[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign hello, folks, and welcome to your outlet for outdoors and western lifestyle, the Bend Show. Your host, Rebecca Warner, AKA Beck, is back from her Alaskan cruise and vacation.
But as you know it, going on those cruises and just going on vacation in general, she come back with the crud.
So to the Ivermectin we go, which, by the way, there's been a lot of talk about Ivermectin. So if you would, you can drop us an anonymous line. I'm curious how many people are using Ivermectin, maybe as part of their weekly or monthly routine. You can get ahold of us anytime. Call or text 305-900-BEND. That is 305-900-2363. And an email is bend radio showmail.com we'd like to hear from you. Send us your thoughts. And we have a special today. The timing is absolutely perfect, I guess, because we have had various different people reach out about pheasant hunting in our neck of the woods. And Beck and I are always bragging about how great the pheasant hunting is on our outfits.
And one of the areas of concern when it comes to hunting upland game is avian influenza, the bird flu. We've talked about it on the other program, sharing various reports and updates, and the question comes up about harvesting upland birds and the fear of avian influenza. It's a very, very good question. I reached out to Dr. Ethan Andrus. He's the state veterinarian for the state of North Dakota. I know him and his team. They have been dealing with farm flocks, particularly when it comes to avian influenza and unfortunately, the disposal of those flocks. Dr. Andrus, thanks for coming on the program with us today. Let's just dive right into this. Give us a quick snapshot of you and your crew dealing with the bird flu, avian influenza.
[00:02:19] Speaker B: It's kind of interesting because right after I started working with the state, became a state veterinarian in 2021, and we had the break take place in 2022 is when it first came across the Midwest after coming in from Europe and coming up our flyways. And so it's kind of been my whole career has been dealing with avian influenza. And it's it's just a very frustrating bug because it just keeps coming back and it keeps coming back. It's a different strain. And so unfortunately, we haven't been able to it hasn't cleared itself up in the wild birds. And as long as it continues to be a problem in the wild birds, it's going to inadvertently get introduced to our, our flocks in our yards.
[00:03:07] Speaker A: Is there a fear of harvesting any of those wild birds that, that don't, we don't know if they might have avian influenza at that point?
[00:03:18] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. When we're out hunting, wild birds, especially the waterfalls are coming south.
They have throughout history had, you know, avian influenza, whether it's low pathogenic or high pathogenic, They've had viruses that are, they carry as they come through that migration.
We're, we're fortunate that this virus hasn't shown, you know, a real attraction to humans.
And, and so, you know, for hunters that are out there, these follow, you know, what game and fish has to say that, you know, to just protect yourself, make sure that you're following guidelines to just as you would with any raw meat product to make sure you don't introduce a virus or bacteria into your system.
Typically that happens when you have dirty hands and you put your hands in your mouth or rub your eyes.
[00:04:16] Speaker A: So when you go and you harvest wild game like this and you follow proper cooking techniques and temperatures, does that kill the virus?
[00:04:25] Speaker B: Absolutely. I mean, that's really been the backbone of our food safety in the United States is proper handling and cooking your food.
And so the flu virus itself hasn't been very durable under heat. And so our pasteurization has done a great job, which was basically pasteurization of milk was put in place exactly for these types of organisms. Salmonella, tuberculosis, any of those bacteria. And this virus is much less durable than they are.
And so all of the milk that we have out commercially, all of our cheeses, everything that you would buy in the store is pasteurized. And so there's no virus that's coming through that system. And there's been expense, extensive research to show that on top of that, you know, anytime you purchase chickens through the store, you know, there's a potential that they come with, especially if you leave the, in the fridge for a while, you can have some bacteria on the surface that could contaminate your surface, such things as salmonella. And so we've all been raised, you know, knowing to that when we put a chicken on the counter that we wash it off and handle, you know, handle it in a manner to not introduce it to our bodies. And that same thing applies with avian influenza is that if in the unlikely chance, very unlikely chance, that you would have avian influenza on a bird, proper handling eliminates that most of that risk.
[00:06:03] Speaker A: Now, I, I gotta be honest, and everybody knows this, that I do not know anything about chicken production or turkey production whatsoever.
But I do know that in many, many states, there have been flocks that have been completely decimated, which equals to pretty much elimination of that entire flock. And, and to my knowledge, you literally, you go out into, into your barn and into your, your laying pan and your broilers, and you've got dead chickens. I mean, it just comes in that fast. So is the, the protocol at that point for those people that are in that form of agriculture that they need to get a hold of the, the state ag department, get a hold of your state veterinarian, your local veterinarian, lock that thing down, and unfortunately, is that what kind of the outcome is? If you've got it in a commercial farm flock, you're just, you're kind of in trouble. You just have to eliminate that flock.
