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Wildlife diseases

Wildlife diseases

Table of contents

    • Waterfowl regs home page and glossary of terms
    • Waterfowl management
      • Managing waterfowl
      • Citizens Waterfowl Advisory Committee
      • Waterfowl monitoring
    • Season dates and bag limits
      • Waterfowl hunting season dates
      • Goose management units
      • Bag limits
    • License types and fees
      • License types and fees by age
      • Hunter education
      • Mentored hunting
      • Apprentice hunting
      • Michigan residents
      • Michigan veterans with disabilities
      • U.S. military personnel
      • Treaty-authorized hunters
      • DNR Sportcard
      • Base license
      • Harvest Information Program
      • Waterfowl license
      • Federal migratory bird hunting stamp
      • Michigan Waterfowl Stamp Program
      • Pure Michigan Hunt
    • Purchasing licenses and stamps
      • Identification requirements
      • Where to buy licenses and stamps
      • Lost licenses and stamps
    • Wetland wonders
      • Managed waterfowl hunt areas
      • Michigan’s Wetland Wonders
      • Veterans preference drawings at managed waterfowl hunt areas
    • Reserved waterfowl drawing
      • Reserved waterfowl hunts
      • Application information
      • Eligible applicants
      • How to apply for a reserved waterfowl hunt
      • Drawing results
    • When and where to hunt
      • Hunting hours
      • Waterfowl hunting zones
      • Safety zones
      • Public lands
      • State lands
      • State parks and recreation areas
      • National wildlife refuges and waterfowl production areas
      • Local municipalities
      • Waterways
      • Rights of way
      • Trespassing
    • Equipment regulations
      • Hunter orange
      • Elevated platforms and ground blinds
      • Bows, crossbows and firearms
      • Transporting bows, crossbows and firearms
    • Hunting methods
      • Falconry
      • Decoys and calls
      • Baiting
      • Hunting with dogs
      • Commercial hunting guides
    • Wildlife diseases
      • Avian influenza
      • Dioxins
    • Invasive species
      • Aquatic invasive species
      • Nutria
      • Russian boar
    • After the harvest
      • Transporting game animals
      • Migratory bird band reporting
      • Handling and processing migratory bird meat
      • Buying and selling game animals
      • Migratory bird hunter surveys
    • Report all poaching
What if I see a sick-looking bird while scouting or hunting?

The DNR encourages you to report any sightings of sick or dead wildlife, including migratory birds, at Michigan.gov/EyesInTheField. You should provide information about the location, number, and condition of the animals you observed. Contact the DNR Wildlife Health Section at 517-336-5030 if you have any questions.

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Avian influenza

What is avian influenza?

Avian influenza, or “bird flu,” is caused by viruses that infect both wild and domestic birds. Avian influenza viruses are classified as either high or low pathogenicity – the potential ability to produce disease – based on how sick the virus makes domestic birds. Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses are extremely contagious and cause high death loss in poultry flocks. Visit Michigan.gov/WildlifeDisease for more information.

Is my hunting dog at risk?

The risk of hunting dogs acquiring bird flu is likely low since they are not consuming the bird, but exposure to the virus may occur when mouthing or biting the bird. If you want to share waterfowl meat with your dog, thoroughly cook it first.

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Dioxins

Should I be concerned about dioxin?

Health assessors from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and Michigan DNR determined that samples of wild game from the floodplains of the Tittabawassee River and Saginaw River downstream of Midland contained high levels of dioxin and dioxin-like compounds. Wild game tested included deer, turkey, cottontail rabbit, squirrel, wood duck, and Canada goose. As a result, the MDHHS advises hunters and their families to follow these recommendations related to waterfowl:

  • Remove the skin of waterfowl before cooking and discard the liver and other internal organs.
  • Limit duck consumption to two servings per month (provided that the skin is removed), and limit goose consumption to four servings per month. A serving varies based on body weight – for example, a serving for an 180-pound individual is 8 ounces. More information on wild game guidelines for the Saginaw and Tittabawassee River floodplains, including a map of the area covered by these guidelines, can be found at Michigan.gov/EatSafeFish under “Eat Safe Wild Game.” For additional information regarding dioxin, dioxin-like compounds and wild game advisories for the Tittabawassee River and Saginaw River floodplains, go to https://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/safety-injury-prev/environmental-health/topics/health-assessments/dioxin-information.

More information on wild game guidelines for the Saginaw and Tittabawassee River floodplains, including a map of the area covered by these guidelines, can be found at Michigan.gov/EatSafeFish under “Eat Safe Wild Game.” For additional information regarding dioxin, dioxin-like compounds and wild game advisories for the Tittabawassee River and Saginaw River floodplains, go to https://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/safety-injury-prev/environmental-health/topics/health-assessments/dioxin-information.

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