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	va1-sg19016.securesites.net

	version=3.1.8



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[1] Cervid, pronghorn, ovine

[2] Correction



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[1] Cervid, pronghorn, ovine





Antelope hunters warned of disease outbreak

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About 1300 Montana antelope hunters will soon receive a postcard from 

the state's wildlife agency warning that they may need to limit their 

expectations for Sunday's [7 Oct 2007] opening of the pronghorn 

season due to a disease outbreak.



The postcards were mailed Monday by [1 Oct 2007] Montana Fish, 

Wildlife and Parks to all either-sex antelope license holders for 

Hunting District 530 in the wake of a severe case of bluetongue in an 

area that stretches from Roundup to Melstone and north of the 

Musselshell River.



While many parts of Eastern Montana appear to have suffered antelope 

and white-tailed deer deaths due to bluetongue in recent months, 

Hunting District 530 appears to have been hit the worst.



"HD 530 has been hit pretty hard," said Jay Newell, FWP wildlife 

biologist at Roundup. "After recent flights, I figure 29 percent of 

the antelope have died since July [2007]. It is starting to lessen. 

The last sick deer I heard about was about a week ago. I haven't had 

any reports since then. We have had a couple of frosts."



Bluetongue is typically a livestock disease that can hit sheep 

particularly hard -- and sheep have been killed throughout the area, 

too. The disease is transmitted by a biting midge or gnat carrying 

the disease from one animal to the next.



Fish, Wildlife and Parks has received results from the testing of 2 

antelope and 3 whitetails and all showed positive for bluetongue -- 

not the closely related EHD (epizootic hemorrhagic disease) that 

typically hits whitetails and is transmitted by the same insect. The 

disease usually disappears with the 1st hard frosts, which kill the 

biting midges and gnats.



While other areas haven't been hit as hard by bluetongue as Hunting 

District 530, the disease has killed antelope over a wide area of 

Eastern Montana this year [2007].



Newell said he has fielded reports of dead antelope from north of 

Hardin, south of Huntley, the Rapelje area, Broadview, Comanche and 

Ingomar. Whitetails were infected on the Musseshell River from near 

Delphia to Melstone and on to Mosby.



Bernie Hildebrand, FWP wildlife biologist at Miles City, said 

whitetails were killed along the Yellowstone River from Miles City westward.



"We have a fair amount of it on antelope in the western part of 

Region 7 in Treasure and Rosebud counties," Hildebrand said. "There 

is some up in Garfield County on the west edge of the county. I did 

some flying on the east edge and there was nothing of the disease there."



"We've had a couple of pretty severe frosts in Garfield County. We 

haven't had those frosts here (at Miles City), so we may still be 

having deaths along the Yellowstone River," Hildebrand added. "We've 

got a fairly substantial number of whitetail deaths on the 

Yellowstone. I suspect hunters are going to see dead animals -- both 

antelope and whitetails -- especially in the area 20 to 30 miles 

north of the Yellowstone in Region 7 and on the Musselshell."



Billings regional wildlife manager Ray Muli said the department sent 

out the postcards simply to alert hunters to the fact that they may 

not see as many live animals as usual while seeing more dead ones 

than they normally see.



"The big thing is that there's no threat to humans either from 

contact with sick animals or eating the meat of sick animals," Muli 

said. "There are some real hotspot areas where they may notice fewer animals."



Montana's general antelope season opens across the state at a 

half-hour before sunrise on Sunday [7 Oct 2007]. Most hunters 

received their licenses in August [2007] through computer drawings 

with the remainder purchasing over-the-counter surplus licenses since then.





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[2] Correction





North America has only one native species commonly referred to as an 

"antelope." It the only surviving species of its taxonomic Family and 

the previous posting. The accepted English name of the species in 

question is "Pronghorn," but it often also is called "pronghorned 

antelope" or "antelope" in lay publications.



--

Frederick A. Leighton,

Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health

Centre, Western College of Veterinary medicine, University

Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK Canada





[A photo of a North American 'antelope' or pronghorn antelope may be 



Montana has had bluetongue in sheep this year. The recent frosts 

should help the situation as the disease is transmitted by biting 

insects which the frost should kill off.



Of course Mr. Leighton is correct for which this moderator apologizes 



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