Harvest the Land
03-31-2021, 03:33 PM
Just happened to be reading over the Regs the other day and noticed that the BC Gov't is requesting hunters submit ungulates heads for testing of Bovine Tuberculosis in three MU's in Region 3, one of which I happen to hunt. (totally missed reading this when the regs came out last year - woops)
What would cause the gov't to want to test deer, elk and moose heads for BT in these specific MU's? The last few years I've seen a major influx in the number of cattle the Rancher in the area lets graze and he definitely allows them to graze outside of his designated permitted area. I used to see maybe a couple dozen at most, but last year there was at least triple that amount and they were showing up on cameras that I've had setup for years, where they never showed up before and they just devoured all the food. It has subsequently corresponded with a pretty quick drop in deer numbers I used to see in the area and I'm actually considering throwing in the towel on this MU as a result.
But does anyone know if this is just a case of gov't Bio's being aware of the influx of cattle in the area and wanting to take preventative measures to ensure no BT breaks out? What's the catalyst to test for BT in these specific MU's?
What would cause the gov't to want to test deer, elk and moose heads for BT in these specific MU's? The last few years I've seen a major influx in the number of cattle the Rancher in the area lets graze and he definitely allows them to graze outside of his designated permitted area. I used to see maybe a couple dozen at most, but last year there was at least triple that amount and they were showing up on cameras that I've had setup for years, where they never showed up before and they just devoured all the food. It has subsequently corresponded with a pretty quick drop in deer numbers I used to see in the area and I'm actually considering throwing in the towel on this MU as a result.
But does anyone know if this is just a case of gov't Bio's being aware of the influx of cattle in the area and wanting to take preventative measures to ensure no BT breaks out? What's the catalyst to test for BT in these specific MU's?