This Map Spells Trouble for the Future of Deer Hunting by Lindsay Thomas Jr.

[Corsair7]

Thought I would share this article by Lindsay Thomas Jr.

https://www.qdma.com/this-cwd-map-spell ... r-hunting/

In the article he ends with what hunters should do:

"This map gives us a glimpse of one of the ways we will gradually lose the war against CWD, watching it spread to every corner of the whitetail’s range, unless we take action. Answer the alarm by educating yourself and informing others. If you or people you know hunt deer out of state or even out of your home county, do your homework and learn whether you will be hunting in a CWD zone. If you will be, learn the local rules for tagging, testing and transportation of carcasses. Submit any deer you harvest for local testing, and wait for results before you eat the venison.

Even if you are hunting a non-CWD zone out of state, know your state’s deer-carcass importation rules, which tell you the parts of deer you can legally bring home. This goes for states you will drive through on the way home: Their import regulations apply to you even if you are just passing through. To be safe, never leave any state with more than boned-out venison and a thoroughly cleaned skull plate attached to antlers. Many states ban the importation of hides unless they are tanned or part of finished taxidermy." - Lindsay Thomas Jr.

[Tim H]

Our DNR needs to do a better job with efforts of CWD. We just had a deer test positive in our county the past few months. Suddenly they want more samples. Apparently they weren't too worried before and now they are scrambling for data. They even decided to do a March hunt in our area trying to get landowners to produce 75 deer for sampling.

One question that bugs me is, why don't they test every deer that is killed by a car? Why aren't the biologists going out in the field to get their samples? At the meeting I attended they said it's difficult to do and random. I'm not so sure how working with local law enforcement to get this samples is so difficult. Is it a lot of work? Yes it certainly is. But that should be part of their job. They shouldn't expect the hunters to just drop off all the samples.

Also they need to make the drop boxes more available to hunters if they want samples. They also need to promote the locations better. I mean, I had two does last year that I could have had tested had there been a drop box available in my area that's not a 35 minute drive.

[Kraftd]

Our DNR needs to do a better job with efforts of CWD. We just had a deer test positive in our county the past few months. Suddenly they want more samples. Apparently they weren't too worried before and now they are scrambling for data. They even decided to do a March hunt in our area trying to get landowners to produce 75 deer for sampling.

One question that bugs me is, why don't they test every deer that is killed by a car? Why aren't the biologists going out in the field to get their samples? At the meeting I attended they said it's difficult to do and random. I'm not so sure how working with local law enforcement to get this samples is so difficult. Is it a lot of work? Yes it certainly is. But that should be part of their job. They shouldn't expect the hunters to just drop off all the samples.

Also they need to make the drop boxes more available to hunters if they want samples. They also need to promote the locations better. I mean, I had two does last year that I could have had tested had there been a drop box available in my area that's not a 35 minute drive.

High level I agree, but I think it's also worth noting you're talking about an agency that continues to have pretty substantial budget and staff cutbacks and freezes, with lots of other very important issues to address and a political push to take control of the deer herd out of their hands. Taking DNR as a whole to task, I'm good with, letting the frustration trickly down to the actual biologists I think is missing the bigger picture. I'd venture to guess every deer biologist at DNR would agree with you whole heartedly. Getting the proper funding to accomplish it however, is a different, more political story.

Sometimes I wonder a little if the current DNR, from the top down isn't looking to minimize the CWD issue to encourage exactly what the map is showing, and that is the economic benefits of WI as a destination hunting state. I can only imagine that the politicians in charge of the DNR aren't terribly keen on having a doom and gloom message out there, cutting into their license sales and local economic boosts even more.

I worked at DNR for a couple of years in the early 2000's as and engineer when I was in school. I was there when CWD first hit. I saw the guys on the ground put a tremendous amount of effort int solving these issues. We still don't know as much as we would like. This is a very complex issues with many facets and still a ton of unknowns. If the inability of the prion to jump the primate boundary was iron-clad science at this point (and recent studies suggest it is certainly not), this is probably not a priority issue. I'm sensitive to these things because on a staff level, across the board, I encountered nothing but people as dedicated to the state's natural resources as anyone I've ever met. Many of theses folks are also hunters and fisherman. Just my two cents.

[Chuck B]

I have conflicting thoughts about CWD. On one hand, I have a buddy that is very good friends with a very experienced veterinarian that lives in Idaho and is a very big hunting enthusiast. That vet swears that CWD is a joke and is over inflated and stuff like this has been around for centuries and centuries, natural selection type stuff. Then, on the other hand, I read things like this and I worry about my passion (and investments in hunting land that I have) and the future of our deer herd. Wish we knew more.

As for the samples, how fresh do the samples need to be? Can they do something in the mail? There is technology to be able to test for certain types of cancer nowadays with a mail package and a cotton swab or two. If this can be done with CWD, I am guessing the majority of us could handle putting a sample into an airtight bag and cardboard box and mailing it from the post office.

[Tim H]

Our DNR needs to do a better job with efforts of CWD. We just had a deer test positive in our county the past few months. Suddenly they want more samples. Apparently they weren't too worried before and now they are scrambling for data. They even decided to do a March hunt in our area trying to get landowners to produce 75 deer for sampling.

