Should we even worry about CWD anymore?

[MickThompson]

Is it because TWRA wants everything walking killed?

It seems like the Ames crowd on here in particular knew something was up for at least a couple years before CWD was found.

 

[Ski]

The experts disagree on this. Some deer might live longer with the disease but the common belief is that deer live 18-24 months after they get CWD. Thus a doe getting CWD at birth from their mother would only have 1 fawning cycle.

That's where natural selection takes effect. If 5 does are born with CWD and 4 of them die after fawning only once, but one lives to fawn 5 times, then you have 5 more deer that are resistant to 4 that aren't. Those 5 new fawns will continue to propagate the resistant disease at a higher rate than the vulnerable deer can propagate the vulnerable genetics. With time nature flip flops the odds in favor of life until the disease is completely mooted, if not eradicated.

My fear was/is that TWRA's approach would hinder this process of natural selection by killing deer off en masse with no selectivity. Every time we humans try playing God we fail miserably.

 

[swampbadger]

It wasn't a problem until the government said it's a problem and started testing for it. How many of us have gotten sick since it came about by a scientist in the 1960s? I haven't heard of a single one. CWD has been here long before they started testing for it. I've been eating deer out of the same bottoms long before they started testing for CWD.

I killed the first CWD positive buck in shelby county back in 2019. I was playing by the rules and was forced to test all harvested deer that opening ML weekend. I like to process my own meat and boil my own skulls. I was a little concerned those first few years and kinda liked how they made it easy to kill unlimited numbers of deer. It's not sustainable though and I'm glad to see the rule's begin to return to how they were. I'm just gonna keep killing and eating deer out of those same bottoms like always.

I'm sure I will continue to be just fine.

 

[AT Hiker]

Although there is essentially nothing that I can do, I still somewhat worry about it. It's a head scratcher to me when someone states that don't worry about it. I mean; I love deer hunting and I love eating deer so it's natural for someone to be concerned, imo.
I am less concerned with eating CWD infected deer than I am with how the local herds handle the infections. Seems like some do ok and some don't.

I've recently moved and unfortunately one of the mule deer herds next to my house isn't doing so well with CWD. The whitetail, although not "native" to the area, are starting to see the same demise. Maybe mule deer are more sensitive or just can't handle the extra stress CWD causes.

Here is a fresh article of some new research that is happening on this particular local herd.

A Wyoming mule deer herd is so riddled with CWD it could nearly vanish - WyoFile

Preliminary findings have biologists worried for superinfected deer herd. There’s hope research could help guide chronic wasting disease management — if the public lets it happen.

wyofile.com

 

[BSK]

I don't hear this mentioned often enough. That's about the lifespan of a typical buck to begin with, and a doe living that long can produce several fawns before ever exhibiting symptoms. Essentially many deer would outlive the disease even if they were born with it. I think that's why we don't see big a die off and why in most places we don't see an affect on age structure. This is a big silver lining that would calm the hyperbole doom & gloom but for whatever reason we don't get to hear it near as often or as loud as the scary stuff. But it explains why we've been hearing for decades about how our deer will disappear, but they don't.

Exactly. I have no doubt fairchaser is correct and they are seeing fewer deer, especially mature bucks. And I suspect some of that is due to CWD. If you're managing for mature bucks, and a contagious disease kills them right around that age, you're going to see a lot less of them!

 

[DayDay]

Although there is essentially nothing that I can do, I still somewhat worry about it. It's a head scratcher to me when someone states that don't worry about it. I mean; I love deer hunting and I love eating deer so it's natural for someone to be concerned, imo.
I am less concerned with eating CWD infected deer than I am with how the local herds handle the infections. Seems like some do ok and some don't.

I've recently moved and unfortunately one of the mule deer herds next to my house isn't doing so well with CWD. The whitetail, although not "native" to the area, are starting to see the same demise. Maybe mule deer are more sensitive or just can't handle the extra stress CWD causes.

Here is a fresh article of some new research that is happening on this particular local herd.

A Wyoming mule deer herd is so riddled with CWD it could nearly vanish - WyoFile

Preliminary findings have biologists worried for superinfected deer herd. There’s hope research could help guide chronic wasting disease management — if the public lets it happen.

wyofile.com

Interesting. From the article:

Nevertheless, Gregory doesn't want deer numbers to increase because of its potential to further exacerbate transmission. "Hunter success is down and the number of animals harvested is down, but we've just got to maintain the same harvest, because we don't want high deer density," the biologist said. "We want to keep it low density, like it is. Maybe even lower."

