CWD

[Possum Head]

MDWFP has recently posted on it’s site that they’ve confirmed our state’s first case of CWD. For those of you who have seen it’s impact to your state’s herd, how would you describe?

[kennym]

We have had it in N MO for several years, they keep sharpshooting the deer , so not sure how the CWD is affecting them.

I'm no biologist, but if the stuff stays in the dirt for 10 years, will you ever be rid of it?

The deer from surrounding area are gonna move in as soon as they wipe them out, because the eats will be lush.

And when you dump corn and shoot the deer off it, isn't that bringing a lot of deer together, exactly what is bad?

And if you shoot the deer that make it to the corn, is that the ones that have developed some resistance and are healthy enough to make it to the corn?

A lot of questions and no real answer.

It was found out west a lot of years ago and they still have deer and elk, so I'm leaning toward let Mother Nature take it's course unless someone can convince me otherwise......

Originally posted by kennym:

We have had it in N MO for several years, they keep sharpshooting the deer, so not sure how the CWD is affecting them.

I'm no biologist, but if the stuff stays in the dirt for 10 years, will you ever be rid of it"

Yep...  Mother Nature (natural selection) is the long term fix for this stuff.  Could take 100 years for the herds to develop an immune resistance to the disease.

Could get much worse before getting better..

[Trenton G.]

We just got it here in Michigan as well. So far it hasn't gotten this far north yet (that I know of anyways). The coming years have me concerned about how this will affect the hunting and deer numbers.

[Terry Lightle]

Hit here about 3 years ago,devastated our herd.Started seeing an increase in numbers this year.
Terry

[STICKBENDER98]

There's a lot of truth and common sense in what Kenny said.  I am in one of the core areas here in Michigan that had a mandatory check in.  To my knowledge I haven't heard of any positive tests yet.  In my humble opinion, I think the disease has been here, we as hunters, have way more access to way more information with the internet, computers, and smart phones, than we did 20 years ago.  I think we as hunters are becoming more educated by this, and because we want to grow bigger healthier deer, we are accessing this information, and taking advantage of the deer check stations to try to reach that goal. I am in hopes that our DNR will do some research on how other states have gone about dealing with this problem, and not wage an all out war on our deer herd, trying to eradicate something that may not be possible to get rid of.

Jason

[goingoldskool]

I don't know if it's CWD  or not, but..... I've noticed that I have not seen the numbers of deer that I have in the past.  I've not seen any sick ones on hoof, but I've come across skeletal remains more often the last few years. I'd like to think that the herd numbers would bounce back,  but haven't yet. 10 years or so ago, I'd pass up on shots because I didn't "feel" like messing with working one up and not seeing deer was a rarity. Now, I'd better be ready to work up a deer when the chance presents itself or I'll get a nice helping of tag soup!

Good luck, shoot straight and God bless,

Rodd

[nek4me]

In VT there have been no incidences of CWD and measures have been put in place to help protect the herd. Baiting and feeding of deer were banned in 2005 to prevent concentrating deer. Deer or elk carcasses from states known to have CWD in the wild or in game farms cannot be brought into  the state - only boneless meat, hides and capes with no heads attached, and antlers with cleaned skull caps. All deer attractants made with body fluids have been banned as well. Can't totally eliminate all practices above so time will tell.

[Iowa Tom L.]

Although it is commonly heard that "CWD has always been here" when found in a new area - that is very unlikely given what is known about the disease.

Out West, where some deer herds have been known to be infected for decades, or in Wisconsin where it was discovered in the early 2000's (and evidence suggests it had been there probably 10 years before discovery), one thing is shared in common - herd infection rates increase with time.

So, if CWD "has always been here", then when "new" areas are discovered they would have high infection rates due to it "always being there."  

Or, one could argue that the prevalence rates in these "new" areas are low because the deer have developed an immunity to it already.  However, this flies in the face of known science; a completely immune deer has never been documented (something that would have to occur if CWD "has always been here" & infection rates are still low).

Once discovered, disease monitoring has always shown an increasing prevalence in infection rates in deer herds except for Illinois.  IL has maintained low infection rates although the disease has continued to spread within the state.  This is credited to how the disease is "managed" in IL and not to any immunity of the deer herd.

