CWD

[grouse]

Here's an excellent video about CWD presented by a biologist who specializes in deer. WARNING: several deer are shot in this video. I know we all hate to watch things like that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fstFqLrRbCA

[Hi5]

Thanks for sharing that.

[Sandman]

Thanks for the post - Never too old to learn a few things.

Cheers
Chester

[AJ01]

Biologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife are working with Deer Farmers here in Texas to develop a deer herd that is immune to CWD.
Seems most of the problem occurs with "Farmed" Deer herds.

https://landassociation.org/chronic-wasting-disease-in-texas-latest-updates/

Pretty informative article concerning Texas deer. Texas Landowners Association.

[grouse]

Biologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife are working with Deer Farmers here in Texas to develop a deer herd that is immune to CWD.
Seems most of the problem occurs with "Farmed" Deer herds.

https://landassociation.org/chronic-wasting-disease-in-texas-latest-updates/

Pretty informative article concerning Texas deer. Texas Landowners Association.

Good article on Texas. It looks like they are paying proper attention. Developing a wild herd that is immune to CWD might help with overall survivability. Although the disease appears to have started in "farmed deer" it has spread into the wild population and is a growing problem. I think that if some better way to stop the spread isn't found, and it gets worse, banning the feeding of deer will become common. The disease spreads much more quickly when deer come into close contact with each other and feeders increase the danger. In Missouri (where I hunt) feeding is already banned. We still managed to kill 326,000 deer this year so you can be successful without feeding deer.

As deer hunters we need to stay informed.

[AJ01]

Actually, it was 1st discovered or noticed in 1967 in a herd of Mule Deer at a research center in Colorado.

[DuckHunt]

My only heartburn with CWD so far is with the limitations that are being imposed on hunters regarding carcass movement. The way I see it, there's no one that stands more to lose with the spread of CWD than hunters. As a general rule I've always found Virginia to be forward leaning in providing more opportunities for hunters instead of poorly or slowly regulating like some states (WV). If the problem is that you don't want certain portions of a deer killed in a certain area to ever find there way into the environment, why not provide a means for disposing of those parts or specify rules for their disposal at the point of processing/consumption, wherever that may be. The current approach in many locations with CWD is for certain parts of deer harvested in a CWD designated zone to never be allowed to be removed from that zone. That typically means the skull and spine can't leave the CWD zone. That effectively eliminates the ability to ever get a shoulder mount of a deer unless you can find a taxidermist within the CWD zone to complete the work. You can cut the horns off, the skull plate, and remove them from the zone but not the full skull. I'm guessing a European mount created within the zone would be able to move outside of the zone.

Harvesting a deer within a CWD zone, processing it two miles from the place of harvest outside the zone, then disposing of the key parts within the zone of origin doesn't appear to be allowed. Harvesting a deer within a CWD zone and taking the parts required for a shoulder mount to a taxidermist a few miles away from the point of harvest, but outside of the zone, doesn't appear to be allowed. The odd part is that taxidermists are actually a key component of the test specimen collection process and must get approval from the states to accept deer from the CWD zones. How are you supposed to make use of these specially approved taxidermists if you can't remove those carcass parts from the zone?

It seems to me that there are some fuzzy areas in the policies that could use some cleaning up. If not handled correctly, CWD management can become another tool of the anti crowd to control or limit hunting opportunities. Sooner or later I'm sure a CWD testing related tax or fee will find its way onto my list of required licenses. Is there any wonder why the number of hunters afield is in continual decline?

[nchunterkw]

To me this has all come about from deer farming and baiting….especially the use of mineral blocks etc where they lick the same thing. And once it’s in an area it is almost impossible to remove. There was an elk farm where the elk got it I think in Colorado. They killed all the elk, burned off the land, let it sit idle for several years then reintroduced elk to the farm. Within 2 years they had it. It really really sucks. I have helped our biologists here in NC for years with surveillance by giving them the heads of the deer I shot. We finally got it in 2022. 1 wild deer found in tbe western part of NC. So they started the CWD plan and tested a bunch from that area. Found 5 more and now in 2-3 counties. Then in March 2023 another one in tbe SE part of the state and this season 2 new ones near me in the central part. So I think we are pretty screwed and it’s everywhere here. I’m still waiting on test results from a deer I shot in Nov. I thankful I can have my deer tested but they need to be way more efficient. Even given all these cases they still allow baiting. I wish they would ban it. I think would help with transmission but at this point we have it and we can’t put this toothpaste back in the tube now. We will have to live with it forever here.

[nchunterkw]

To me this has all come about from deer farming and baiting….especially the use of mineral blocks etc where they lick the same thing. And once it’s in an area it is almost impossible to remove. There was an elk farm where the elk got it I think in Colorado. They killed all the elk, burned off the land, let it sit idle for several years then reintroduced elk to the farm. Within 2 years they had it. It really really sucks. I have helped our biologists here in NC for years with surveillance by giving them the heads of the deer I shot. We finally got it in 2022. 1 wild deer found in tbe western part of NC. So they started the CWD plan and tested a bunch from that area. Found 5 more and now in 2-3 counties. Then in March 2023 another one in tbe SE part of the state and this season 2 new ones near me in the central part. So I think we are pretty screwed and it’s everywhere here. I’m still waiting on test results from a deer I shot in Nov. I thankful I can have my deer tested but they need to be way more efficient. Even given all these cases they still allow baiting. I wish they would ban it. I think would help with transmission but at this point we have it and we can’t put this toothpaste back in the tube now. We will have to live with it forever here.

[Normous]

^^Nice to see you posting again Keith!

[nchunterkw]

Thanks Norm