Chronic wasting disease found in Mississippi...

[mrlawler1]

Brian, let me ask you this, I know I've read articles out of the University of Michigan where they are trying to link this with Alzheimer's but aside from that, when we do dispose of our scraps, is there a better way of doing it instead of feeding the coyotes...? Do we need to burn or bury it? I know that the same has taken a few of my deer and tested them..I didn't know I could take my own to a.teating site...or even request they be tested...

[BigSexyPhoenix]

They don't show signs until the latter stages of the disease. AG&FC has testing sites listed on their website if you are concerned and want some testing but you have to have the head and 6" of the spine below the skull. There is also a map on there showing were all the cases in Arkansas were harvested. Furthermore, there has been no scientific evidence to show it can be passed to humans. It is only contained to cervids (deer and elk). It really sucks. I really look forward to deer season each year and we eat of lot of deer meat in my house. I hate the fact that we have this disease in our state and I see no way it will not spread even if we hunters don't carry deer across county lines and dispose of carcasses with great care the deer themselves will eventually spread it through their natural interactions.

I hunt in yell county not far from where you’re at. I talked to a forest service biologist that has a lease next to ours and he said that a lot of the counties that are part of our CWD zone do not have any confirmed cases. He said they just expanded it to neighboring counties to be safe. I thought about getting mine tested but I didn’t after talking to him.

[BOW4UM]

Just a natural cycle In my opinion. But yea lets eradicate all deer and not give them a chance to fight it naturally.

[hatcreek]

Hatcreek, do deer show signs of CWD in the early stages? Also, is it confined only to cervids or can it be passed to humans? I shot a doe last weekend that was nice and healthy looking but it still makes me wonder.

They don't show signs until the latter stages of the disease. AG&FC has testing sites listed on their website if you are concerned and want some testing but you have to have the head and 6" of the spine below the skull. There is also a map on there showing were all the cases in Arkansas were harvested. Furthermore, there has been no scientific evidence to show it can be passed to humans. It is only contained to cervids (deer and elk). It really sucks. I really look forward to deer season each year and we eat of lot of deer meat in my house. I hate the fact that we have this disease in our state and I see no way it will not spread even if we hunters don't carry deer across county lines and dispose of carcasses with great care the deer themselves will eventually spread it through their natural interactions.

Brian, let me ask you this, I know I've read articles out of the University of Michigan where they are trying to link this with Alzheimer's but aside from that, when we do dispose of our scraps, is there a better way of doing it instead of feeding the coyotes...? Do we need to burn or bury it? I know that the same has taken a few of my deer and tested them..I didn't know I could take my own to a.teating site...or even request they be tested...

I'll begin my response with the disclaimer that I'm FAR from being an expert on CWD; but being in the business I'm in, have kept up more than a passing interest as the disease has come to the forefront in discussions surrounding whitetail management.

Chris... Bass Junkie provided some good info in response to your question.

Deer (other cervids, as well) can be carriers of the disease and be completely asymptomatic. It's going to kill them eventually (it's 100% fatal), but a young deer may show no outward signs of infection. As of this time, there's no way to test a live animal for the disease. It's as B. Junkie posted, in that it requires a sample from the CNS (brain stem) for confirmation... I've pulled many, many samples over the years, as we've been looking for CWD for 15+ years here in MS prior to finding the first case this past January.

In a strange coincidence; I was attending a workshop, sitting with our MDWF&P state deer program coordinator (William McKinley), and had just finished listening to a CWD presentation by his counterpart with the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission, when William's phone rang... It was the Iowa State University Vet Lab, confirming our 1st case... a 4.5-yr old buck from Issaquena County, here in the Delta.

Since that time; we've had another positive animal from Issaquena County and recently, two additional positives (see links earlier in thread)... one each from Marshall and Pontotoc Counties in the north/northeast part of the state, a LONG way from Issaquena County.

Just as we've been searching for CWD for some time now; we've also had what I consider to be a pretty good contingency plan in place, ready to implement once it finally showed up here... proactive > reactive.

https://www.mdwfp.com/wildlife-hunti...sting-disease/

Matt... In response to your question; the truth is, I know what I don't know... and that's to say that there just don't seem to be many 'absolutes' with regard to CWD other than it's a prion (defective protein)-driven TSE, and is a death sentence to every infected animal.

No... It's never been shown to be transmissible to humans. It's my belief (aka, educated guess) that it poses very little danger to us through consumption. Unless, that is, you have a habit of consuming large amounts of the brains/CNS tissues of the deer you harvest. Which begs the question... Do you identify as a zombie?

Regarding disposal... It's my understanding that very, very high-temp incinerators are needed to 'kill' the offending materials... Not something that you or I could replicate in the burn barrel out back. Burial? Sure... but the disease has already been shown to survive in the soil, so again, does that help (I am of the opinion that it certainly can't do any harm)?

So... Should we be doing everything we can to reduce the possibility of spreading the disease?

IMHO, yes... and that includes prohibiting things such as supplemental feeding stations and the transporting of farmed animals & animal products... Unfortunately there's already a huge $$$$$ market and trade in those very things and more.

On the other hand... Will such prohibitions do anything at all to stop the spread of CWD, or will they just delay the inevitable progression of a naturally occurring phenomenon that's going to run its course, whatever that course may be?

For now, I'll remain interested and try to keep myself abreast of new information as it becomes available.

I'm not going to stop consuming deer meat... I will, however, continue to take reasonable precautions (just as I always have) in processing, preparing and enjoying it.

[Jamie]

My question to all of the CWD mess is how to we know that this is something new? I know nothing about the subject but why is it anything different that Black tongue or any of the other deer killing diseases that need to run their course.

[mrlawler1]

No I don't identify as a zombi I don't think... interesting stuff Brian..im with you, been doing this a long time, seen deer with all sorts of issues. Both healthy and unhealthy and several that have fooled me thru the years that I was most certainly not going to eat after putting them on the pole...either with color or infection..just not worth that risk to me...if it looks funny or smells I'm not eating it..

[hatcreek]

My question to all of the CWD mess is how to we know that this is something new? I know nothing about the subject but why is it anything different that Black tongue or any of the other deer killing diseases that need to run their course.

The short answer is... We don't.

The difference between CWD and other 'deer killing diseases' such as bluetongue/EHD, however, is that only one of them is 100% fatal to the animals that contract it.

[mrlawler1]

The short answer is... We don't.

The difference between CWD and other 'deer killing diseases' such as bluetongue/EHD, however, is that only one of them is 100% fatal to the animals that contract it.

Deer can survive blue tongue disease...those that do will pass down an immunity ...as the generations go, that immunity gets weaker then it happens again....blue tongue happens every year, just depends on the conditions as to how bad it's gonna be... especially for one particular area...

[hatcreek]

Deer can survive blue tongue disease...those that do will pass down an immunity ...as the generations go, that immunity gets weaker then it happens again....blue tongue happens every year, just depends on the conditions as to how bad it's gonna be... especially for one particular area...

Biting midges are the vector... Always worse when water sources are concentrated by drought conditions and is often disproportionately hard on the mature buck segment of a given herd.