Chronic Wasting Disease

[Spikebuck]

I was always under the belief that it was contained in the nervous system tissue (brain and spine) so I felt there was some measure of protection in processing them bonelessly.

"...CWD proteins (prions) likely spread between animals through body fluids like feces, saliva, blood, or urine..."


https://www.cdc.gov/prions/cwd/tran... CWD proteins (prions,of soil, food or water.
The reason DNRs, like Minnesota, make animal based scents & lures, as well as deer feeding illegal in CWD areas is because it congregates deer and it becomes far more likely that they will transfer bodily fluids and cross contaminate.

On another front, I just read about a Canadian study completed in Sept 2022 where the researchers transfered CWD into Spider Monkeys and Macaques, which are genetically very close to humans, as well as "humanized mice," which I understand to be mice implanted with some human genetics...no...not Mickey Mouse! Net, the test animals mutated the CWD prions into a new version of prion! They cautioned that more testing needs to be done to draw final conclusions, but it could be that just like Mad Cow can mutate to vJCD, CWD may be capable of mutating into a completely new variant. The new variant was in their bodily fluids/feces meaning IF it happened in people they could spread the disease to other humans just like deer do.

 

[Spikebuck]

Then don't feed the poor starving deer in the winter, or when they yard-up in the spring. let'm die,,

In SE MN we have virtually unlimited harvest now. Five deer and additionally special CWD hunts which are unlimited buck or doe kill. Just keep buying CWD tags and killing. In addition, federal sharp shooters kill deer with night vision over bait.

Now, very few people do that, but it shows the DNR's intent down here. There is great concern that somehow this disease could mutate and infect animals in agriculture.

Testing is finding fewer than 20 deer annually in all the SE and yet their goal is to further reduce the herd drastically...and keep the infection rate extremely low. Places I used to go that always had trails, rubs, and scrapes are now "deer deserts" with very little to no sign anymore. They just made the huge public heavily hunted Whitewater area a CWD zone even though there has never been a positive test there...ever.

Personally, I think our DNR has gone off the deep end. Wisconsin did nothing for a long time and now has counties with 50% infection rates. Minnesota wants to kill every deer, if it could. Surely there is some middle ground that makes sense!

 

[necchi]

We just gotta stop the idiots that want to "save the deer" with built bunks for feed, and/or tossing out hay bays for the poor creatures.
With all the BS above, the reality is the spread comes from them rubbing noses and snot in the same place!
It's natures way of caring for itself.
We can't raise deer like cattle, fact. We've never domesticated deer, or raccoons, or even squirrel. The genetics of some animals simply have not been able to be domesticated.
Yet, domesticated humans,, need to feed the poor starving deer! THEY, the humans, are the ones spreading the disease,, the deer are the victim.

 

[Jaeger]

In SE MN we have virtually unlimited harvest now. Five deer and additionally special CWD hunts which are unlimited buck or doe kill. Just keep buying CWD tags and killing. In addition, federal sharp shooters kill deer with night vision over bait.

Now, very few people do that, but it shows the DNR's intent down here. There is great concern that somehow this disease could mutate and infect animals in agriculture.

Testing is finding fewer than 20 deer annually in all the SE and yet their goal is to further reduce the herd drastically...and keep the infection rate extremely low. Places I used to go that always had trails, rubs, and scrapes are now "deer deserts" with very little to no sign anymore. They just made the huge public heavily hunted Whitewater area a CWD zone even though there has never been a positive test there...ever.

Personally, I think our DNR has gone off the deep end. Wisconsin did nothing for a long time and now has counties with 50% infection rates. Minnesota wants to kill every deer, if it could. Surely there is some middle ground that makes sense!

Interesting that Minnesota has areas with few deer, because in SE Michigan we are being overrun with them. I see deer everywhere now, and we didn't even see deer around here in the 50s to the 2010s. They are in the northern suburbs of Detroit, and they were never there before.

 

[Spikebuck]

Interesting that Minnesota has areas with few deer, because in SE Michigan we are being overrun with them. I see deer everywhere now, and we didn't even see deer around here in the 50s to the 2010s. They are in the northern suburbs of Detroit, and they were never there before.

Our DNR wildlife leadership has been pro herd minimization for about 15 years. So much so that a few years ago it came to an ugly head between deer hunters and the DNR and the legislature called for an audit...that didn't go too well for the DNR regarding their deer population estimate models, listening to their stakeholders, having updated master plans in place, etc. They were just getting into the mode of working to increase herd size based on hunter inputs when CWD started, which gave them the reason they needed to reverse course and move back to their decimation practices.

 

[BillRob]

When all of the CWD news and testing came around, I started wearing rubber gloves when I cleaned my deer. Can't be too careful you know. Don't have a clue if it helped me avoid any neurological disorders - but my fingernails are sure a heck of a lot cleaner!

