Michigan Hunters Alert: Bovine TB Testing Focused in 10 Counties

Michigan hunters, if your favorite deer blind sits anywhere near Alcona, Alpena, Cheboygan, Crawford, Montmorency, Ogemaw, Oscoda, Otsego, Presque Isle, or Roscommon Counties, congratulations — you're officially in the state's Bovine Tuberculosis Surveillance Zone. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is keeping a sharp eye on these northern Lower Peninsula counties, where bovine tuberculosis (bTB) continues to linger in the whitetail deer herd.

 What is Bovine Tuberculosis (bTB)?

This bacterial disease — which the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says is caused by Mycobacterium bovis — isn't picky. It infects deer, cattle, pets, and yes, humans too. Transmission happens either directly, through close contact, or indirectly, through contaminated feed and water. Once it's in a deer herd, it's tough to get out, which is why the DNR needs hunters' help keeping tabs on it.

How Hunters Can Help the DNR Track bTB

If you harvest a deer in one of Michigan's monitored counties, you're encouraged to submit the head for testing at a DNR check station, drop box, or participating processor or taxidermist. Results help track where the disease still circulates and how widespread it's become. (You can find your nearest testing site on the DNR's deer disease sample submission page.)

Can People or Pets Catch bTB?

And here's the scary part — bovine TB can infect people and pets, though it's rare. Hunters should wear gloves when field dressing, avoid contact with lymph nodes or abnormal tissue, and keep pets far away from carcasses or gut piles.

RELATED: Michigan Deer Harvest 2024: Bucks and Does by County

Michigan's deer herd is one of the state's greatest natural resources — but it's going to take a little teamwork (and more than a few latex gloves) to keep it that way.