For you that have killed deer that was CWD positive

[timberjack86]

What are your thoughts on CWD timber?
Do you think it's real?
Do you think it kills deer and has wiped out populations?
Are you of the mindset to just let nature do her thing and there's not a thing conservationists can change?
Do you believe this is just a money ploy from the agency and insurance agencies?

It hasn't directly effected me yet but it's mind boggling the amount of people who just don't care and continue on with sarcasm and immature statements.

Glad you asked, I believe it's real, they have had it out west for years. Did it kill all the deer and elk out west? Most people out there have the same opinion I do, the sky isn't falling. People haven't stopped hunting out there. In fact people travel west to hunt every season. Even people from this site do it! Fact is the sun shines as brightly as it did before, people still hunt and consume the game they shoot. If they aren't worried about it after having cwd 20+ years why should we? Please explain what all the panic is about? Why should we decimate our deer herds when it didn't work out there?????

 

[BDS05]

Glad you asked, I believe it's real, they have had it out west for years. Did it kill all the deer and elk out west? Most people out there have the same opinion I do, the sky isn't falling. People haven't stopped hunting out there. In fact people travel west to hunt every season. Even people from this site do it! Fact is the sun shines as brightly as it did before, people still hunt and consume the game they shoot. If they aren't worried about it after having cwd 20+ years why should we? Please explain what all the panic is about? Why should we decimate our deer herds when it didn't work out there?????

I can tell you're too far gone..
I never said anything about "decimating" herds. I imagine the agency wants to lower populations to slow the spread though. What are your thoughts?
I don't think everyone who kills eats their tainted meat just because they're out west.
Most people out there probably wish they didn't have the same poor attitude you have about it now when they didn't have CWD.
I don't recall quoting it would eliminate our herd.
Have I missed the part where it's beneficial to OUR deer herd? I must have being as some here are welcoming it with open arms.

 

[Bull_TN]

Glad you asked, I believe it's real, they have had it out west for years. Did it kill all the deer and elk out west? Most people out there have the same opinion I do, the sky isn't falling. People haven't stopped hunting out there. In fact people travel west to hunt every season. Even people from this site do it! Fact is the sun shines as brightly as it did before, people still hunt and consume the game they shoot. If they aren't worried about it after having cwd 20+ years why should we? Please explain what all the panic is about? Why should we decimate our deer herds when it didn't work out there?????

You need to get out more man. Herds out west are being decimated. Two seasons ago in Kansas, you could have picked up 5 deadheads over 150 inches if you wanted. Those animals are dying man. People that look at this from the lens of their lifetime won't get it. I'm looking at this for the longevity of the sport.

I'll propose a solution, other than sitting around with out thumbs up our asses pretending nothing is happening. The South isn't ate up with this stuff yet. Wipe out the herds in the select few areas we have this and rebuild the population in five years. The only reason I would go that route is that's the only solution I know of that worked. My grandfather tells stories about seeing a deer track being something people would travel miles to see. We wiped them out in the South before and repopulated.

Hunters are disappearing man. At the rate we are going, their won't be any hunters in a couple generations. The fewer hunters, the less pro-2ndA supporters their are. I had much rather my place in history describe my actions as being too aggressive towards CWD than sitting on my ass and doing nothing. Of all the animals we have in North America, the whitetail deer is probably one of the least in danger of extinction.

 

[Omega]

You need to get out more man. Herds out west are being decimated. Two seasons ago in Kansas, you could have picked up 5 deadheads over 150 inches if you wanted. Those animals are dying man. People that look at this from the lens of their lifetime won't get it. I'm looking at this for the longevity of the sport.

I'll propose a solution, other than sitting around with out thumbs up our asses pretending nothing is happening. The South isn't ate up with this stuff yet. Wipe out the herds in the select few areas we have this and rebuild the population in five years. The only reason I would go that route is that's the only solution I know of that worked. My grandfather tells stories about seeing a deer track being something people would travel miles to see. We wiped them out in the South before and repopulated.

Hunters are disappearing man. At the rate we are going, their won't be any hunters in a couple generations. The fewer hunters, the less pro-2ndA supporters their are. I had much rather my place in history describe my actions as being too aggressive towards CWD than sitting on my ass and doing nothing. Of all the animals we have in North America, the whitetail deer is probably one of the least in danger of extinction.

Where has wiping them out worked to curb CWD? I recall a loss of large portion of the herd due to blue tongue (HD) and it took some time for the herd to recover, can't imagine doing it on purpose.

 

[Bull_TN]

Where has wiping them out worked to curb CWD? I recall a loss of large portion of the herd due to blue tongue (HD) and it took some time for the herd to recover, can't imagine doing it on purpose.