Gregory's aim for hunters to keep up the pressure on a collapsed population stems partly from a desire to contain the contagion as best he can, even if spread is inevitable.

To try to limit the spread, Game and Fish increased the hunting quotas and extended the seasons in area 171, the Project Herd's more peripheral hunt area.

"It was already pretty liberal," Gregory said. "Again, we just don't want a lot of deer in there."

"Through [Russell's] work, we're hoping to identify hotspots," he said. "Then we could target [those areas] with some kind of license to remove deer — really reducing deer."

 

[BSK]

Although there is essentially nothing that I can do, I still somewhat worry about it. It's a head scratcher to me when someone states that don't worry about it. I mean; I love deer hunting and I love eating deer so it's natural for someone to be concerned, imo.
I am less concerned with eating CWD infected deer than I am with how the local herds handle the infections. Seems like some do ok and some don't.

I've recently moved and unfortunately one of the mule deer herds next to my house isn't doing so well with CWD. The whitetail, although not "native" to the area, are starting to see the same demise. Maybe mule deer are more sensitive or just can't handle the extra stress CWD causes.

Here is a fresh article of some new research that is happening on this particular local herd.

A Wyoming mule deer herd is so riddled with CWD it could nearly vanish - WyoFile

Preliminary findings have biologists worried for superinfected deer herd. There’s hope research could help guide chronic wasting disease management — if the public lets it happen.

wyofile.com

For whatever reason (and there are several possibilities) mule deer and elk are nowhere near as genetically diverse as whitetials. Any species that lacks genetic diversity is going to struggle more with an infectious disease, as nature has less variability to work from.

Looking at research from about a decade ago, the genetic coding that produces the protein that becomes converted to a CWD prion, elk have 4 known variations of that coding. Mule deer only have 3. At the time of the research, they had found whitetails had at least 83 variations of that code. That is a LOT of diversity to work from.

 

[Deer Assassin]

i don't like it. It does not stress me.

 

[Flintlocksforme]

Is there really anything we can do about it?

Shoot more earn a bucks and enjoy the ride

 

[AT Hiker]

Interesting. From the article:

I spoke with a local game warden from the Cody area. His words paraphrased (I've also had a few beers since I last talked to him too, "we want every whitetail killed because they are spreading CWD more than mule deer".

 

[fairchaser]

Although there is essentially nothing that I can do, I still somewhat worry about it. It's a head scratcher to me when someone states that don't worry about it. I mean; I love deer hunting and I love eating deer so it's natural for someone to be concerned, imo.
I am less concerned with eating CWD infected deer than I am with how the local herds handle the infections. Seems like some do ok and some don't.

I've recently moved and unfortunately one of the mule deer herds next to my house isn't doing so well with CWD. The whitetail, although not "native" to the area, are starting to see the same demise. Maybe mule deer are more sensitive or just can't handle the extra stress CWD causes.

Here is a fresh article of some new research that is happening on this particular local herd.

A Wyoming mule deer herd is so riddled with CWD it could nearly vanish - WyoFile

Preliminary findings have biologists worried for superinfected deer herd. There’s hope research could help guide chronic wasting disease management — if the public lets it happen.

wyofile.com

In spite of this research, some hunters just aren't going to believe that CWD can be that bad. I've seen it first hand. So I'm a believer! Regardless, there's little we can do as hunters. Nature will likely have to solve this riddle. I hunt but I see fewer deer. When I see a buck, it's a treat. Seeing a good buck is a rarity, extremely rare. No point to even hunting until the rut. I still enjoy the chase and the outdoors. Blessed to even go!

 

[tickweed]

Honestly, it probably has been here way longer than we know.

 

[fairchaser]

Honestly, it probably has been here way longer than we know.

I agree. It likely has been here for many years before it got to a level of being noticed. But, just because it's been here for a long time is not a reason that we can ignore it or it's irrelevant. It's finally gotten to a level of having a significant impact on the population, at least in my area. My original point is that we can do little if anything now as hunters to slow it down or keep it from spreading. It's endemic and nature will have to find its own solution.

 

[mike243]

There is a lot of unanswered or poorly answered questions about it. #1 for me is if a human got it how long would it take to show signs? 10-20 years down the road we get a increase of folks start dying, who will be singled out as letting it happen and not trying to control it? TWRA is where folks will point, never mind that they tried to tell folks there was a chance of it crossing over. 1 thing about it trophy hunting will have a big shock to some folks. Age to me is the #1 thing needed to grow a trophy, horns are only 1/2 of the deal. It's a rare thing to see 1 on the east end due to the lower numbers any way.

