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Should we even worry about CWD anymore?

GreeneGriz said:
They only thing that concerns me about CWD is the anti hunting infiltrators within state and federal wildlife agencies using it to undermine the future of hunting. Much like the federal government used Covid.
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Wow GG. You took your skepticism pills this morning. It's hard to imagine someone going to work for a wildlife agency so they could undermine the future of hunting.
 
fairchaser said:
Wow GG. You took your skepticism pills this morning. It's hard to imagine someone going to work for a wildlife agency so they could undermine the future of hunting.
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I agree with GG in a way, the TWRA has MONEY in mind more than anything when determining how to approach issues. The everyday fisherman and hunter or the best thing for the wildlife is not in the TWRA's best interest, MONEY is!
 
Headhunter said:
I agree with GG in a way, the TWRA has MONEY in mind more than anything when determining how to approach issues. The everyday fisherman and hunter or the best thing for the wildlife is not in the TWRA's best interest, MONEY is!
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BS $$ has never been the goal of the agency, I admit hunter satisfaction has slid down the list, we got folks on the commission who have their own agenda that has nothing to do with the betterment of wildlife or hunters. They could raise the cost of hunting at any time and folks would still pay the fee.
 
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mike243 said:
BS $$ has never been the goal of the agency, I admit hunter satisfaction has slid down the list, we got folks on the commission who have their own agenda that has noting to do with the betterment of wildlife or hunters. They could raise the cost of hunting at any time and folks would still pay the fee.
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If they aren't raising licenses as inflation rises, they are basically operating in the red until they catch back up... to go right back into the red as inflation continues to run rampant.

I'd pretty disappointed if they weren't being as fiscally responsible as possible with my money but I'd be outraged with any part of government that attempted to operate "for a profit"
 
mike243 said:
BS $$ has never been the goal of the agency, I admit hunter satisfaction has slid down the list, we got folks on the commission who have their own agenda that has nothing to do with the betterment of wildlife or hunters. They could raise the cost of hunting at any time and folks would still pay the fee.
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you are the only hunter or fisherman I know of in Tennessee who does not believe that the TWRA makes many decisions based solely on MONEY. I believe they make almost all of them based on MONEY, but there is no doubt they make many based on money rather than the wildlife. Why did the TWRA ask for sovereign immunity in the CWD issue? There is no doubt what they have done with CWD is based on MONEY.
 
With so many in this thread saying "don't worry about it all" tends to make me feel like we should probably worry about it haha
 
knightrider said:
Once you get above field officers , very few care about the hunting aspect, its all a paycheck and politics
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I don't know about the TWRA but do know about the KDFWR, where the Commissioner, both Deputy Commissioners, the Director of Wildlife, & the Director of Enforcement are all dedicated sportsmen who love hunting & fishing & are significantly underpaid. If a person is motivated solely by making money, there are easier & much less scrutinized ways to do that than working in management of a state fish & wildlife agency.
 
ROB said:
I don't know about the TWRA but do know about the KDFWR, where the Commissioner, both Deputy Commissioners, the Director of Wildlife, & the Director of Enforcement are all dedicated sportsmen who love hunting & fishing & are significantly underpaid. If a person is motivated solely by making money, there are easier & much less scrutinized ways to do that than working in management of a state fish & wildlife agency.
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If a person is interested in making money, wildlife management is NOT the place for them!
 
fairchaser said:
CWD is here to stay and it will eventually spread everywhere. Like Covid, there is no stopping it. It's doubtful whether any of the efforts to slow the spread have actually done anything.

Yes, it has and will impact populations in some areas as I'm a witness of that in the area I hunt. But, it won't eliminate a population altogether; just make the population younger.

There is no magic cure on the horizon and thankfully doesn't seem to pass to humans or any other animal that's not in the deer family.
So, here we are. We just have to live with it just like Covid. It's part of society now and forever more.
Is it time to just move on and put it behind us? I say yes.
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I agree and have felt that way pretty much from the beginning. It's been around since the late 60s and those places still have deer, elk, and mule deer.

There is no evidence it jumps to humans. Until that changes I think you let it be.
 
MCO8891 said:
With so many in this thread saying "don't worry about it all" tends to make me feel like we should probably worry about it haha
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I want to clarify what I mean when I say I no longer worry about it. What I mean by that is I no longer worry about altering management strategies because of CWD. It is spreading and absolutely will spread across the entire range of the White-tailed Deer, guaranteed. From a biological standpoint, it's a friggin' disaster. A contagious disease in deer that is 100% fatal? That's a big deal. However, I do not believe we can do anything to stop or slow it's spread. We have to learn to live with it and hope its presence doesn't chase too many hunters out of the sport (if there are no hunters, there is no management). Personally, I am not going to change how I hunt or manage because of CWD. But concerned about the effects of it? Oh yes, I'm very, very concerned.
 
BSK said:
I want to clarify what I mean when I say I no longer worry about it. What I mean by that is I no longer worry about altering management strategies because of CWD. It is spreading and absolutely will spread across the entire range of the White-tailed Deer, guaranteed. From a biological standpoint, it's a friggin' disaster. . . . . . We have to learn to live with it and hope its presence doesn't chase too many hunters out of the sport (if there are no hunters, there is no management). Personally, I am not going to change how I hunt or manage because of CWD.
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Excellent perspective! Totally Agree!
 
BSK said:
I want to clarify what I mean when I say I no longer worry about it. What I mean by that is I no longer worry about altering management strategies because of CWD. It is spreading and absolutely will spread across the entire range of the White-tailed Deer, guaranteed. From a biological standpoint, it's a friggin' disaster. A contagious disease in deer that is 100% fatal? That's a big deal. However, I do not believe we can do anything to stop or slow it's spread. We have to learn to live with it and hope its presence doesn't chase too many hunters out of the sport (if there are no hunters, there is no management). Personally, I am not going to change how I hunt or manage because of CWD. But concerned about the effects of it? Oh yes, I'm very, very concerned.
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so you dont worry what Twra says!!!! you are concerned about feeding or management and the effects but not gonna change???? makes sense!!!! btw. i feel the same way!! i dont care if they are knocking on my door tomorrow!!
 
What about CWD and elk?

What if CWD gets in the TN elk herd or one of the elk counties?

Does that change people's views because there are far fewer elk?
 

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