It worked in the Netherlands on a Caribou herd. I described this in more detail in a previous post. This is the only successful method we have found so far. I got this info from the Meateater podcast from a PhD guest that specialized in CWD. The podcast was about two years ago. I'm pretty sure CWD was in the title of the episode. Every hunter should listen to that podcast and then do your own research from there.

 

[fairchaser]

If you're not willing to eat a deer that tests positive then you shouldn't be hunting in a known infected area. What a waste of meat and an unnecessary waste of life to kill that animal just to throw it away. My personal opinion but I find that to be completely unethical hunting.

I don't think that's fair. You have the right to your opinion. I have built a lifestyle around deer hunting. For the last 40 years I think about whitetails almost year round. The cdc says don't eat it so I'm supposed to give up hunting when hunters are needed more than ever. We all have to change what we've been used to. I don't like it but it's what we've been handed.

 

[fairchaser]

Glad you asked, I believe it's real, they have had it out west for years. Did it kill all the deer and elk out west? Most people out there have the same opinion I do, the sky isn't falling. People haven't stopped hunting out there. In fact people travel west to hunt every season. Even people from this site do it! Fact is the sun shines as brightly as it did before, people still hunt and consume the game they shoot. If they aren't worried about it after having cwd 20+ years why should we? Please explain what all the panic is about? Why should we decimate our deer herds when it didn't work out there?????

There's a huge difference between western deer herds and southern deer herds where you have 35-40 deer per square mile and a disease that is proximity and density dependent. Please don't compare CWD here and there. Look at our state map over three years and see how quickly this is spreading. We can't kill all the deer but I'd be ok with it if we could. At least my grandchildren could hunt deer.

 

[timberjack86]

So we kill off the deer herd, high fence west TN and then what? Dig up the soil? What do we do with the prions in the soil? I'm not trying to be ass, if there's a solution that's realistic let's hear it! I'd prefer to keep it out of east TN but seeing what's happened in other states I don't have alot of hope.

 

[CritterGitter]

Hope this thread keeps going cause it's becoming the center of debate in my household regarding that deer we picked up from the processor

 

[Bull_TN]

So we kill off the deer herd, high fence west TN and then what? Dig up the soil? What do we do with the prions in the soil? I'm not trying to be ass, if there's a solution that's realistic let's hear it! I'd prefer to keep it out of east TN but seeing what's happened in other states I don't have alot of hope.

The only option I have any faith in would be to take the gloves off. Open all forms of take in any county with a single positive case for five years. I'm talking spotlighting year-round, and we (us hunters) would shoulder the load to knock the population down to as close to zero as possible. We would have to collaborate with the other Southern states. I know that sounds unrealistic, but I honestly believe that's our only shot at winning. Also, we need to put a fine so big it would bankrupt somebody for bringing deer into the South, dead or alive. Make no mistake, CWD was brought to the South in the bed of a truck. If we can't stop the transport of deer (including high fence farms) and deer carcasses, we are waisting our time.

 

[Lost Lake]

The only option I have any faith in would be to take the gloves off. Open all forms of take in any county with a single positive case for five years. I'm talking spotlighting year-round, and we (us hunters) would shoulder the load to knock the population down to as close to zero as possible. We would have to collaborate with the other Southern states. I know that sounds unrealistic, but I honestly believe that's our only shot at winning. Also, we need to put a fine so big it would bankrupt somebody for bringing deer into the South, dead or alive. Make no mistake, CWD was brought to the South in the bed of a truck. If we can't stop the transport of deer (including high fence farms) and deer carcasses, we are waisting our time.

You didn't answer the question about what to do about the prions in the soil.

 

[Bull_TN]

You didn't answer the question about what to do about the prions in the soil.

That's what the five years is for. The prions will break down in the environment without a host.

 

[Bodine270]

I don't think that's fair. You have the right to your opinion. I have built a lifestyle around deer hunting. For the last 40 years I think about whitetails almost year round. The cdc says don't eat it so I'm supposed to give up hunting when hunters are needed more than ever. We all have to change what we've been used to. I don't like it but it's what we've been handed.
I see your point of view and respect your opinion and your ability to express it in a respectable way unlike others here. Like you said, it's just my opinion. Doesn't mean I'm right or wrong. We're dealing with a lot of unknowns. I haven't seen any outward signs of CWD in my area. Has anyone seen dead or dying deer visibly suffering from CWD? My local herd appears healthy and normal as always. If it weren't for the test results we wouldn't know CWD exists. I'm not implying that if I don't see it, it doesn't exist. Just wondering. I haven't run into anyone in my area that has yet.

 

[bloodtrailing]

The only option I have any faith in would be to take the gloves off. Open all forms of take in any county with a single positive case for five years. I'm talking spotlighting year-round, and we (us hunters) would shoulder the load to knock the population down to as close to zero as possible. We would have to collaborate with the other Southern states. I know that sounds unrealistic, but I honestly believe that's our only shot at winning. Also, we need to put a fine so big it would bankrupt somebody for bringing deer into the South, dead or alive. Make no mistake, CWD was brought to the South in the bed of a truck. If we can't stop the transport of deer (including high fence farms) and deer carcasses, we are waisting our time.

