White-tail deer have tested positive for COVID. Here's what that means for RI hunters

You’ve been hunting, and now you stand over a nice deer you just dropped. Before you reach for a knife to field-dress it, you might consider putting on a mask.

As if COVID-19 hasn’t infiltrated enough of the human experience, the respiratory disease has now been found in the most popular big-game animal in the United States, pursued by almost 5,000 hunters annually in Rhode Island.

Researchers with the U.S. Department of Agriculture say blood tests taken from wild white-tailed deer in Michigan, Illinois, Pennsylvania and New York contained antibodies for the COVID-19 virus in 33% of the samples.

It’s unclear how the deer were exposed to the virus and there’s no evidence they're spreading the disease to people, the researchers say.

Still, based on the recent report, Dylan Ferreira, chief wildlife biologist for Rhode Island’s Department of Environmental Management, recommends hunters wear a mask when field-dressing a deer.

Other animal stories: How one fisherman tagged 2 great white sharks off RI

“We really don’t know much about it yet and we’re so used to wearing a mask now anyway, so it's not that large of an inconvenience,” Ferreira says.

How many deer have tested positive for COVID?

Researchers with the agriculture department’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service collected 481 blood samples from deer between January 2020 and March 2021 from the four states.

The results varied by state, with 7% of 101 samples in Illinois containing antibodies for COVID-19, 67% of 113 samples in Michigan, 19% of 68 samples in New York and 31% of 199 samples in Pennsylvania.

“Given the percentage of samples in this study that had detectable antibodies, as well as the high numbers of white-tailed deer throughout the United States and their close contact with people, it is likely that deer in other states have also been exposed to the virus,” a spokesperson for the USDA told Nature magazine in August.

Nature: Climate-change clues contained in whaling logbooks kept in Providence

The researchers said there are about 30 million deer in the country.

However, there is no evidence that any animals, including deer, are playing a significant role in the spread of the virus, the researchers said. In fact, “Based on the available information, the risk of animals spreading COVID-19 to people is low.”

And there is no evidence someone can catch the disease by eating venison, the researchers said.

More: First, he thought it was his cat then he realized it was three bobcats in his yard.

When is deer, and other wildlife, meat safe to eat?

Wildlife experts such as Ferreira urge hunters to take precautions anyway, as they would against other animal diseases by making good hunting choices and practicing good hygiene when processing deer:

• Don’t harvest animals that appear sick or are found dead.

• When handling and cleaning game, wear rubber or disposable gloves. And don’t eat, drink, or smoke – motions that bring your hands up to your face.

• Avoid cutting through the backbone and spinal tissues and do not eat the brains of wildlife.

• When finished handling and cleaning game, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. Clean and disinfect any knives, equipment and surfaces that were in contact with game meat.

• Keep game meat clean and cool it down as soon as possible after harvesting. Cook all game meat thoroughly (to an internal temperature of 165°F or higher).

November is the peak month for harvesting deer. During Rhode Island's last season, 4,992 hunters bought tags to harvest deer and 2,348 deer were killed, most with single-shot, black-powder muzzle-loaders.

Email Tom Mooney at: tmooney@providencejournal.com

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Does deer meat spread COVID? What to know during the RI hunting season