This week thousands of Alabama deer hunters will be in the woods seeking to put meat in the freezer or that trophy that will be mounted on the wall of the family home for the next fifty years. The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is reminding hunters to report the deer that they take.
Game Check is an important management tool ADCNR said. “Harvest data collection is an extremely valuable part of managing Alabama’s deer herd.”
ADCNR says that Game Check provides state game managers with data regarding timing of harvest, harvest number, and distribution of harvest throughout the state.
“This invaluable information is used to inform management decisions regarding hunting season frameworks, such as setting timing of seasons, bag limits and zones, as well as population management,” the ADCNR said in a recent newsletter. “Having an incomplete representation of harvest and harvest distribution for deer leads to misinformed management decisions that could negatively impact species populations and ultimately hunter dissatisfaction with harvest opportunities. That is why reporting your deer harvests through Alabama’s Game Check system is so important. Help us better manage for you! Game Check your deer today.”
The ADCNR is also asking for hunters to drop off samples for Chronic Wasting Disease testing.
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is increasing Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) sampling surveillance efforts in northwest Alabama after deer in nearby Mississippi and Tennessee have tested CWD-positive. CWD has killed tens of thousands of deer across the U.S. and Canada and wildlife managers are anxious to prevent its spread in Alabama.
The test used to determine the presence of CWD requires a portion of the deer’s brainstem or lymph nodes.
The ADCNR’s Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) is asking hunters to submit harvested deer for testing at check stations, freezer drop-off locations, or WFF offices. In all cases, the hunter will receive test results within three to four weeks.
To see the expanded list of check stations go here:
https://www.outdooralabama.com/cwd-sampling
