Quail, chukar and Hun seasons open tomorrow

Think about this: A hunter could head for the field tomorrow and shoot 10 quail, six chukar and six Huns, plus 15 mourning doves. This is a bunch of hunting, folks. Read on.

The quail, chukar and Hungarian partridge hunting season will open tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 3. The limit is 10 mixed bag per day for quail and six chukar and six Huns a day.

Doves

The mourning dove season is ongoing, due to end on Oct. 30. The limit is 15 per day.

Deer and elk seasons

Various deer and elk seasons are opening and closing during the next few days/weeks, mainly for archery and muzzleloader hunters. The general modern firearm deer season is scheduled to begin Oct. 17.

Virus killing white-tailed deer

Fish and Wildlife has confirmed an outbreak of bluetongue disease in white-tailed deer in the state’s drought-stricken eastern region. Wildlife managers say this year’s hunting seasons will not be affected.

Bluetongue is a common virus transmitted by biting gnats at water sources where deer congregate during dry conditions. Every year in late summer and early fall, some white-tailed deer are lost to bluetongue and a similar virus known as EHD (epizootic hemorrhagic disease).

The department does not know precisely how many deer have been affected, but reports are more widespread and numerous than in the past.

Suspected deaths from bluetongue or EHD have been reported in several portions of the department’s eastern region

These outbreaks usually end with the arrival of colder, wetter weather, when deer move away from gnat-infested areas or by the first hard frost, which kills the disease-carrying gnats.

These diseases are spread by biting gnats, not from deer to deer, and are not transmissible to humans. Nonetheless, WDFW discourages hunters from shooting and consuming animals that are obviously sick. Other wildlife species, including mule deer, are rarely affected.

Symptoms in the early stages include lethargy, disorientation, lameness, or unresponsiveness to the presence of humans. Later signs include excessive salivation or foaming at the mouth and a swollen tongue.