue of deer and elk. It is caused by a prion -- a protein that can attack and change other proteins into dangerous prions. It is not known how it is transmitted, and researchers have not learned how to kill the organism that resists techniques that kill germs, viruses, bacteria, fungi and protozoans.

Although there is no evidence that indicates any deer or elk in Nevada has CWD, NDOW will be collecting tissue samples from hunter-harvested animals as a precautionary move.

"This is simply a concerted effort to confirm that we do not have it because if its potential ramifications," said Gregg Tanner of the NDOW. He said that other states are, or will be, conducting similar investigations.

Tissue samples will be collected by NDOW biologists at game meat processing plants, in field contacts with hunters and at hunter check stations.

Though there is no evidence that CWD can infect livestock or humans, NDOW recommends that hunters take special precautions in the field this year. Tanner recommends hunters wear rubber or latex gloves when field dressing any big game animal or other wild animals. In addition, he suggests hunters minimize contact with the brains and spinal column of deer and elk.

NDOW also recommends that hunters not shoot an animal that is acting abnormally or looks sick.

Infected deer first show changes in behavior, including a lack of fear of humans, and listlessness. In later stages, deer become emaciated, drink unusually often and spend much of their time standing with their ears and head drooping. Or they may wander aimlessly. Excessive salivating and drooling also are common. Deer infected with CWD suffer 100 percent mortality.

CWD is known to occur in southeastern Wyoming, northeastern and northcentral Colorado, and in captive elk on game farms in South Dakota, Nebraska and Oklahoma.

*The League of Conservation Voters has named Rep. John Ensign to its 1998 Dirty Dozen list of vulnerable, anti-environment Republican and Democratic legislators targeted for defeat in the November elections.

During his tenure in office, Ensign has earned a mere 33 percent environmental voting score of a possible 100. He is the only elected official from Nevada to be named to the 1998 Dirty Dozen. "He attacks the very people who are fighting to clean up Nevada's water and air, then votes to please the polluting special interests," said Deb Callahan, League president.

* Boulder City angler Byron Velvick is in New Orleans this week competing in Kmart's BASSMASTER Top 150 tournament on the lower southwest Mississippi River Delta. He is the only pro angler from Nevada to fish the tournament. Velvick will compete against 14 BASS Masters Classic world champions and 11 B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year winners -- six of whom also hold Classic titles. The tourney is the third of 19 qualifying events on the $6 million BASSMASTER pro tour for the world championship of bass fishing, the BASS Masters Classic, scheduled next summer.

* Persons interested in being placed on the monthly hike list at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area should 363- 7592. Interesting and informative hikes and walks are held each weekend at Red Rock through most of the year.

* Those interested in hunting ducks at Wayne E. Kirch Wildlife Management Area should keep an eye on the weather in Tonopah and Ely. Kirch WMA (Sunnyside) is located between the two towns, so hunters can estimate what weather conditions will be like. Hunters also are cautioned to call before heading to Sunnyside to check on ice conditions. Typically, ice will come in late October and early November at Sunnyside. Hunters are cautioned against walking out on two or three inches of ice. To check conditions, call (702) 289-0927.

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