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posted by CoolHand on Monday November 27 2017, @10:05PM   Printer-friendly
from the oh-dear dept.

Multiple states are preparing measures to monitor chronic wasting disease in their deer populations:

Despite rain and snow, thousands of Michigan hunters dragged their deer to check stations to be tested for chronic wasting disease — a condition that comes from the same family as "mad cow" disease.

"I was amazed that we had 150 deer come through the check station on the first day of gun season in Montcalm County," said Chad Stewart, Michigan Department of Natural Resources deer specialist. "Given the Wednesday opener and the bad weather, I was blown away."

Dollars generated from deer licenses and hunting-related purchases bring in millions in matching funds for habitat restoration and endangered species. They also help fund the testing for CWD, a demon of a disease that has been identified in 11 free-ranging Michigan deer and is feared to be on the verge of crossing over to humans. It just might alter the way we hunt forever.

"When they look back on the history of deer management in Michigan, these years will be considered pivotal to the culture of deer hunting," said Stewart. "I don't want people to think it's a death sentence for deer management. For now, there will be changes and additional restrictions. Change is hard to adapt to."

Montana drafting plans for hunt to monitor deer disease

Chronic wasting disease has been slowly spreading among deer, elk and moose in the Rocky Mountains, including Montana, Wyoming and Colorado. Symptoms include weight loss, listlessness and drooling.

Washington will restrict the import of deer carcasses from Montana.


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  • (Score: 2) by Kromagv0 on Tuesday November 28 2017, @01:50PM

    by Kromagv0 (1825) on Tuesday November 28 2017, @01:50PM (#602501) Homepage

    My understanding is that CWD is initially spread to wild deer populations by the deer eating in close proximity (nose to nose basically) with infected domestic farm animals or eating from their food troughs. It then is likely spread in the wild populations where baiting is allowed because again there are piles of food put out where the deer are again eating in close proximity, nose to nose, to each other. Here in Minnesota there was an outbreak way up north of it several years back that started from deer eating food at an elk farm. Earlier this year some farmed deer tested positive for CWD in central Minnesota so all hunted deer in that area had to be checked as well and so far it doesn't appear that any have tested positive in that wild population. Down in south eastern Minnesota there has been an outbreak but they think it is from deer coming over Wisconsin where baiting is allowed. Despite baiting being illegal here lots of people do it or rig up bird feeders, a trash can filled with corn hanging in a tree waiting for a stiff breeze to blow so it dumps, out in the woods to skirt the law. I use to put out some food on my recreational property for the deer but it would never be lots and it would never be in a pile. It would instead be go pitch the 4 old jack-o-lanterns out in to the woods in different parts of the property, or shoot some sweet potatoes out into the woods out of a potato cannon.

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