doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Not good-potential early closure of WI bird season

Our Ohio grouse are non exsentance, a lot of us grouse hunters cornered the ODNR and pointed to WN. 10 years ago. ODNR pointed out it should have no effect on grouse but should be detrimental to crows. We have more crows than you can count and no grouse and very few blue jays, all to WN.
Just my 2 cents

The government is here and they would like to help you!

I had read that all corvids were very suseptable to the West Nile virus, but, I can honestly say I still see plenty of ravens, jays, crows and whiskey jacks every time I'm in the northern part of MN. If they have suffered, you can't tell it by me.
After last years rosy reports, and my poor results, I will take DNR reporting on just about anything with a 3/4 ton pickup full pinch of salt.
In MN, we are suffering the foolish leadership of one Mark "Mumbles" Dayton, and careening from one disaster to another in state governance. MN Sure, MN Lars, millions in state day care funds leaving the country to finance Somali rebels, oldsters being robbed, murdered, butt raped and beaten in state inspected nursing homes, and these are simply the ones that made the news. The DNR is chronically underfunded, and mismanaged. We [censored] about the hunting and access, but, the entire state governance is a dumpster fire, here, today.
I am hoping for far better leadership in the state, this fall.

Best,
Ted

Georgia's DNR has undertaken an effort to raise funds for "extra" equipment they need to help combat night hunters, and other miscreants, who have them out matched with high tech thermal equipment. Early this year they offered a GA DNR Law Enforcement license plate to the public. I signed up to get one of the first ones that will be issued, at a NWTF banquet this spring. I hope it helps them get the tools they need to better enforce the game laws, especially night hunting.

https://gadnrle.org/sites/default/files/...%20fillable.pdf

SRH

West Nile does have a particularly serious impact on corvids. However, what happens over time is that birds that have been exposed and survive produce successive generations with greater resistance to the disease. So while WNV may be a short term problem for grouse, it's less likely to be a long term problem. Which is at least some good news for those of us who might have to suffer through a few seasons' worth of reduced numbers. The bad part for the near term is that it's happening when we should be looking at the next peak in grouse numbers.

Gentlemen,

WI DNR and the RGS are now doing a scientific test/study and have testing kits available for hunters to gather scientific information to determine whether WNV is actually having any effect on the Grouse population. Remember Turkey are unaffected in the wild by WNV, it maybe that Grouse are also.

RGS is not supporting any season change in WI or any other state without scientific evidence that WNV is actually effecting over all Grouse populations. Unfortunately Pa has altered it's Grouse season, eliminating late season Grouse hunting, on an unproven WNV theory.

In the next few seasons there should be enough testing data collected by RGS and WI DNR to determine whether WNV is actually effecting over all Grouse populations in the wild. At the present time there is no actual evidence either way. No proper WNV scientific study/testing has been accomplished on Ruffed Grouse in the wild at this time.

The Grouse population fluctuation is well with in the accepted natural rate in WI at this time. Further as Larry Brown indicated this WNV problem will cure itself over longevity by natural selection. However in the short term it could be a serious problem if in fact WNV is actually causing Grouse to perish early.

Ryman Gun Dog
L.C. Smith Man

Just read a report that a dead blue jay in Marathon County, WI (Wausau), just south of me, tested positive for WNV.

Blue Jays were one of my favorite birds they alerted me to a lot of game over the years.

Years back dead Jays were laying everywhere and all tested tested positive for WNV. It's a rare occurrence to see one today.

The question I have is how the hell did WNV get in our country...it had to come in with a group of muzlums.

Maybe Larry our local Muzlum loving ex'spurt can tell us how WNV got here.

Luckily (well, at least to grouse) blue jays are in the Corvidae family, same as crows and ravens. If we start getting high numbers of positive test results in the Galliformes family (grouse, turkey, pheasant) then it is time to worry.

Right now, we're not doing a very good job letting the ones in that have been "vetted" by acting as interpreters with our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. That's after promising them visas:

www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/they-fought-te...2027?li=BBnb7Kz

Long article, but the last sentence--a quote from an Army officer whose life was saved by his interpreter--pretty much sums it up:

"The most important equipment that I had for my survival and, more importantly, the survival of the soldiers under my purview, was the interpreter standing next to me."

Those of us who've operated in foreign countries pretty much understand that if we don't speak the language, then we'd better have some local who can speak Arabic in Iraq, or Dari or Pushto in Afghanistan, and who also understands the local culture. Those Muslim volunteers are risking their lives, and--as the quote makes clear--play a critical role in making sure that fewer Americans come home in body bags.