 

[Spikebuck]

The prion resides in the brain stem and and other neurological pathways. So, a hunter who kills a cwd infected deer, field dresses it, takes it home hundreds of miles away and then.skins it and disposes of the head can be a method for spread.

While I have no doubt that happens, many states, including my home state of Minnesota, forbid by law bringing big game animals into the state whole or with brains/spinal column. So it shouldn't be happening.

"It is illegal to import whole deer, elk, moose and caribou carcasses into Minnesota. This prohibition applies to all U.S. states, Canadian provinces, or other areas, regardless of their CWD status.

Only the following parts of deer or other cervids may be brought into Minnesota:

1. Quarters or other portions of meat with no part of the spinal column or head attached

2. Meat that is boned out or that is cut and wrapped (either commercially or privately)

3. Hides and teeth

4. Antlers or clean (no brain tissue attached) skull plates with antlers attached

5. Finished taxidermy mounts

Non-residents transporting whole or partial carcasses on a direct route through Minnesota are exempt from this restriction"

We actually have these same rules WITHIN the state between CWD and non-CWD areas.

 

[longcruise]

While I have no doubt that happens, many states, including my home state of Minnesota, forbid by law bringing big game animals into the state whole or with brains/spinal column. So it shouldn't be happening.

Yes that's an ever growing list of states. I haven't kept track. Unfortunately the practice has probably already transplanted it to many places.

 

[Howard Pippin]

Two things: I have a friend who is a big time deer skater and he says there’s some good evidence that a lot of road kill has cwd. I don’t know, but it’s make some sense as it seems to be getting worse; the road kill deer I mean.

As to testing: why would one not get it done?Does it cost a lot of money? Is there something I’m missing about getting one kill tested?

About two weeks ago I attended a Montana fish wildlife and parks meeting and one of the things that came up was the testing of our deer because of the rapid increase of CWD. There was an outspoken fellow there that kept claiming there was no reason to test as no one had ever gotten it yet. The Montana FWP has been testing free, and i can't imagine not getting it tested. We are having trouble with it coming out of Canada and it's really rapport between me and Canada a distance of about 40 miles. I've just about quit entirely hunting deer entirely, I'm not going to get involved. I can still buy beef and the exchange price between me shooting it or just buying beef is probably just nickels. Cheap deer meat is not what people think. I've had some deer that figured out $25 per lb.
Squint

 

[QuinnTheEskimo]

There are a lot of ways that CWD can be transmitted in theory, but the number one way it has happened is by people moving live deer and elk, either for agricultural reasons or for high fence hunting operations. That’s how CWD has made most of its big leaps.

 

[Billy Boy]

CWD was just verified in my county, although it has already been found in surrounding counties. The genies out of the bottle and there is no way to control or reverse the spread at this time. We normally kill and eat 3-4 does each year, so we plan to have each deer tested before consumption. Since we process our own venison, we'll cut it up, identify each one according to its testing I.D. number and discard any deer coming up positive for CWD. We've been practicing quality deer management for 25 years (bucks 3 1/2 yrs or older), but CWD will probably eliminate all progress in this effort as mature bucks appear most susceptible to the disease.

The culprits here are feel good people who feed or soulless hunters who bait them. They are doing it even though it is discouraged or illegal. They will no doubt wail the loudest when the sport is circling the drain…


.

 

[appalichian hunter]

Actually, think about this how's the different HUNTERS FEEDING THE HUNGRY programs deal with this. There seems to be no shortage of these programs.

 

[longcruise]

There was an outspoken fellow there that kept claiming there was no reason to test as no one had ever gotten it yet.

That's an example of a guy who apparently doesn't understand why the testing is going on. It's for the benefit of the management planning by wildlife departments.

Advisement of caution by the CDC and management agencies are all about bureaucratic CYA. If there was any hard evidence of transmission to humans there would be no deer, elk or moose hunting in my state of Colorado. Colorado certainly isn't ground zero for CWD but it's close. The moment it is established that CWD has been transmitted to a human it will result in a massive shift in the management of susceptible species and the use of hunting as a tool.

Hasn't happened yet.