[00:07:06] Speaker B: Yeah, unfortunately, this virus is highly pathogenic, meaning it is devastating to a flock. So when it gets in from the wild birds into that, say, turkey flock or chicken operation, it starts out with a few deads the first day, expands the second day, and by the third day, you have a mass mortality event. And so these birds are dying to the point where by the, if you weren't to come in and stop it, they would continue to spread through that whole group.
The intent behind USDA is to stop that virus replication because as you can imagine, as virus runs through an operation, there's a tremendous amount of virus that's produced and put into the environment.
You get into our production areas in Iowa and Minnesota, there may be an operation every quarter mile, and you can't allow that virus to go through that number of replications and pour into the environment.
And so, yes, the protocol is to go in and eliminate that virus because you want to make sure that it doesn't have an opportunity to get in the food supply. And also you want to make sure it doesn't have an opportunity to spread to neighboring flocks and to the wildlife that are in that area.
[00:08:28] Speaker A: Dr. Ethan Andrus, if you would stick around for just a few more minutes, I have some additional questions about avian influenza and the upland bird specifically. You've got it locked to the Ben show, and we'll be right back.
Foreign, you asked for it, you got it. Watch the Cowboy Channel anytime anywhere with the Cowboy Channel plus, live stream the Cowboy Channel or watch your favorite PRCA rodeos on demand. Classic PRCA rodeos added weekly. Get the Cowboy Channel plus for only 9.99amonth or save 25% by signing up for a full year. Visit Hellboy ChannelPlus.com to sign up and start streaming today.
[00:09:18] Speaker C: Hey, this is Michelle Miller, otherwise known as the Farm Babe.
[00:09:22] Speaker A: I would like to personally invite you.
[00:09:24] Speaker C: To the world's first floating farm cruise. Yes, a cruise in the tropics geared.
[00:09:30] Speaker A: Directly to farmers and ranchers.
[00:09:32] Speaker C: Join me and the rest of my crew January 29th through February, February 2nd, 2026, as we depart from Galveston, Texas and make our way to Cozumel. Exclusive farm tours, networking contests and entertainment, speakers and a whole lot more on the Farm Cruise. Head to thefarmcruise.com and book your spot today.
[00:09:54] Speaker B: The hunt, the stories, the memories. This is Jake Fenrick with JB's Wildlife Designs. Let me capture and preserve that hunt, that story, that memory with a trophy mount to last you a lifetime. Look us up on Facebook @JB's Wildlife Designs to see samples of our taxidermy and reach out at any time with any and all questions you may have. This is Jake Fenrick with JB's Wildlife Designs. Taxidermy is my passion. Let me preserve yours.
[00:10:25] Speaker A: Welcome back to the Bend Radio Show. Rebecca Warner, AKA Beck, down and out with the crud.
And how appropriate that we are talking about avian influenza, the bird flu. Dr. Ethan Andrus, the state veterinarian for the state of North Dakota, thanks for holding on the line for a bit. Dr. Andrus we're not trying to raise alarm by any stretch because there is no alarm to be raised, but simply awareness when it comes to our upland birds and on the poultry side as well, because more and more people are at least looking into raising their own chickens, a backyard flock, you know, especially.
[00:11:05] Speaker B: On our poultry side, we raise them in very controlled environments with very little exposure to organisms. And it's deliberate because we don't want them to have disease. We everyone wants to go to the store and buy their antibiotic free chicken. So you have to make sure nothing gets in there. Well, in the process, those chickens have no immunity to anything because they've never been exposed to anything dangerous. So when a virus like avian influenza gets in those facilities, it's devastating. So how are the wild birds surviving? They've been exposed to influenza viruses forever. And so and we can kind of look at that in the same way in the human side we have when a virus moves into flu, virus moves into our community. We already had one go through last winter through this community. You heard lots of reports of influenza and you know, people within the Department of Agriculture that had influenza. And so a lot of us were exposed to that so that's creating some immunity within the herd. We also use vaccinations. The seasonal flu vaccination, which isn't specific for avian influenza, but may allow for us to have some cross protection or at least some type of protection that will aid in our response to disease. And so I look at us a lot like the wildlife in that we, we are our snow geese, we congregate frequently and we fly and travel and we mix these viruses together.
And so we have a lot of immunity. But unfortunately our domestic animals just don't get that exposure.
[00:12:44] Speaker A: And not to cause alarm or anything like that is what we're trying to do. It's more just creating, I keep saying it and calling it situational awareness.
Whether that you are a producer, whether you are an outdoorsman, you are a hunter or something like that, is simply to kind of pay attention and be aware of what your surroundings are. If something changes or you notice something that just doesn't quite seem right, be it in that particular species that you're trying to harvest or that particular species that you're trying to raise.