 

[farmin68]

Although there is essentially nothing that I can do, I still somewhat worry about it. It's a head scratcher to me when someone states that don't worry about it. I mean; I love deer hunting and I love eating deer so it's natural for someone to be concerned, imo.
I am less concerned with eating CWD infected deer than I am with how the local herds handle the infections. Seems like some do ok and some don't.

I've recently moved and unfortunately one of the mule deer herds next to my house isn't doing so well with CWD. The whitetail, although not "native" to the area, are starting to see the same demise. Maybe mule deer are more sensitive or just can't handle the extra stress CWD causes.

Here is a fresh article of some new research that is happening on this particular local herd.

A Wyoming mule deer herd is so riddled with CWD it could nearly vanish - WyoFile

Preliminary findings have biologists worried for superinfected deer herd. There’s hope research could help guide chronic wasting disease management — if the public lets it happen.

wyofile.com

Didn't you used to live in Montgomery County? When did you move?

 

[Jcalder]

There is a lot of unanswered or poorly answered questions about it. #1 for me is if a human got it how long would it take to show signs? 10-20 years down the road we get a increase of folks start dying, who will be singled out as letting it happen and not trying to control it? TWRA is where folks will point, never mind that they tried to tell folks there was a chance of it crossing over. 1 thing about it trophy hunting will have a big shock to some folks. Age to me is the #1 thing needed to grow a trophy, horns are only 1/2 of the deal. It's a rare thing to see 1 on the east end due to the lower numbers any way.

Cwd has been known for close to 50 years. I won't say it can't cross over, but the likelihood of it is rather slim. It would be hard to blame twra when others have dealt with it far longer than they have.

 

[SSlater]

I never worried about it or the china bat virus.

 

[tellico4x4]

I spoke with a local game warden from the Cody area. His words paraphrased (I've also had a few beers since I last talked to him too, "we want every whitetail killed because they are spreading CWD more than mule deer".

That seems to be a sentiment shared by a lot of western hunters. I remember an outfitter in 2008 telling me that he wished all the whitetail along the Powder River would die as they were displacing the mule deer.

 

[Ski]

That seems to be a sentiment shared by a lot of western hunters. I remember an outfitter in 2008 telling me that he wished all the whitetail along the Powder River would die as they were displacing the mule deer.

I lived in NM for 11yrs and still hunt out there. I've heard every excuse in the book for getting rid of whitetails. Western hunters hate them. Never did understand it. IMO it's a cultural sentiment qualified with nonsense excuses.

 

[rem270]

I worry more about what man and the government will do about CWD then CWD itself. Some will die and some will live after having it. Some will never get it. But all these "plans" put in place hasn't stopped it and now the state is out millions from something they can't control.

Cross state lines into KY where I am. Literally 55 yards from my chair to the TN line. A commissioner from KY, who is a member here that I have a lot of respect for has proposed extending the juvenile hunt to 9 days this coming season. This would start on the 2nd Sat of Oct and run 9 days. Claims it gets more kids involved. I totally get it and it would be great to see more kids involved and have more opportunities. But if you really want the kids to have a good experience, move the juvenile date to the end of Oct or first weekend in Nov. Far better hunting then opposed to 2nd weekend in Oct when it's most of the time 85 degrees in the afternoons.

Another proposal is extending early mz season and allowing exposed hammers shooting straight wall cartridges. This is also to give folks more time with a mz or rifle in their hands to kill more deer.

All of these proposals are stemming from the one guy who brought a deer in from a non CWD surveillance zone to a CWD surveillance zone and tested positive in Nov 2023. Just so happens this was going to be the last year testing was done "if" they didn't find a CWD positive deer.

Previously, the CWD surveillance zone was started because of the CWD positive deer in Henry Co, TN. Close to the KY line.

We are hearing that "more deer need to be killed" because we are overrun with them. Don't get me wrong, I am blessed to see a lot of deer each season on both of my properties. Not every county is like that and not every property is like that even in the counties my property are at. I'm sure a lot of you know that hunt KY that you can look at telecheck and see who has checked deer in. I look at it quite a bit and haven't once seen the ones who are hollering "kill more deer" that are actually practicing what they preach. One of the ones has a heckuva property that is loaded with deer so not killing any on it is not a reason of not seeing them to shoot.

This is just the start for KY and if this goes into effect it will just get worse year after year. That is my issue with it. If you want to hunt more then just 16 days with a rifle and 9 days with a mz then take up archery.


I have given my responses in surveys they send out. The last one I was able to send out was 2022 because I didn't receive one this past year for some reason. One of the questions in the last survey I took was asking landowners if they would let officers or volunteers to come on our property to control the population. That was a big heck no.