CWD debate rages | battlecreekenquirer.com | The Enquirer
September 22, 2008 · Print This Article
Darren Warner
From farmers to hunters to even politicians, people all over the state are upset over the recent ban on deer baiting.
In response to the discovery of the state’s first case of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in a white-tailed deer from a privately owned cervid (POC) facility in Kent County in August, the Michigan Departments of Natural Resources and Agriculture implemented an immediate ban on all baiting and feeding of deer and elk in the Lower Peninsula.
People who depend on baiting for various reasons connected to hunting and apart from hunting, oppose the ban.
“I was surprised at the position of the DNR, based on the fact that a ban on baiting has had no effect on CWD in other states such as Wisconsin and Colorado,” said State Representative Joel Sheltrown (D-West Branch).
Sheltrown, chairman of the Tourism, Outdoor Recreation and Natural Resources Committee, recommends another strategy.
“I have called for a more balanced approach that would lift the ban until Jan. 1, 2009. By then, we will have collected more testing data on other deer and it would allow farmers to recoup their economic losses,” Sheltrown said.
Hunter and rock star Ted Nugent agrees. “I am opposed to the ban because there’s no scientific evidence to support it. There is no link between feeding deer and CWD – unless the feed contains animal parts from an infected animal. Bureaucrats are spitting in the face of the very ideals they swore to uphold: that they would make decisions based on sound scientific evidence. Full Story
An important aspect of CWD management is recognizing its prevalence. My company has adapted some software to get an expert hunter to check photos of hunted deer to check if they are sick.
The whole thing swings on whether a skilled hunter can recognize that a deer is sick by looking at a photo of it after it has been killed. I do not know if this is true! The idea is for the hunter to email the photo to an expert and if the expert says it looks sick, then at least keep the brain in teh freezer until it can be collected and analyzed. You can do this by email or more conveniently by http://www.cwd911.com
Mr. Brohan,
Even the best experts cannot tell if a deer has CWD by looking at it until it is in the very last stages of the disease. A healthy deer can be infected with (and spreading) CWD for years before showing any signs . Very skinny deer most likely have an injury or have been infected with acute forms of “bluetongue” or some other illness. Since CWD has never been found in Kentucky, it is safe to assume an extremely thin deer here is NOT infected with CWD.
That is why live deer cannot be brought into Kentucky (and most other CWD-free states) and is why deer and elk harvested in states that do have CWD must have brain, spine, and other tissues removed prior to being brought back to Kentucky.
Also, ideally, brain samples should NOT be frozen, but rather removed shortly after harvest and preserved in formalin before being sent for testing.
Should a hunter harvest an animal that looks ill, he or she should contact their state’s game and fish department. All hunters should be familiar with the CWD status and any testing requirements of the state in which they hunt.
Tina Brunjes
Deer Biologist
KY Dept of Fish and Wildlife