Let's continue our CWD conversations but get off the topic of whether or not humans can or will contact a prion disease from eating infected meat. Since the chances of that happening are slim to none, lets focus on how CWD will affect the future of deer hunting as we know it. Let's start off with a few facts. Once CWD is present in wild deer herds, there is no way to get rid of it. Once present the disease always spreads and infection rates grow. Knowing those two things, and knowing that CWD continues to pop up in wild deer herds across the country it stands to reason that things are only going to get worse. It's debatable how much worse they will get, and how quickly that will happen, but the fact is it's going to happen. At some point in time we will see population level declines in wild deer due to CWD. If may not be wide spread in our lifetime, but it's certainly plausible that our children will have far fewer deer on the landscape to hunt. In areas of WI where there is zero management of CWD and deer numbers are relatively unchecked, infection rates are growing rapidly. Infection rates of 30 and 40% are becoming the norm. Likewise, down here in IL where our DNR is actively reducing deer populations (much to the dismay of some hunters) we're seeing infection rates under 10% even in the "hot zones". The first CWD-positive deer was discovered in IL about 9 months after Wisconsin, so we've had it for the same amount of time. So while the IL DNR's efforts to slow the spread seem to be working, there is no way to stop the spread. At some point infection rates will either increase to the point that CWD is affecting populations, or the DNR will kill enough deer to further slow the spread that populations will decline. One way or another, there will be less deer. And when there are less deer, there are less hunters. People don't enjoy hunting when they aren't seeing deer. With hunter decline comes reduction in license sales and funding for conservation, and so the snowball grows. Again, we may be 20 or 50 years away from any of this becoming a reality, but I personally believe I'll live to see a day when this is a considerably more significant issue than it is today. And for that reason I plan on enjoying every minute of my deer hunting while I still can.
They find a vaccine and all is right with the world. Hey why not. IDK other than one thing we may just have a lot of younger deer running around as there is varying info from what I have seen (I'm no expert) that it does take awhile for a deer to show symptoms. Deer typically don't live that long as it is on average. So often times it may be possible we are killing deer before they show symptoms anyway. Perhaps we will be shooting deer for something other than meat. It may be difficult for a buck to get 5 years old at some point if it continues to spread. I got almost nothing on this topic. It is very complex and a lot of unknowns. I'm just slinging mud at the wall.
There is no possible way to vaccinate the deer population, there is nothing modern science can do to solve it, what happens happens.
I will be curious to see if more and more states ban baiting and mineral sites over the next 5-10 years.
How do we know it wasn't already present in wild herds around the country before anyone knew it was even a thing to test for? People have been finding dead deer since there were deer. It's going to have to be one of those things that either nature will work out or it won't. I'll enjoy hunting while it lasts just in case.
Food plots as well as all agriculture and native browse and natural mineral sites. May as well go scorched earth and drop a few nuclear warheads.
There was some research a few years ago that Lichens in WI can break down the prions. Haven't seen any more so I'm not sure if this is still active research or not. But it sounds like something that needs to continue to be looked at. It could possible explain why CWD spreads in some areas and not or not as much in others. The testing in areas where there have been the most infections needs to be increased to 100% to get rid of the misinformation on infection rates.
I think it has been discovered/around in some of the western states for the time frame of 20 to 50 years that you have given and it has not changed that much. Life spans of deer vs incubation periods of the disease would likely tell the most. The incubation period in humans can be quite long: http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2015/...read-of-chronic-wasting-disease/#.WW_M9-SWwdU
Scrapie was identified in sheep back in the 1800's. BSE in cows in 1986 in the U.K. and has since been identified in 24 additional countries. People have been observing and surveying animals for centuries. If CWD existed before the 1970's it would have been observed and documented somewhere. Likewise, if it had been around forever as people claim, it would be much further spreading already than it is today.
In high infection rate areas in Wyoming they've seen a 45% reduction in mule deer populations. Keep in mind mule deer are much more nomadic than whitetails and have far less deer-to-deer contact. This is why we're seeing spreading and infection rates in whitetails increasing so rapidly. I believe incubation in whitetails is generally 18-24 months.
