Just wanted to know other hunters opinions about how Chronic Wasting Disease in deer & elk might affect your state's hunting.

Here in Wisconsin, this spring they slaughtered 500 deer near Madison and found CWD in some of them.

So far there is no indication that this disease can be passed on to humans, and from what I understand, they've had this in Southern states for 50+ years.

If it presents no threat to humans, and as long as we practice safe field dressings, why is this such a big deal???

What are other's opinions?
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06-29-02, 11:12 AM
game42r42
It is for sure the don't know all the answers on CWD, it may be similar to MCD I don't know if they know for sure,I don't think anyone knows anything for sure! As you know CSW is a transmissible spongiform encepalopathy or brain-wasting disease. Most in central 8 states,if CWD is allowed to spread w/o some controls it could become completely out of control. When a 40% bleach cleaning solution is recommended you know there must be some concern.

10-03-02, 11:19 AM
game42r42
Excellent article in the October issue of Field and Stream as I recall............. some days I don't recall tooooooo well...............LOL

10-04-02, 10:32 AM
Rontate
I do my deer hunting at my hunting buddy's place in the mountains in the Moshannon State Forest near Parker Dam in north-central Pennsylvania.

I've not heard anything about CWD getting that far east... YET! I understand (from what I've read) that CWD has been moving east from Colorado for the past several years.

I live in Ohio & haven't heard anything about it infecting the ample deer herd here yet. Since CWD is moving east, it seems logical that it will move to the south as well as to the east from your area and hit Michigan, then migrate south and eastward to Illnois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee... and then, if no cure is found and we can't stop its migration, it will move further eastward into Pennsylvania, up into New York State and on up into New England as well as southward into our southern and coastal states.

To answer your question as to how I believe it will effect hunting, I feel it will have a negative effect on deer and elk hunting, especially if it is found that CWD can be transferred to humans through either "touching" the animal or "eating" the meat.

10-04-02, 10:56 PM
gizmogram
They're considering allowing us to hunt, but to have the meat frozen until the deer can be checked.

In the past, we've taken our deer in for processing and gotten the meat back in 2 days. If we have to freeze the carcass first, I can't help but think it'll reduce the quality of the cuts once they ARE able to cut it!

We had thought we might not hunt this year. But now have decided that we will. We only eat our venison 1-2 times a month, and I can't imagine we could be threatened by that.

Thanks for your comments!

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