Displaying items by tag: deer

RALEIGH — The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is reminding hunters to practice safe handling while field dressing and processing harvested deer. This reminder follows in the wake of recent studies in Iowa and Ohio that confirmed infection with SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19 in humans) in wild deer found in those states. While this type of study has not been conducted in North Carolina, there is no reason to expect that the situation would be different in our state.   

RALEIGH — The frequency of vehicle crashes involving animals decreased last year across North Carolina, according to figures kept by the N.C. Department of Transportation.

ROCKINGHAM — Capt. Jeff Starling was sitting in his patrol car completing paperwork Thursday when he noticed an unusual pedestrian: a white-tailed buck.

RALEIGH— As blackpowder and gun deer hunting seasons opens up around the state, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission's Home from the Hunt campaign reminds hunters to be sure to positively identify their target before pulling the trigger and to always be aware of their surroundings.

RALEIGH — The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is increasing its monitoring efforts for chronic wasting disease this deer season. Over the summer, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources reported that a deer harvested just over 30 miles from the North Carolina border tested positive for CWD. It’s the closest case reported to date and prompted North Carolina wildlife officials to escalate proactive surveillance measures already in place, as well as introduce new monitoring initiatives.

RALEIGH — The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has designated Saturday, Sept. 25 as Youth Deer Hunting Day for 2021. Youth Deer Hunting Day was established in 2015 by the Wildlife Commission to increase interest in deer hunting among youth, potentially increase their success at hunting and highlight the need to engage youth in hunting.

RALEIGH — The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and the N.C. Wildlife Federation will offer two free online hunting-related webinars this fall. “Introduction to Deer Hunting” will be held on Sept. 14, and “Practical Deer Processing: From Field to Freezer” will be held on Sept. 16. Both classes will run from 7 – 8 p.m. and are open to anyone interested, especially individuals who have never hunted, are new to hunting or lack social support for hunting.

RALEIGH — The biologists who staff the NC Wildlife Helpline at the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission handle a glut of calls each spring and summer about fawns, bunnies and fledgling songbirds that people find and mistake as abandoned or in danger. Well-meaning people often put young wildlife into harm’s way when they intervene in a wild animal’s natural process of growing up.

RALEIGH — Today the Virginia Department of Natural Resources announced a positive case of Chronic Wasting Disease in Montgomery County, about 33 miles from Surry and Stokes counties in North Carolina. In response, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services have met to discuss next steps in implementing the state’s CWD response plans.

RALEIGH — Results from the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission’s annual deer harvest summary indicate hunters across the state reported harvesting 169,973 deer during the 2020-21 hunting season — a 9.1 percent increase compared to the average harvest the last three seasons.