There is no vaccine yet, but if one is developed there is a great way to vaccinate the population. They're called hunters. We all have a vested interest in the future of these animals. You can bet your bottom dollar if someone develops a vaccine that can be administered orally that hunters and other landowners will buy it and put it out for their deer to eat. Additionally, scientists have had good luck administering oral vaccines to prairie dogs who are susceptible to plague and to raccoons for rabies as well. The raccoon vaccine is actually dropped from airplanes by the government. https://www.nature.org/ourinitiativ...for-prairie-dogs-and-black-footed-ferrets.xml http://epi.publichealth.nc.gov/cd/rabies/orv.html
Wow, 19% a year and gone in 41..........waterfowl hunting is more fun anyways.....: http://www.wyofile.com/study-chronic-wasting-disease-kills-19-deer-annually/
My father was commissioned by the Governor and the Secretary of the DNR to sit on the WI CWD Stakeholders Advisory Group to create a CWD response plan for the state. That commission has since passed and other bodies have taken up the matter in WI. The data and research and researchers and scientists he was exposed to was incredible. Im having him draft a response to this thread. Some will find it interesting. Others will find it an opportunity to say mean things about him.
http://www.themeateater.com/podcasts/ep-070-chronic-wasting-disease/ The most comprehensive and informative information I've heard on the subject yet. Give it a listen
You're a smart guy but to speak in absolutes with a subject that has more questions then answers is a bit naive. By your own writing Mule deer are more anti social so that would slow the initial spread in mule deer hence be here longer then expected. If you don't know there is a problem most people don't go looking to stir stuff up. Unless you're a woman.
This. I'm not up on CWD as much as some, but I've been listening to a few podcasts on this subject over the years and this was one of the better ones to date. Still a lot of unknowns, but it certainly included some promising information regarding potential vaccination delivery methods if such a thing were to ever be developed. The fact that it is a prion and not a virus makes this seem a bit more unlikely, but what do I know? As for the future or hunting, if we truly do see the population level impacts they claim they're seeing out west where it has been documented for some time, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see what economic impacts that will have with deer hunting. Time will tell. Another component in all of this that the guest on that podcast mentioned was the "ick factor." In that, are hunters, like a few in this forum have already expressed, going to shy away from eating/sharing their kills if in fact they're tested positive? Or will most look the other way? Or, as it seems to be happening now, are fewer hunters going to voluntarily test their animals and choose the "ignorance is bliss" option? Again, too many unknowns that this point.
I sent the link of this thread to my father and asked him to weigh in. This is what he sent back: “Nothing of substance comes out of chat rooms and discussions usually degrade quickly into arguments and my work load keeps me offline which is why I don’t participate these sorts of things but CWD holds a special interest so here goes. (in no particular order) Once the infectious mater is released into the environment via urine, feces, saliva, dander, birthing, decomposition, gut piles, ect, its not only there to stay but it becomes 700% more infective than muzzle to muzzle contact between hosts. This means that if you kill 100% of the deer today from the infected land mass (and we don’t even know how large that is) the environment remains infective via the soil and the uptake of the vegetation that grows there so if you could (and you can’t) kill all the deer in that zone and erect a fence or hire an occupying force that would shoot on sight every deer and you maintained that objective for a decade, the new deer that would be introduced into that contaminated zone will become infected and the disease will arise again. 2. Even if the all the deer are killed in order to attempt to save future deer, other species (such as Bank Voles and other critters to be realized as research exposes) that live in the infected zone will propagate CWD in perpetuity. https://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/55901/PDF 3. No DNR or government agency will solve, cure, stop or eradicate CWD. There is no legislation, management prescription, season structure or regulation that will have an significant impact on CWD. Accept this and your stress level will decrease. CWD will not be “managed”. It wont be controlled and it wont be eradicated since its naturally occurring (just like CJD it is in humans). 4. Nobody wearing a suit and tie in any state capitol, or grey conservation uniform or blaze orange or camo will have even a tiny fraction of the impact on CWD that a few people wearing white lab coats will. People have the arrogance to think we can control nature. We cannot. At best we can only study and research to learn more and given time we will gain enough understanding to create a vaccine that will only slow the spread but it would need to be administered for several decades before its effects will even be noticed. If all this seems dark and depressing, its not. CWD in deer is not going to spell the end of hunting. Annually, cars kill more deer than CWD. Bullets and broadheads kill WAY more deer than CWD. In some areas EHD has more of a negative impact on local populations than CWD. If you are worried, have your deer tested before eating but as a hunter, don’t change a thing. The future of hunting does not depend on CWD. Lower hunter numbers, loss of access and anti hunters in seats of power are a far greater threat to the sport than CWD could ever be. There are a lot of finer points I haven’t touched on and my comments were rather general but then there was no specific details you asked me to address.
He called it. He was right. It took only one post. The guy here known for no substance and off topic hijacking is the first to chime in with no substance and an off topic post. And what the heck is "hycritical" ?
