Chronic Wasting Disease

[Cposey]

Hey y'all, as a lot of you know CWD is slowly creeping its way to our portion of the country. With the closest confirmed test coming from northern Mississippi about 2 years ago. Knowing the threat that this could potentially have on the future of our deer herds and the (small but still possible) risk of transfer to humans who consume the meat of infected animals, are any of you sending in samples to the DNR for testing? Are any of y'all even worried about this eventually making its way to our state?

 

[antharper]

I haven’t had any tested and I don’t worry much about anything but it does concern me !

 

[drumbum77]

I worry about CWD just about as much as I worry about COVID-19.........I don't and neither does the DNR!

 

[livetohunt]

CWD is really spreading in the Northern states. My friend works for the Illinois DNR, and they find areas where CWD is prevalent and shoot deer in that area. I'll have to ask him what percentage tested positive for CWD this year. They get a lot of push back from some landowners and it gets heated when they show up to shoot deer.

 

[shdw633]

There has been no transmission at all of CWD to humans and only one test where a monkey got it but in a previous test it was not transmitted so with that being said there are people in the north eating deer all the time that has not been tested, me being one of them as I have taken deer from Michigan and Illinois that were not tested and ate them without concern. Many states in the Midwest and West have CWD and hunting continues and in some places is getting stronger so no I don't worry about it coming to Georgia, I wouldn't like it and don't want it to come but I am not worried about it.

 

[buckpasser]

I believe CWD to be the biggest longterm threat to whitetail populations and whitetail hunting. It would have been very simple to prevent the way that it has spread. There should have been no fenced cervids. None! The spread across the country is a result of greed. Greedy “farmers” raising freakish bucks so that jokers and jack legs could write big checks to have big artificial shoulder mounts to compensate for their little...feet. If “farms” are allowed, illegal transport WILL occur. If transport occurs, CWD will come with it.

I’m not so sure my great grandkids won’t become very proficient fallow deer hunters here in Georgia.

 

[buckpasser]

There has been no transmission at all of CWD to humans and only one test where a monkey got it but in a previous test it was not transmitted so with that being said there are people in the north eating deer all the time that has not been tested, me being one of them as I have taken deer from Michigan and Illinois that were not tested and ate them without concern. Many states in the Midwest and West have CWD and hunting continues and in some places is getting stronger so no I don't worry about it coming to Georgia, I wouldn't like it and don't want it to come but I am not worried about it.

You are correct. However, there ain’t a dimes worth of difference in CWD and CJD or even Alzheimer’s for that matter. There’s no guarantee that eating that venison doesn’t start a 37 year countdown to your brain becoming mush. I personally wouldn’t eat one from a known infected area.

 

[mguthrie]

I worry about CWD just about as much as I worry about COVID-19.........I don't and neither does the DNR!

Actually DNR does monitor for it. They send biologists to deer processors all the time inspecting deer. They were at my taxi when I dropped off my buck from last year. He has a processing facility also.

 

[drumbum77]

Actually DNR does monitor for it. They send biologists to deer processors all the time inspecting deer. They were at my taxi when I dropped off my buck from last year. He has a processing facility also.

Well....you should tell that to Cherokee county. I personally spoke with two DNR officers in the county about two deer that I found dead. I told them that I suspected the deer had CWD. They told me "don't worry about it.....it's not a big deal" They didn't want my name, location, or any information on the deer.

 

[mguthrie]

You suspected they had CWD? On what basis? There are no known cases even close to our borders. Deer die every day for a variety of reasons. Blue tongue kills a bunch of deer.

 

[C.Killmaster]

Well....you should tell that to Cherokee county. I personally spoke with two DNR officers in the county about two deer that I found dead. I told them that I suspected the deer had CWD. They told me "don't worry about it.....it's not a big deal" They didn't want my name, location, or any information on the deer.

They shouldn't have told you that, but law enforcement doesn't always know what is or isn't cause for concern. If it ever happens again, call a biologist instead or even send me a PM. They should have referred you to a biologist.

 

[Deerhunter12454]

Biting midges are a bigger threat to our deer herd in Georgia.

 

[C.Killmaster]

Biting midges are a bigger threat to our deer herd in Georgia.

Maybe not for you, but it will be for your children and grandchildren.

 

[Deerhunter12454]

Maybe not for you, but it will be for your children and grandchildren.

I was taking currently. EHD takes out deer in Georgia every summer. Are you saying Georgia will eventually get CWD? I know all it takes is one infected deer to spread it through bodily fluids. As long as Georgia doesn’t allow deer farming, hopefully ever, and limits how people import deer meat and products into the state, I don’t see a way for CWD to reach the state

 

[mguthrie]

I was taking currently. EHD takes out deer in Georgia every summer. Are you saying Georgia will eventually get CWD? I know all it takes is one infected deer to spread it through bodily fluids. As long as Georgia doesn’t allow deer farming, hopefully ever, and limits how people import deer meat and products into the state, I don’t see a way for CWD to reach the state

All it takes is a careless hunter bringing it in with an out of state kill or someone illegally transporting an infected deer into the state.

 

[buckpasser]

All it takes is a careless hunter bringing it in with an out of state kill or someone illegally transporting an infected deer into the state.

I bet you a dollar it’s already in both GA and FL.

 

[C.Killmaster]

I was taking currently. EHD takes out deer in Georgia every summer. Are you saying Georgia will eventually get CWD? I know all it takes is one infected deer to spread it through bodily fluids. As long as Georgia doesn’t allow deer farming, hopefully ever, and limits how people import deer meat and products into the state, I don’t see a way for CWD to reach the state

My biggest concern is someone bringing in a live deer illegally and it's already happened. Thankfully we found out about it and all the deer were tested. EHD is the devil we know, we have it every year and have good herd immunity because of that. There is no immunity to CWD, every deer is susceptible to it and will ultimately die if infected with it. The incubation period is so long (18 months) that reproduction is still occurring which masks the effects until prevalence gets high. You don't start seeing population declines from the disease itself for 20 to 30 years. In some areas of Wisconsin, 50% of the bucks 3.5 years and older will test positive. I'd hate to think about how that would impact my hunting when I know conclusively that EHD cannot infect humans, but the same can't be said for CWD.

 

[C.Killmaster]

I bet you a dollar it’s already in both GA and FL.

FL more likely than Georgia. They didn't close their borders to the import of live deer until a few years ago. There's no legal whitetail breeding industry in Georgia.

 

[shdw633]

FL more likely than Georgia. They didn't close their borders to the import of live deer until a few years ago. There's no legal whitetail breeding industry in Georgia.

That's true but there is, or at least was, one real close to your border up in Jasper, Florida as I use to drive by it on my way to my lease in the southeastern part of the state. I don't know how many breeders, if any, are in the panhandle. Most places I know of are in the center of the state.