 

[bldtrailer]

It may not be the cause but what is the base of the high protein deer feeds that promote deer and antler growth , in England they had fed the cows with mad cow by products of meat yards (brain spine and bone ground up in the feed ) to speedup weight gain , might the same by product have caused or add to the above . meat in predators evolved to handle them not in herbivores

 

[Collector54]

I live in N. Illinois, and we have spill over from Wis. for the CWD. Ill. took a different approach than Wis did initially. I was as a private individual from industry involved both with Ill DNR and Wis DNR during the height of the CWD outbreak. Wis had offers from as far away as Georgia to come and hunt for free. DNR sent teams of sharpshooters out to sample even from private lands. There was a meeting at Mt Horeb that asked for public support for combating this disease. After all the public input and questions DNR came out with a plan that they had ready to go. It didnot end well for the DNR as they immediately lost any support they had. I was there and told the head of DNR that they royally screwed up. Many well meaning folks came to offer their support and help with culling even though it really pained them to decimate the deer herds they had so lovingly taken care of improving for decades. Deer hunting is a passion in Wis. especially the southern tier. A massive culling was tried for 2 to 3 years and found several clusters of infection. Extra tags and sampling were done during season but only until the sample quota was attained. ( 500 for each unit) then stopped for that management unit. Ill. on the other hand with a lack of public land tried to just increase the tags available added another season or 2 and tests any and all deer harvested. Off season sampling is done by trained DNR people on any land made available. Our rate of infection is lower and the spread is slower in Ill. as of the last stats I saw than Wis. Although Wis has done a good job controlling the spread too. The area I hunt in Wis and Ill. both have CWD although none of my deer has been infected. At my suggestion special IDs are given to those deer tested and in Ill. they will come and dispose of infected deer. My company (my product idea )was a sampling kit for deer and I supplied Ill. with free kits when we decided to leave that area of business. The last info regarding human infection with CWD showed monkeys specially treated with Prions could infect them. The study I saw however took a great deal of effort to infect the monkeys and Hu engineered mice. Key here is probably not consuming brain and spinal tissue and general safe handling of the meat. As you are all probably aware deer can carry many other diseases that can kill you if you aren't careful like TB which is especially prevalant in parts of Mich. They also can carry Rocky Mt spotted fever, as well as several other tick diseases per the Dir. of Texas Wildlife and Parks. CWD research has fallen out of the spotlight but research is ongoping. Much hype initially spread alot of fear but cooler heads have prevaled and the info coming out now seems to show that testing is important to maintain a healthy herd as well as keeping numbers below 20 deer per square mile in ag areas here in Southern Wis and N. Ill. The real concern here in Ill. is the lack of hunting ground available to hunt and those folks that are against hunting of any kind. Liability laws are also a concern for landowners letting people hunt. Sorry for the novel but this is something I know some about.

 

[oldschoolhunter55]

High fenced hunting sites are big contributors of the CWD not just in Mi. but all over the country. They import wild caught deer from who knows where for breeding along with trophy hunting and aren't regulated enough in my opinion! The whole industry should be looked after more closely but there's not enough Fed. and State employees that actually leave their desk or have the desire to maintain much scrutiny over these operations.

aint killing nothing in a pen unless its a chicken. couldnt imagine shooting a deer in a pen...

 

[oldschoolhunter55]

It may not be the cause but what is the base of the high protein deer feeds that promote deer and antler growth , in England they had fed the cows with mad cow by products of meat yards (brain spine and bone ground up in the feed ) to speedup weight gain , might the same by product have caused or add to the above . meat in predators evolved to handle them not in herbivores

u might have a point there

 

[Collector54]

The Brits had mad cow rear it's ugly head from as you said ground up sheep and cow parts for the protein content. They were not the only folks that did this. Unfortunately, the high percent of sick sheep with scrapies a prion disease ( which has been around for hundreds of years and never infected people ever),was used in this animal supplement. This eventually caused cattle to be exposed and contract what came to be called Mad Cow. These animals were also then recycled into animal feed and fed back to healthy cattle and then caused more Mad cow. Interestingly, a human form not nvCJD (the human form of Mad cow), but Kuru which is seen in folks from the South Pacific, because they eat the brains of their dead relatives. This has over time caused this prion disease that acts a lot like Mad cow. Also not everyone was susceptible to the prion, certain differences in the DNA substituting a Methionine for something else I forget, maybe serine?, makes one more susceptible than someone that doesn't have that substitution. Cu was also thought to have a effect here but I forget what it was.

 

[CZMark]

We've had CWD in Southern Wisconsin for over 20 years, at a certain point, you just learn to live with it.

 

[ETipp]

It was common when CWD was first identified, some news idiot covered a story about a man who ate venison and got it, no proof that he got it from infected venison, they just assumed it was deer hunting that did it. Then the rest jumped on the wagon, almost celebrating the idea a Bambi killer could die a horrible slow death from eating his quarry…… cosmopolitan magazine actually DID celebrate that idea….. it’s old news now, they have moved on to why you don’t NEED a gun , just talk to your attackers……

Indeed. IMO this is very much like the COVID plandemic to scare people. Fearful people are easy to control and they fall for all kinds of agendas, such as the sham COVID 19 "vaccine" that is not a vaccine. And all of sudden since the death jab was rolled out, thousands of young, healthy people are falling dead, even young athletes. And doctors are baffled they say.