One question that bugs me is, why don't they test every deer that is killed by a car? Why aren't the biologists going out in the field to get their samples? At the meeting I attended they said it's difficult to do and random. I'm not so sure how working with local law enforcement to get this samples is so difficult. Is it a lot of work? Yes it certainly is. But that should be part of their job. They shouldn't expect the hunters to just drop off all the samples.

Also they need to make the drop boxes more available to hunters if they want samples. They also need to promote the locations better. I mean, I had two does last year that I could have had tested had there been a drop box available in my area that's not a 35 minute drive.

High level I agree, but I think it's also worth noting you're talking about an agency that continues to have pretty substantial budget and staff cutbacks and freezes, with lots of other very important issues to address and a political push to take control of the deer herd out of their hands. Taking DNR as a whole to task, I'm good with, letting the frustration trickly down to the actual biologists I think is missing the bigger picture. I'd venture to guess every deer biologist at DNR would agree with you whole heartedly. Getting the proper funding to accomplish it however, is a different, more political story.

Sometimes I wonder a little if the current DNR, from the top down isn't looking to minimize the CWD issue to encourage exactly what the map is showing, and that is the economic benefits of WI as a destination hunting state. I can only imagine that the politicians in charge of the DNR aren't terribly keen on having a doom and gloom message out there, cutting into their license sales and local economic boosts even more.

I worked at DNR for a couple of years in the early 2000's as and engineer when I was in school. I was there when CWD first hit. I saw the guys on the ground put a tremendous amount of effort int solving these issues. We still don't know as much as we would like. This is a very complex issues with many facets and still a ton of unknowns. If the inability of the prion to jump the primate boundary was iron-clad science at this point (and recent studies suggest it is certainly not), this is probably not a priority issue. I'm sensitive to these things because on a staff level, across the board, I encountered nothing but people as dedicated to the state's natural resources as anyone I've ever met. Many of theses folks are also hunters and fisherman. Just my two cents.

I also with everything you have said. I don't have a negative outlook on our DNR, but do have expectations for them. I don't blame them for not having more info on CWD because simply it's not their fault. I also concur with you on the fact they are limited based on resources and budget. That's really unfortunate because then their hands are tied and they have to decide their priorities. I also believe the biologist that I met with at a CWD meeting were passionate and concerned about the CWD issue. I can't say the same for her supervisor as the guy literally is getting ready to retire. Probably the reason for the lack of concern in our county. They even mentioned it at the meeting. But I do scratch my head sometimes as I see some of the things they spend money on for research. For example cameras over Eagles nests? They can use money towards these expensive cameras but can't provide a drop box for CWD in my town?

[dan]

"This map gives us a glimpse of one of the ways we will gradually lose the war against CWD, watching it spread to every corner of the whitetail’s range, unless we take action

Take action? seriously? Like there is anything we could possibly do to stop the spread. He says that like there is something that can be done.

Submit any deer you harvest for local testing, and wait for results before you eat the venison.

Why? Im eating it regardless of what the results are, so why wait?

Im pretty well educated on CWD... there is nothing that can be done to stop it, and it don't effect humans.

[Tim H]

Kraftd, also I should note that the biologist that I talked to said I could arrange a time to meet with her to test a deer in the event I shot one.

[Kraftd]

Kraftd, also I should note that the biologist that I talked to said I could arrange a time to meet with her to test a deer in the event I shot one.

That's good to hear.

Also, 90% of me feels just about the way Dan does per his post. Probably been here a lot longer than we knew, certainly seems it will always be here and only keep spreading, all available evidence seems to suggest no major issues for humans, deer heard could/should deal with it through natural selection over time in the heart of the outbreak area.

That all said, everything I understand is that the infection rate in adult deer in the epicenter is over 40% and only getting higher. This uptick in infection could be because of expanded testing in that area, or the lessening of the slaughter from when it was first found and the anticipated infection rates given the numbers, that were frankly too high at the time. I think a decade from now we will probably have a better handle on what this really means for WI. Will we see a crash in deer numbers from CWD where the infection rates are very high, or will it hit an equilibrium somewhere around where it is now. Only time will tell honestly. The west is a little bit of a knowledge base, but their deer/elk densities and food sources are generally pretty different in the badly infected areas as I understand.

[Jonny]

Our DNR needs to do a better job with efforts of CWD. We just had a deer test positive in our county the past few months. Suddenly they want more samples. Apparently they weren't too worried before and now they are scrambling for data. They even decided to do a March hunt in our area trying to get landowners to produce 75 deer for sampling.

One question that bugs me is, why don't they test every deer that is killed by a car? Why aren't the biologists going out in the field to get their samples? At the meeting I attended they said it's difficult to do and random. I'm not so sure how working with local law enforcement to get this samples is so difficult. Is it a lot of work? Yes it certainly is. But that should be part of their job. They shouldn't expect the hunters to just drop off all the samples.

Also they need to make the drop boxes more available to hunters if they want samples. They also need to promote the locations better. I mean, I had two does last year that I could have had tested had there been a drop box available in my area that's not a 35 minute drive.

