With firearm deer season now underway the DNR has some reminders for hunters to help make it a safe and successful one.
That includes being visible by wearing something like a hat or jacket of hunter orange. Treat every gun as if it's loaded, and keeping your finger off the trigger until you're ready to fire.
Hunters should also get help dragging their kill out of the woods to avoid heart attacks or other health related issues.
Some hunters will have to take another step before hauling their deer home. It's all part of an effort to keep tabs on the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease.
There is no cure for it, and any deer infected with CWD will die. Over the last couple of years, the DNR has instituted mandatory check stations for hunters where the disease has been present. In Mid-Michigan that includes parts of Clinton, Ingham, and Eaton counties.
The DNR really relies on the check points to keep an eye on the disease.
"For one, we want to know the geographic distribution of this disease is in the area and across the state even...and we want to know how many deer..what percentage of the deer might be infected with it because that will be how we go about handling the disease", said DNR Wildlife Biologist, Chad Fedewa.
The first case of CWD was found in the Lansing area in 2015. Since then DNR has tested more than 17,000 deer and only nine came back positive.
The DNR says that's a good sign and doesn't expect the disease will keep hunters out of woods this season.
Hunters harvesting a deer in the CWD areas must bring it to a DNR check station within seventy-two hours.
