Clarification on transport restrictions within CWD zone

[Boll Weevil]

No idea on the rate of prevalence but our farms are on the very edge of the hot zone vs. the core. This is a map depicting counties with CWD confirmed among free-ranging cervids dated 3/6/2019. I also reviewed P&Y and B&C entries by county in some of the states (WI, MN, NE, KS, IL, MI) where CWD has existed for many years with no expectation of what I'd discover. Low'n behold MANY of the same counties in any given state that ranked high on the list of entries were also CWD confirmed. It's not like the required elements for growing good bucks in a given area evaporated when CWD arrived.

Maybe old bruiser bucks will indeed be far more rare in the future and we'll deal with that if/when it emerges (although as mentioned above that may not be the case). At the same time, personally I have absolutely no desire to shoot a 2.5 year old 100 inch buck in velvet simply because the State says I can and "CWD might have killed him one day anyway." We'll continue to abide by the new regulations, manage our local population, and enjoy good hunting as long as we can.

 

[TheLBLman]

Agree, Boll Weevil.

It's not like the required elements for growing good bucks in a given area evaporated when CWD arrived.

. . . . . personally I have absolutely no desire to shoot a 2.5 year old 100 inch buck in velvet simply because the State says I can and "CWD might have killed him one day anyway."
We'll continue to abide by the new regulations, manage our local population, and enjoy good hunting as long as we can.

Make no mistake, CWD is bad news, currently worse than any other deer disease.
And for the counties (and states) yet to discover it,
it's coming, whether we "do something" or "do nothing".
In time, we may discover better ways of dealing with it.

But, if CWD is destined to increase "natural" mortality of older bucks by 10 to 30%,
one side of that 3-sided coin says this is all the more reason to "protect" them even more,
rather than orchestrate a wholesale slaughter?

 

[fairchaser]

No idea on the rate of prevalence but our farms are on the very edge of the hot zone vs. the core. This is a map depicting counties with CWD confirmed among free-ranging cervids dated 3/6/2019. I also reviewed P&Y and B&C entries by county in some of the states (WI, MN, NE, KS, IL, MI) where CWD has existed for many years with no expectation of what I'd discover. Low'n behold MANY of the same counties in any given state that ranked high on the list of entries were also CWD confirmed. It's not like the required elements for growing good bucks in a given area evaporated when CWD arrived.

Maybe old bruiser bucks will indeed be far more rare in the future and we'll deal with that if/when it emerges (although as mentioned above that may not be the case). At the same time, personally I have absolutely no desire to shoot a 2.5 year old 100 inch buck in velvet simply because the State says I can and "CWD might have killed him one day anyway." We'll continue to abide by the new regulations, manage our local population, and enjoy good hunting as long as we can.

I agree with you and LPLman that we can still grow good bucks. What we don't know yet is whether bucks can live to 5.5 years old. These bucks are rare enough without CWD but with CWD, they could be like unicorns. They only exist in our imagination. Only time will tell. For a hunting club like Ames, you can't put bucks younger than 5.5 off limits because the kill rate would be so low that it would be near zero. Even 4.5 year olds are becoming a rarity. Realistically, 3.5 year olds will become the new target buck. Unless you have a great property that is large enough to hold bucks and willing to let lots of bucks walk while losing most of them to CWD or other hunters on other properties, your target age buck may drop a year or two.

 

[BULL MOOSE]

I don't understand the fascination with wanting to shoot a velvet buck. I can't imagine someone wanting to do it more than once....especially with a firearm.

The ticks, mosquitoes, and flies around that deer when it hits the ground will be overwhelming. Most bucks will be shot in the evening and leaving it in the field overnight is not an option. I can't imagine trying to quarter one in the field ....plus collect a sample to be sent to a CWD lab.

How many were killed statewide last year on the velvet hunt?

 

[fairchaser]

I don't understand the fascination with wanting to shoot a velvet buck. I can't imagine someone wanting to do it more than once....especially with a firearm.

The ticks, mosquitoes, and flies around that deer when it hits the ground will be overwhelming. Most bucks will be shot in the evening and leaving it in the field overnight is not an option. I can't imagine trying to quarter one in the field ....plus collect a sample to be sent to a CWD lab.

How many were killed statewide last year on the velvet hunt?

It's just a novelty Bull Moose. Once you've killed one, that will probably be the last. The hassle factor is way up there especially if you happen to knock one down. But compared with killing a bull moose two miles in and laying in a foot of water, it's a breeze! It's all relative.

 

[Andy S.]

How many were killed statewide last year on the velvet hunt?

Around 800 statewide, but that was archery only, and the hunt was first announced May 2018. Northern middle TN, southern middle TN, and northeastern counties had the highest kills.