CWD does not cause dramatic die-offs like epizootic hemorrhagic disease/blue tongue/EHD/HD; it works 365 days a year with a prevalence that builds through time.  Research suggests that it will typically take 30-50 years before CWD disease impacts can began to be measured.  EHD/HD is a virus that kills quickly and dramatically and then is gone; CWD is in there for the long haul.

Here are a couple of article links from a recent study in an area that had been infected for many decades:

 http://www.wyofile.com/study-chronic-wasting-disease-kills-19-deer-annually/

 http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0186512

Take Care,

Tom

[joel0711]

Lease in NE tn.-- we average 21 deer per year (usually 18 bucks or so and 3 or 4 does). We had the EHD disease this summer and this year's kill was 6 total!

[Possum Head]

Lots of in-depth replies and I’m greatful. This was alarming to me when I learned of it this morning. Ironic as this is the first year our state has implemented a mandatory process for bringing deer across our state line. The county in our state where the disease was found is half way up state from the coastal county I reside in so perhaps it may be a while making its ugly path south. They’ve implemented an emergency plan to minimize spread and I’m sure our checking procedures will change somewhat. I’ve gleaned a lot from y’all and welcome additional thoughts. Shoot straight Possum!

[monterey]

Regarding the devastation concept, my own personal observations don't support it.  NE Colorado has been a hotbed of CWD for many years and there remains a strong deer population.  It's an area I have hunted for 42 years and see no noticeable decrease in the deer population.

[olddogrib]

The learning curve for this disease and its human and bovine variants seems to be progressing painfully slowly for as long as its been around.  I guess the good news is there are still human inhabitants of Wisconsin, but TSE and CJD is scary stuff!

[Lost Arra]

Better testing protocols need to be developed.

[jsweka]

A big problem that has increased it's spread eastward is captive deer farms and the transport of infected individuals across state lines so these farms can grow "bigger/better" animals.

Once a deer is infected, it takes a couple of years for it to show clinical signs of the disease.  This is exactly what happened in my hunting area in PA.  Two captive deer tested positive for it in 2014 and then a wild deer pretty close to the captive population showed signs of sickness, was killed by a conservation officer, and ultimately tested positive in 2017.  Makes complete sense given how the disease works.  The PA Game Commission has set up free testing for hunters that kill a deer in the area.  Just drop the head in one of their hoppers with the tag still attached and they will send you a letter with the test results.  Unfortunately, it takes about a month to the results back which by that time you've already invested time, effort, or money in processing the meat.

If we really want to slow the spread of this disease, we as hunters and conservationists need to lobby agencies and politicians to put an end to captive deer farms.  Deer management here in PA is kind of screwed up with wild deer falling under the purview of the PA Game Commission and captive deer under the purview of the Department of Agriculture.

[kennym]

""If we really want to slow the spread of this disease, we as hunters and conservationists need to lobby agencies and politicians to put an end to captive deer farms. Deer management here in PA is kind of screwed up with wild deer falling under the purview of the PA Game Commission and captive deer under the purview of the Department of Agriculture.""

THIS ^^^

Same story in MO

[Al Dente]

The prions that cause CWD in deer remain viable in the soil where deer have urinated and defecated.  Vegetation that grows up from that soil also contain those prions.  Other forest creatures that walk through that ground have the potential to spread those prions.  
Every herd is teetering on a knife's edge.  Representatives from NYB have attended seminars held by the NYS-DEC which have been conducted by the leading authority on CWD, Dr. Kristen Schuyler.  She and her team are doing their very best to keep NYS CWD free.  Since the first outbreak 10 years ago, there has not been a single case.  Every deer within a 10 square mile area was eradicated.  
The deer farm lobby is extremely powerful.  They produce stud semen for high-fence hunting operations, urine based lures, and venison for restaurants.  The NYS-DEC is doing their best, along with AgMArkets to ensure that those captive herds are healthy.
Unfortunately, there is no "live" test to check for CWD, and by the time a deer shows symptoms, it could be years since they were infected.
Follow and support the advice of your State's biologists.