We say it all the time, have that relationship with, with your veterinarian, if you don't develop that one. If, if you are an individual, where you're not in production agriculture, maybe you don't own a dog, you don't own, own a pet, and you don't have any type of relationship maybe with a veterinarian. Reach out to your state ag department. I guess that would be my first recommendation is reach out to your state ag department and just report. This is maybe what I found and probably it's nothing, you know, and somebody checks out and says, you know, thank you for calling us, but absolutely no reason to be alarmed. But the big thing is just to be aware, I guess is what I'm trying to say, Doc, in my opinion is just be aware of what your surroundings are and pay attention to if there are any of those potential changes, especially if you see some changes in the wildlife per se.
[00:14:14] Speaker B: Yeah. And there's a lot of processes in place that we have put in place over the last three years. And you know, in response to this. So we work very closely with our game and fish department and they have on their website a animal report, that form that can be filled out.
So if you're seeing animals or birds that are dying in your area and you want to, you know, report that, you can go to their website and fill that out and they'll have either a local warden or someone from their office reach out. Now, obviously we know that avian influenza is here, you know, and it's in our wild birds.
And so in certain areas, it may be rather obvious that we've already got animals tested there, and additional testing is not necessary. But we had some, you know, we have a lot of interesting calls that come in where people, during that last weather spell, we were losing some martins, the bird that were dying off, and it gave the appearance of avian influenza.
Lo and behold, game and fish was able to point out that martins are so. Require so much insect for. For their meals and to stay healthy that in three days of those cold weather, they can reach the point of starvation. And so we literally had that cold rainy spell that was causing birds to die from starvation because they couldn't find insects.
And so there's lots of diseases and things that go on in the world outside of avian influenza. And so a lot of times, all the attention is focused on that. But even in our backyard flocks, there's lots of things that cause chickens and poultry to die.
And even influenza just happens to be one of many. And so most of the time, we can kind of tell based on how rapidly the birds are dying and what's going on. But we've had certainly situations where we had broiler chickens in the state that were doing really well and had a sudden mortality event, and it turned out it's not avian influenza. And, you know, and so then that producer and that veterinarian work through the diagnostic lab to try and identify what that problem is.
And. And so a large percentage of the calls that we receive are not avian influenza. And we work with producers to line them up with a veterinarian to help them work through whatever's going on on their place. And I think it's. You brought it up earlier, is that it's important for the people in our communities, our hunters are people that have backyard flocks to have that education and understand what the risks are. This virus right now, fortunately for us, is low risk to our public, but we also are aware of what avian influenza and influenza in general has the potential to do. And so I don't think we ever want to take this virus lightly, but we also can allow it to cripple our lives, because as we talked about in this conversation, there's multiple layers of things in place that we have done as a country to prepare for this virus. And even in North Dakota, our health and Human services has stockpiles of antivirals. And our country has worked in a lot of ways to do that. So just in case the worst would ever happen. But we've been talking about the worst since I was in vet School in 1997. It was the year I graduated. But we were talking about how avian influenza has the potential. Well, it does have the potential, but it hasn't happened yet. Can't say that it will or it won't.
But I think it's important for us to be aware of what it is and what it's not and to work to just educate people and, and so that they have a proper understanding of what's going on in the world.
[00:18:23] Speaker A: Dr. Ethan Andrus, thank you so much for the time. See there. No need to worry. So book those hunting trips, head to pheasant country, fill your limit this fall. And no, Beck does not have the bird flu. Up next, snake bites are being reported more and more as we move into summer. What to do and what not to do. There you go, Beck. You don't have to worry about this one. She is so not impressed with me whatsoever. You're listening to the Ben show and we'll be right back.
[00:18:57] Speaker C: You've waited, dreamt of a hunting adventure and now have harvested that trophy of a lifetime. Keep the memory alive with a custom designed mount preserved as a work of art. Check out our approved taxidermist. Depending on your location, the award winning Schneider Taxidermy is located in Helena, Montana. When hunting the Dakotas, JB's wildlife designs in Mandan, North Dakota. Then Shadron Creek Taxidermy in Nebraska. And for the Central USA Little Rack Taxidermy in Macomb, Illinois. Reach out to the Ben show and let us help you find the right taxidermist.
[00:19:34] Speaker A: Hey guys and gals. This is John Armand with Ultimate Outdoor Adventures tv. Ultimate Outdoor Adventures TV travels the back roads to the backwaters in pursuit of the ultimate adventure in hunting and fishing.
Join Team UOA every week for exciting action in the crosshairs of the outdoors. Catch ultimate outdoor adventures TV on YouTube, Amazon prime and make sure to follow TeamUOA on Facebook and Instagram to share in the Ultimate Outdoor Adventure.