Or from deer corn from infected areas was the culprit. I still do not see how killing all the deer saves all the deer. Killing them to prevent them from getting it so they do not die from it. A deer can live with CWD, many have tested positive but did not appear sick. The way the positive results are spreading we are kidding ourselves if we think we know where it is confined to. They do not know how far it reaches right now. And until you get surrounding states to kill off all their deer to so "save them" we are only hurting TN.

 

[Bull_TN]

Or from deer corn from infected areas was the culprit. I still do not see how killing all the deer saves all the deer. Killing them to prevent them from getting it so they do not die from it. A deer can live with CWD, many have tested positive but did not appear sick. The way the positive results are spreading we are kidding ourselves if we think we know where it is confined to. They do not know how far it reaches right now. And until you get surrounding states to kill off all their deer to so "save them" we are only hurting TN.

Literally the third sentence in my text you quoted says "We would have to collaborate with the other Southern states." Also, nobody said kill all the deer in the state. I said kill all the deer in any county with a positive case, which isn't even half the state. After a five year period, repopulate those areas. I'm not saying this plan is perfect, but it has a good chance of working if everyone would get on board. We already know what happens when you do nothing. Just look at Wisconsin. We're in a unique position to have only had CWD in this state for a few years. We could get on top of this now.

 

[backyardtndeer]

Literally the third sentence in my text you quoted says "We would have to collaborate with the other Southern states." Also, nobody said kill all the deer in the state. I said kill all the deer in any county with a positive case, which isn't even half the state. After a five year period, repopulate those areas. I'm not saying this plan is perfect, but it has a good chance of working if everyone would get on board. We already know what happens when you do nothing. Just look at Wisconsin. We're in a unique position to have only had CWD in this state for a few years. We could get on top of this now.

Until it comes back in again. I mean realistically if someone brought it here in the bed of a truck, what's the chances that happens again. There were already stiff fines on the books before we ever had the first positive..

And fwiw, research I have read on prions decaying in soil is not conclusive by any means. Some studies I have read show incubation period in soil of 18-24 months while some suggest the prions may not decay in some situations as quickly as others. Factors vary.

I don't know the answer, but am very skeptical of this kill them all plan.

 

[Bull_TN]

Below is a link to the CWD podcast I referenced earlier in the post. If you are interested in learning more about CWD, this is a must listen.

Ep. 070: Chronic Wasting Disease | MeatEater Podcasts

Steven Rinella talks with CWD expert Bryan Richards, Doug "Buckman Juice" Duren, and Janis Putelis of the MeatEater Crew.Subjects discussed: The U.S. Geological Survey's National Wildlife Health Center; bighorn sheep in Texas; hibernacula; white-nose syndrome in bats; people eating other people's...

www.themeateater.com

 

[backyardtndeer]

Below is a link to the CWD podcast I referenced earlier in the post. If you are interested in learning more about CWD, this is a must listen.

Ep. 070: Chronic Wasting Disease | MeatEater Podcasts

Steven Rinella talks with CWD expert Bryan Richards, Doug "Buckman Juice" Duren, and Janis Putelis of the MeatEater Crew.Subjects discussed: The U.S. Geological Survey's National Wildlife Health Center; bighorn sheep in Texas; hibernacula; white-nose syndrome in bats; people eating other people's...

www.themeateater.com

I will have to do some other research specifically on cwd and see if I can track down a wildlife biologist to talk with, I don't have two plus hours to watch a podcast.

 

[bloodtrailing]

Literally the third sentence in my text you quoted says "We would have to collaborate with the other Southern states." Also, nobody said kill all the deer in the state. I said kill all the deer in any county with a positive case, which isn't even half the state. After a five year period, repopulate those areas. I'm not saying this plan is perfect, but it has a good chance of working if everyone would get on board. We already know what happens when you do nothing. Just look at Wisconsin. We're in a unique position to have only had CWD in this state for a few years. We could get on top of this now.

kill all the deer in any county with a positive case - And how many square miles are we talking about? We are still learning how far this is gone.

We're in a unique position to have only had CWD in this state for a few years. We could get on top of this now.
This has been here longer than when the first positive showed up. This has been here more than a few years, we are just discovering how far it has gone. We were just ignorant to it existing.

 

[JeepKuntry]

Every deer we have killed in Hardeman Co looked healthy. No visible signs of CWD. That being said I can tell you this year something is off there. Personally I think it's knocked the numbers back quite a bit. We'll see how the next couple years go. It really sucks as we've passed on 115-120" deer hoping to get some wallhangers and bam this year things went down.