The Courier Electronic Edition

Hunters should take precautions before handling game


There are medical risks with handling wildlife. Hunters can be exposed to infectious diseases from sick animals, insects, and contaminated soil and water. These illnesses are called zoonotic diseases.

The American Veterinary Medical Association offers the following safety precautions when handling game:

• Don't handle wildlife that appeared ill or acted in an unusual manner.

• Wear rubber or latex gloves when field dressing game.

• If abnormalities are seen in the chest or abdominal cavity, consider disposing of the carcass.

• Minimize contact with brain or spinal tissues. When boning out the carcass, keep both the head and spine intact. Heads and antlers can be removed from healthy animals using a handsaw. Always wear eye protection.

• The abdominal cavity should be cleaned, dried and cooled until the meat is processed. During warm weather, more than 65 degrees, bags of ice should be placed in the body cavity to hasten cooling.

• Wash hands thoroughly after handling game or fowl.

• Wash tools, equipment and work surfaces, including tables and cutting boards, with soap and water, followed by disinfection immediately after handling any wild game.

Adding one tablespoon of bleach to one gallon of water is usually adequate for use as a disinfecting solution.

• If you prepare your own ground meat, clean and disinfect all equipment after use.

• Cook wild game thoroughly. Using a cooking thermometer, cook meat to 150—180 dgrees and wild birds to 165 degrees or higher.

• Report sick wildlife or bird die-offs to the state's wildlife agency.

• Protect dogs by making sure they are up-to-date on vaccines, especially rabies, prior to hunting season.

By using common sense food handling precautions and proper hygiene, the risk of disease transmission is very low. For more information, visit www.avma.org.

Along the Way:

The Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology is coordinating "Project FeederWatch" to help researchers monitor changes in bird populations.

By sharing information about which birds visit your feeders between November and April, you can help scientists track changes in bird numbers and movements from year to year.

FeederWatch began Nov. 14 and runs through early April. Participation is easy and anyone can count the numbers and species of birds at their feeders and enter the information on the organization's Website.

"To get the most complete picture of bird movements, we always need new sets of eyes to tell us what species are showing up at backyard feeders," says David Bonter, project leader.

"Participants always tell us how much fun it is and how good it feels to contribute to our understanding of birds by submitting their sightings."

A $15 registration fee is required to enter your observations. Participants will receive the FeederWatcher's Handbook, an identification poster of the most common feeder birds, a calendar, instructions, and Winter Bird Highlights, an annual summary of FeederWatch findings.

To learn more or to sign up, visit www.feederwatch.org or call the Cornell Lab toll-free at 866-982-2473.

Step Outside:

• Today and Tomorrow: Seventh Annual Youth Deer-Gun Season. The 1-800-WILDLIFE hunting information hotline will be open both days from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Tomorrow: IDPA Pistol Competition, 9 a.m. UCOA, Findlay. Contact: 419-306-9391.

• Nov. 26-27: Trap and Skeet Shooting, 5:30 p.m. UCOA, Findlay.

• Nov. 29: Hunter Education Course, Findlay. Registration: 1-800-WILDLIFE.

Abrams is wildlife officer supervisor for the state Division of Wildlife in Findlay. He can be reached at P.O. Box 413, Mount Blanchard, OH 45867-0413 or via e-mail at jimsfieldnotes@aol.com.

2 Comments

Latest comments listed first.

Jerry Genesio wrote:

New blog for hunters
Jim: Please see new blog for hunters: Natural Unseen Hazards That Threaten Hunters, Campers, and Hikers.
http://naturalunseenhazards.wordpress.com/

Monday, November 23, 2009 2:49:37 PM

TJ wrote:

Hunters should take precautions before handling game
I have a so called nephew, who thinks he knows everything about hunting. I know better considering who he is! He needs to learn more!!!!!

Saturday, November 21, 2009 5:55:57 PM