High level I agree, but I think it's also worth noting you're talking about an agency that continues to have pretty substantial budget and staff cutbacks and freezes, with lots of other very important issues to address and a political push to take control of the deer herd out of their hands. Taking DNR as a whole to task, I'm good with, letting the frustration trickly down to the actual biologists I think is missing the bigger picture. I'd venture to guess every deer biologist at DNR would agree with you whole heartedly. Getting the proper funding to accomplish it however, is a different, more political story.

Sometimes I wonder a little if the current DNR, from the top down isn't looking to minimize the CWD issue to encourage exactly what the map is showing, and that is the economic benefits of WI as a destination hunting state. I can only imagine that the politicians in charge of the DNR aren't terribly keen on having a doom and gloom message out there, cutting into their license sales and local economic boosts even more.

I worked at DNR for a couple of years in the early 2000's as and engineer when I was in school. I was there when CWD first hit. I saw the guys on the ground put a tremendous amount of effort int solving these issues. We still don't know as much as we would like. This is a very complex issues with many facets and still a ton of unknowns. If the inability of the prion to jump the primate boundary was iron-clad science at this point (and recent studies suggest it is certainly not), this is probably not a priority issue. I'm sensitive to these things because on a staff level, across the board, I encountered nothing but people as dedicated to the state's natural resources as anyone I've ever met. Many of theses folks are also hunters and fisherman. Just my two cents.

I also with everything you have said. I don't have a negative outlook on our DNR, but do have expectations for them. I don't blame them for not having more info on CWD because simply it's not their fault. I also concur with you on the fact they are limited based on resources and budget. That's really unfortunate because then their hands are tied and they have to decide their priorities. I also believe the biologist that I met with at a CWD meeting were passionate and concerned about the CWD issue. I can't say the same for her supervisor as the guy literally is getting ready to retire. Probably the reason for the lack of concern in our county. They even mentioned it at the meeting. But I do scratch my head sometimes as I see some of the things they spend money on for research. For example cameras over Eagles nests? They can use money towards these expensive cameras but can't provide a drop box for CWD in my town?

You also need to track the money. If they get federal money to do a project and to fund something, they jump all over the chance to do it. If it means installing something pretty dumb (milwaukee streetcar) at very little to no cost to the state, then they do it every day of the week. My school got a huge grant to build a new building for a computer science program. More money than I'll make in my lifetime. But we couldn't touch a cent of that money to replace the condemned dorms that needed to be replaced 25 years ago. You either get the money for what the government/donor wants. Or you get nothing. Feds say you get money for eagle cameras. You either take the money, install them (and pay your workers), or another state gets the money.

The DNR is really being held down on a lot of things. I'm working with them for my senior project, and money is the biggest issue on anything. Whatever we propose, they have to petition the state to get that money so we need to have covered every base just to have a chance to get that money. Part of that is it being public works (always a joy), but the other part is you are fighting 10 other government agencies for a piece of the pie, and they all have just as valid of a claim to it. And that decision is left up to policymakers where their decisions can often be quite suspect.


My personal thoughts on CWD rival Dan's. And honestly, I'd much rather die eating venison from a deer I shot and butchered myself, than from eating imported mexican beef. If it ever came out CWD can be passed to humans.

[Bowhunting Brian]

I don't worry about cwd at all. Not concerned.

[Josh_S]

This hurts business for meat processors and taxidermists. Is it necessary? I don't know maybe to a certain extent, but way too much red tape in my opinion.

My home town is on the border of a "CWD Zone." I hunt a small property where the boundary lines are literally right on the CWD zone border. If I shoot a deer here I can't take it to a processor 2 miles away outside the CWD zone because they do not have approved containers (which I'm sure they would have to pay for).

Here is how PA handles taxidermy and processing

[JakeB]

Seems to me the biggest problem with CWD is agency’s collecting “samples”. How many deer are killed for a sample? And what exactly are the plans when they find a deer with CWD?? Nothing!! I’m unaware of anything that can be done so what’s the point of killing more deer then the disease will Likely ever kill??

[Dewey]

Honestly I worry much more about the meat I buy in the store. CWD has been around forever and there is no direct link to it ever affecting humans. It’s a shame all the restrictions being placed on hunters due to the disease. It’s obvious that all the money put into it is having very little affect and IMO a waste. It’s no secret that it pops up in areas of extremely high population or artificial herds like in game farms. It’s mother natures way of thinning the herd to keep the species strong the overall population healthy.

[BAS4109]

There is not much you can do about it. NY instituted a feeding ban which might help some. The issue with the feeding ban here is that the Northern Zone deer go to yard in the winter and used to get fed but now they starve in some cases.

From a NY stand point that map is misleading. Currently there are no known cases of CWD in NY in over 10 years!

[Lu Rome]

.....CWD has been around forever and there is no direct link to it ever affecting humans......

1. Why does everyone think it's been around forever? Wherever we test for it long term, the prevalence rate has gone up. Disease prevalence rates stabilize in the long term. If it's been here forever, why are rates increasing?

2. While there isn't any evidence that it can be transmitted to humans, the risk isn't zero. Diseases mutate.