[00:20:04] Speaker C: This is Beck first. I appreciate all of you for listening and making the bend part of your week. Many of you have asked, how do I catch past episodes? The answer is super easy. Head to thebendshow.com and click on the shows tab. There you can listen to every episode all the way back to episode one. Podcasters, head to your favorite podcasting app and search the bend. You'll find us. Be sure to follow and subscribe and never miss another episode again.
[00:20:37] Speaker A: Welcome back to the Bend show, your outlet for the outdoors and western lifestyle. Rebecca Wanner, AKA Beck, back from Alaska, but down and out with the cred.
But I'm sure next week she will be back in and sharing some stories of her adventure. I know that she grabbed some interviews too while she was on her trip, so she's going to be happy that she does not have to report on this topic. But she is beside me listening. And we're talking about snake bites. Why? Because it has been reported that for some reason going into this summer there have been more and more snake bites. Now, maybe it's because more are being reported, maybe it's because of social media and we can find out instantaneously what's going on. But that's where we wanted to dance with this topic for just a little bit. For those of you that live in snake country, which is just about all of us, what to do in case of a snake bite. But here's what I first want to say is, in fact, pay attention to this.
Don't let the fear of snakes keep you from doing different activities. Be aware of what's going on. If there's that piece of plywood that's laying out beside the shed and it's in the summertime probably, chances are pretty good there's going to be a little visitor that might be underneath that thing. Just be aware of when you're putting your fingers or your toes in certain places, that if you're lifting something up or a rock or a log or stick or whatever that may be, that there might be a little visitor that's underneath there. If by chance, and I hope that this never happens to anyone, but if by chance you would get tagged from a snake, first thing to do, call 911 immediately. Everyone says stay calm and still. I'm just going to say try to stay calm as much as you can. Beck is nodding her head with that. Try to stay calm and still.
And the whole thing about applying a tourniquet, if you don't know what you're doing, do not apply a tourniquet. Just don't apply it whatsoever. Now when Beck and I are out hiking, in fact, when we're going anywhere, it doesn't matter. This weekend we're at a branding and I've always got my little pack with me, my backpack, and it's got a little first aid kit in it. It goes everywhere I go. It's my go bag. And one of the things that is very easily accessible is a Sharpie and that's to circle the area where you get stung or in this case, I'm talking about getting bit. If you can circle that and write the time of when approximately the bite happened. Having a sharpie close by or just in the glove compartment or the center console of the truck is a great idea. Just have that readily available that you can circle that area but right on the skin, this is what time that it happened. Now, I think we've all learned that you should not go and try to cut the wound and try to suck out the venom like they did on gun smoke and years ago. No, that is not something that you could try either. But bringing this up because it has been showing up more and more and more in social media that for some reason the little legless friends are out in droves this year and just want you to be aware of that. Hopefully it doesn't happen, but if it does, few of the things that you need to take care of to take care of you and records are meant to be broken. There's a new state record for the largest freshwater fish caught in the state of Connecticut. A 45 pound 8 ounce common carp. Yeah, a common carp 45 pound 8 ounce caught at Lake Leelanunna, Connecticut.
Now what's interesting about Lake Leelanunna is that it protects trophy carp because it's a catch and release lake. So an angler can catch a fish and release it while claiming a state record. The gentleman who caught this fish has a business called Carp Angler. You got to check this out carp angler.com and he said that carp fishing is a big pastime in Europe and it's a niche pastime in the United States. But it's growing more and more every year.
That is the passion of fishing for carp. Now the common carp has the ability to reach 30 plus pounds and a 50 pounder. A 50 pound common carp is what many carp anglers are looking to find. A 45 pound 8 ounce common carp. And in comparison, the state records for Connecticut say a channel catfish, a lake trout and a northern pike all weighed in at £29. Now I'm no carp fisherman, but I gotta admit a 45 pounder would be fun to catch. And that is all folks remember to keep sending in any questions that you might have. Know of something spot worthy that you want back to share a recipe we need to try out or test out as well as your area's field reports. And I fired that question at y' all at the top of the program.
In regards to Ivermectin, you can keep that anonymous if you want. Just say yay. Your name. Maybe this is how you're using it. I'm just curious about that. That number is 305900 Bend again 305-900-2363. You can leave a voicemail or text the email bend radio
[email protected] missed parts of this episode or want to hear past shows? You can find them on the website the Ben Show.com and be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcasting app and to the Ben Show YouTube channel. Finally, a big thanks to all you listeners out there that came along and whether you're coming or going, stay with us as we ranch it up. And remember to keep up with Beck all week long when she's feeling better, that is, by following the Bend on Facebook and on Instagram. At the Ben show, this is Jeff Takeer Earhart filling in for Rebecca Water, AKA Beck. And as she always says, we make sure to catch Beck next week if you can. And you never know what will be coming around the Bend.
