John Calhoun
Member
Charlie, Is there any evidence where contaminated soil has been transferred state to state from vehicles, ATV/UTV, boots, or farm equipment?
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Ckillmaster's CWD Q&A thread
- Thread starter C.Killmaster
- Start date
C.Killmaster
Georgia Deer Biologist
There is no instance of that occurring that we know of. I think it's highly unlikely or else it would have already been spread across the entire country years ago. Same thing with the potential for migratory birds (crows, vultures) that may consume a CWD positive carcass and then crap it out elsewhere during migration. Although the vast majority of the eastern states now have CWD, the actual footprint of the disease on a county by county basis is relatively low in the East.
Madsnooker
Senior Member
Survey completed. Thank you sirYou have to be randomly selected, I don't have a link to share for that particular study. However, we are also soliciting input for our new deer management plan which includes a section on CWD, you can provide your input here:
Online Survey Software: Closed Survey
www.surveymonkey.com
Charlie is this legit ?
C.Killmaster
Georgia Deer Biologist
Yes! That's our annual harvest survey.
Thanks
buckpasser
Senior Member
@C.Killmaster for Director of DNR!
rayrayhunts
Member
Completed
SlipperyHill Mo
Senior Member
Not trying to be argumentative, but using reason, logic, and common sense I find it hard to believe that CWD has killed more deer than hunters in regions of Arkansas and West Virginia. Unless hunters quit shooting deer because of CWD. Would like to see an article or some numbers.
Thanks for you for this thread and your response.
Thanks for you for this thread and your response.
Cmcharles
Senior Member
In all reality is EHD a far greater risk to the deer than CWD? Aren’t other states killing healthy deer testing trying to find CWD vs actually seeing sick and dying deer finding that way?
C.Killmaster
Georgia Deer Biologist
Those projects are still in process and not published in peer-reviewed journals yet, so there's not a ton of info widely available until that happens. They have been capturing and collaring deer in the hottest CWD areas of those states in the last few years and those are the trends that are emerging. Predation rates on adult deer are higher in those areas as well.
Here's an overview of the AR project being conducted by UGA. I've seen preliminary results similar to the project in WV and will post the info as soon as I can:
Arkansas CWD
Our study sites in Northwest Arkansas are within the general area of the the Buffalo River. The Buffalo was the first National River in the United States, with 135 miles flowing through National P…
ugadeerresearch.org
Here's an article from WV, Hampshire County is ground zero for CWD there.
"In Hampshire County, chronic wasting disease is the top cause of deer death."
West Virginia Whitetail Deer Study Reveals Hunting Trends and Impact of Chronic Wasting Disease
A team of researchers in West Virginia is wrapping up a study on whitetail deer. They are still tracking about 180 deer as they enter the analysis stage.
C.Killmaster
Georgia Deer Biologist
Largely answered in post #48
The importance of EHD does not negate the importance or concern for CWD. Deer that die from CWD are in addition to deer that die from EHD, so why would we not want to keep another disease that kills more deer out of Georgia?
Killmaster this Q&A is a great thing, and thanks for your time on it!
Something I have wondered about a lot is:
If prions do not naturally degrade or become inactive for decades if at all and they are able to be taken up into plants from the soil…if/when we have CWD in larger areas across the country or here in GA is there any concern that it will be a problem with farming such as when a deer is in the same field as grazing cattle or near pigs or in corn fields that make it to our food supply?
Or on a more localized level if I have deer in my backyard start drooling prions and they get in my garden, I’m potentially eating food with these prions?
Thanks again for your time.
Something I have wondered about a lot is:
If prions do not naturally degrade or become inactive for decades if at all and they are able to be taken up into plants from the soil…if/when we have CWD in larger areas across the country or here in GA is there any concern that it will be a problem with farming such as when a deer is in the same field as grazing cattle or near pigs or in corn fields that make it to our food supply?
Or on a more localized level if I have deer in my backyard start drooling prions and they get in my garden, I’m potentially eating food with these prions?
Thanks again for your time.
C.Killmaster
Georgia Deer Biologist
That's a fantastic question, but we simply don't know enough at this point to say. In areas where CWD exists, the prions are all over the place but it spreads relatively slowly. They don't know exactly what an infectious dose of the prion is, but it appears to be small. That would lead you to think it would spread faster on it's own, but it doesn't. There's really a big gap in our scientific knowledge on the efficiency that it spreads in a natural environment.
Now to your question about environmental contamination with prions, other livestock, gardens, etc. Yes, those are all areas with cause for concern, but the level of concern is unknown. The barriers for species other than deer appear to be strong and there have been no natural transmissions to any other animals outside the deer family, including to humans. They have studied the incidence of sporadic human prion disease (creutzfeld-jakob disease) and the rates of human infection are no higher in areas with CWD than without. They've also been following a group of people for over 15 years that had eaten CWD positive meat and there have been no issues. There doesn't seem to be a large cause for concern for human exposure, but concern does exist.
Can you put that in terms I can understand?
Here's an overview of the AR project being conducted by UGA. I've seen preliminary results similar to the project in WV and will post the info as soon as I can:
Arkansas CWD
Our study sites in Northwest Arkansas are within the general area of the the Buffalo River. The Buffalo was the first National River in the United States, with 135 miles flowing through National P…
Charlie, it looks like this has been moved or taken down? I got a 404 error trying to navigate to it.
C.Killmaster
Georgia Deer Biologist
The whole deer lab website is down, not sure if it's undergoing maintenance or what. Here's a link to pretty much the same info:
Deer dynamics: Student helps unlock mysteries of chronic wasting disease | Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources
Hundreds of GPS collars. Thousands of movements tracked across the mountains. Millions of photographs. These are the elements now being assembled to give researchers a clearer picture of chronic wasting disease, a highly contagious, deadly disease affecting a large number of deer and elk in...
warnell.uga.edu
C.Killmaster
Georgia Deer Biologist
No. All introductions that can be linked to a direct cause are from moving live deer or carcass parts, and the vast majority being the translocation of live deer.
OK Charlie, you get your very own Sticky thread. No extra charge! 
C.Killmaster
Georgia Deer Biologist
Thanks!OK Charlie, you get your very own Sticky thread. No extra charge!
