LAST UPDATED: May 1st, 2015
Michigan deer hunters should take note, or rather two C-notes if you will. If you turn in a deer this season that tests positive with bovine tuberculosis (bovine TB) at any one of the DNR check stations you will receive $200 for your efforts.
According to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, bovine TB is a very contagious bacterial disease typically found in cattle and some other species of mammals, including humans. A new strain of bovine TB was discovered in wild whitetail populations in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula in 1994. Although this unique strain had little effect on the deer population, it was devastating to cattle populations that caught it through contact with infected deer.
Michigan hunters can receive $200 if their checked in deer test positive for bovine TB.
Although most Michigan counties are currently considered TB-free, cattle ranchers want to limit the disease’s spread as much as possible as infected cattle could potentially destroy the state’s cattle industry.
Qualifying for the $200 reward is easy. Once a deer’s head is turned in at any DNR check station (you can keep the antlers), it is then transported to the Wildlife Disease Laboratory at Michigan State University’s (MSU) Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health. Hunters will only be notified if the deer is infected, which can take up to 12 weeks. Once confirmed, the hunter will receive an Incentives Program contact number, followed by a confirmation code, and a form to submit for payment.
