Thoughts? On CWD

[alexnelon]

Who is making money off of it?

The companies testing for it and the entities getting paid to cull.

 

[WyoWild]

The idea that CWD is a massive fraud perpetuated by dozens of state game agencies, researchers, biologists (i.e. thousands of people) all so they can charge people for CWD testing and culling deer does not seem logical.

 

[Fowl Play]

CWD is 100% real. But I also have no qualms feeding myself, wife, kids, family, etc a CWD infected animal, and will never have one tested to confirm/deny. My confidence stems from searching out and reading tons of scientific studies on it. They have NEVER been able to infect humans brain cells with CWD prions, even with months and months of direct brain tissue exposure between the two. There is a massive “species barrier” there that prevents it. It’s something to keep tabs on, but nothing to be worried about from a personal infection standpoint.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

I don’t worry about it because I’m a helicopter!

 

[cubdriver84d]

Is there any evidence that killing more deer actually slows or stops the spread of CWD?

https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/eap.3089

 

[fish impaler]

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4981193/ some details on protein barriers to transmission

 

[KnightExtreme]

This Issue seems to be important then it is Not. Here in Michigan when it was first found it was in the Center of the LP. Not near a border of another state. The MI DNR Stated " Do Not Eat the Meat without having the Deer Tested" well okay but It takes weeks to get the "Results" Back so are you going to wait to get your deer processed and pay the money just to learn it has CWD? Yet It was Important and they had a response Plan which was any Adjacent County was to become a CWD Hot Zone but when it happened only several conutties away they only started the "plan" in 17 Townships where it was found in that County (Montcalm) not what the plan suggest that any county that surround a county that showed signs of CWD so that was not what the "Plan" was to do. It also happened on a Deer Farm prior to Free Ranging Deer and they killed off all the Deer on that Deer Farm. It has spread and continues to across Michigan but the strategy has changed at the Onset the State offer "Free" Testing but did last long maybe 3 years. And They put in place Strict CWD Regs like requiring a Hunter to Check his Deer once they did include adjacent Counties with in 24 Hours plus you were not allowed to move any deer outside the CWD Zone unless you checked your Deer with the MI DNR like at a Check Station. So as most know looking at a Deer you can't tell if it has CWD Or Not so what was the purpose checking the Deer. And If you did not then what? I got 2 different answers one said I broken the Reg because I did not Check my deer within the 24 Hours yet Check Stations are not open late so I had no place to store the deer so I took it to my Deer Processor and that meant a wait of 2 to 3 days before I could get it back. The 2nd response was as long as I did not move the Deer Outside the CWD zone I broke no Regs. Add to that now it is on the "Hunter" to get the "glands" needed for testing ( when most do not even know where they are on a Deer or what they look like. Back in 2017 & 2018 there was a "List" of places that would remove these glands for a fee if you want to get your deer tested. BUT the MI DNR removed that List from their website about the same time they put it on the Hunter to get them and get to a "Certified" Lab which there is only 2 One at Michigan State University and the other In Wisconsin which is for some a long way to get the glands to sure you could send them but an added Fee plus the Testing was $30.00 per set of gland provided and If you were to provide the wrong deer parts you got no Refund! (Most Deer Hunters I know had no idea where these glands are.) Add to that it you wanted a "Shoulder" Mount damaging the Cape because the Glands are found in the neck area of a deer. Which then was a lot of Hoops to jump through. Now the CWD Zones are all but gone and yet it is still spreading to new parts of Michigan. And they have a Surveillence System in place they rarely get the Numbers for deer being tested. Now rarely talk or mention CWD. On another Deer Farm it was found again But the Owners were not required to kill all the Deer being it is a Fenced Trophy Ranch and they did not want to loose the Gene Pool of the deer in that Enclosure and you barely heard anything when it was found at that Farm and no mention what ever happened! Shortly after! As some know once the "Prions" get into the spil there is not much that can done as to removal. Where I hunt was a part of one of the CWD Zones but only for 2 maybe 3 years and yet there has been no free ranging deer test positive for it as of Yet there?

My concerns are IF The MI DNR was so concerned at the Onset why it no longer SO Important as IT WAS? Also why remove a list where Hunters can get the Glands removed If they Want More Deer Tested? One would think offering places where a hunter can get the galnds removed and get their deer test would be somewhat important yet here in Michigan it is NOT! So what happend? The MI DNR don't like really talking about Now yet a New County has been added to the List. ( Was it caused by some bring back deer parts from an out of state hunt and dumped the bones and such in an wood area and a few deer came in contact. They have Zero Answers how it got to Meridian Township and there have been no answers since but it was found first in Ingham County then Shiawassee County then spread to others and still is spreading. Shiawassee is adjacent to Ingham.
So can you eat A deer with CWD there has been some reports over the years that a few might have died from eating deer taunted meat but there is Not confirmed how they actually died. So Still many Questions and way too many unknowns so we as Hunters take our chances each time we take a deer.
And it might have caused Deer Hunter Numbers to decrease as Michigan Hunter Numbers continue or so we are told and so now the MI DNR & NRC want a lot more taken especailly antlerless yet Deer numbers are low in some areas but that does not seem to matter just kill more Deer. Seen it and it wrecked my hunting for several years with 10K Antlerles License being made available and once they realize Deer Number were low and not being taken in the area they wanted they finally dropped that program and as deer started to rebound CWD hit Michigan... We are just starting to get some decent Bucks where I hunt.
KnightExtreme