The avian flu is present in the United States and the disease has turned up in poultry farms, backyard chicken flocks and wild birds mainly in the Mississippi and Central flyways, although a recent case surfaced in New York.

It's believed that avian flu is transmitted from migrating birds, including waterfowl, to domestic poultry and game birds. Avian flu is extremely virulent, and all it could take to spread it is something as seemingly insignificant as feces from an infected wild bird coming in contact with domestic birds.

For that reason, many biologists are recommending that domestic poultry including game birds be kept indoors to limit the potential for contact with wild birds. Most commercial poultry farms already house their birds inside, but in some instances it's just not possible to move hundreds indoors.

Pheasant farms raise thousands of pheasants beginning as day old chicks in April until they are released as adults in the fall and winter. Aside from a brief time spent inside a brooder house, the birds are raised in expansive yards, or holding fields, that replicate a somewhat natural environment. In the outdoor enclosures, the game farm pheasants have room to run, fly and forage.

The last serious avian flu outbreak in the United States occurred in 2014-15 and nearly 15 million birds from commercial farms or backyard flocks succumbed to the disease or were euthanized.

Still, the disease has impacted game bird farms in the past, it wiped out a few pheasant farms in Europe in 2021, and it's here again.

The pheasant outdoor holding areas are fenced, of course, and overhead netting prevents interaction with large wild birds and reduces contact with smaller birds. But with no other option but to raise pheasants outside, the influenza risk persists despite the strict protocols in place.

With that said, there isn't much more that can be done, other than hope for the best.

South Carolina Awards Coyote Hunters!

South Carolina state wildlife officials have released 16 coyotes with a special tag and if hunters kill them, they can get a free hunting license for life.

The department of natural resources has been releasing the tagged coyotes since 2016, when the lawmakers created the program to help limit the population of the animals.

Coyotes attack deer and have caused a 30 percent decrease to the deer population in South Carolina in the past two decades. They can also attack other small game and pets, the wildlife agency said.

A hunter who kills a tag coyote will find contact information to claim the lifetime hunting license, which can be given to a friend or family member.

Wildlife agents have tagged 96 coyotes since the program started and only about half have been claimed. The coyote population in South Carolina is down 28 percent in the state since 2011, officials said.