CWD Found in Kentucky

[DeerCamp]

Call me crazy. I've been called much worse.

It is my belief that CWD has not and does not spread. CWD is caused by a prion that just simply exists - like a rock. The reason places appear to be "CWD free" is because that area has not been tested. It "pops up" in these widely separated areas when testing is done in those areas. It's here, it's there, it's everywhere.

It's not that CWD just began in 1967(?). It has always existed (opinion). It was only discovered and identified in 1967.

That theory doesn't really match up with the testing being done. If it were everywhere and doesn't spread, you wouldn't see big disparities between counties.

 

[DeerCamp]

My argument is very few bucks live to see there 3rd birthday anyhow. Hunting is by far the #1 cause of death to the whitetail deer. With the current unit cwd regulations most bucks aren't living to see there 2nd birthday in my neck of the woods. So whats the point. The 30/06 is far deadlier than cwd as far as I can tell.

My final statement to TWRA in the hunter opinion survey was "Is there some victory to be claimed in killing something before it can die?"

 

[DeerCamp]

It's a carbon copy of the same thing every state has done. They either kill more deer or let it spread. It's gonna spread anyway. But they must do something so they come up with an elaborate document to justify killing more deer.

This is straight from their website.

The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission (board) has adopted the authoritative Best Management Practices for addressing CWD. This report was produced by a panel of deer, elk and wildlife disease experts from the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA), of which the Department is an active member agency.

And from that report

There is evidence that increased hunting pressure to sustain long-term population reduction of wild cervids in disease hotspots may be effective for CWD control. Further modeling efforts suggest that optimizing harvest to target portions of the population most likely to be infected may be effective in limiting CWD (Potapov et al. 2016; Jennelle et al. 2014). In studies conducted in Illinois and Wisconsin, sustained culling by sharpshooters was the only management action that appeared to control CWD (Uehlinger et al. 2016). It is possible that thisstrategy may eliminate CWD in a focal area with few infected animals.

 

[MidTennFisher]

This is straight from their website.

The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission (board) has adopted the authoritative Best Management Practices for addressing CWD. This report was produced by a panel of deer, elk and wildlife disease experts from the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA), of which the Department is an active member agency.

And from that report

There is evidence that increased hunting pressure to sustain long-term population reduction of wild cervids in disease hotspots may be effective for CWD control. Further modeling efforts suggest that optimizing harvest to target portions of the population most likely to be infected may be effective in limiting CWD (Potapov et al. 2016; Jennelle et al. 2014). In studies conducted in Illinois and Wisconsin, sustained culling by sharpshooters was the only management action that appeared to control CWD (Uehlinger et al. 2016). It is possible that thisstrategy may eliminate CWD in a focal area with few infected animals.

They think it was effective? How do they define effective? CWD is still detected every year in Wisconsin, and it has spread to different counties over time. So it hasn't eliminated CWD nor has it stopped it from spreading into other counties, and into Minnesota.

Let me guess, their answer would be, "Well yea but it would have been so much worse if we hadn't done this."

 

[DeerCamp]

They think it was effective? How do they define effective? CWD is still detected every year in Wisconsin, and it has spread to different counties over time. So it hasn't eliminated CWD nor has it stopped it from spreading into other counties, and into Minnesota.

Let me guess, their answer would be, "Well yea but it would have been so much worse if we hadn't done this."

They will acknowledge that there is no way to stop the spread of CWD. The goal is to slow it down.

Sound familiar?

 

[MidTennFisher]

They will acknowledge that there is no way to stop the spread of CWD. The goal is to slow it down.

Sound familiar?

Yea, let me guess, "Two weeks of extended rifle season to slow the spread" Make sure you wear your mask while hunting a CWD zone so it doesn't spread to you.

 

[rem270]

Yea, let me guess, "Two weeks of extended rifle season to slow the spread" Make sure you wear your mask while hunting a CWD zone so it doesn't spread to you.

Wouldn't surprise me if they tacked on another week or two for rifle end of this month. I wish they'd shorten our 2 week gun season to 1 week and move it to first of Dec. But things will go the other way now.

 

[MidTennFisher]

Wouldn't surprise me if they tacked on another week or two for rifle end of this month. I wish they'd shorten our 2 week gun season to 1 week and move it to first of Dec. But things will go the other way now.

Before you know it, you'll have the unfathomably stupid season structure we have in South Carolina. Muzzleloader opens Oct 1, rifle opens Oct 11, runs until January 1. That's for WMA. Even longer rifle season on private land. Combine that with piles of corn being where probably 95% of our deer are killed and it's no wonder our deer herd sucks.

I know we all have our gripes with TWRA but trust me, you don't know how bad it can get with a state agency with their heads firmly up their behinds. Not yet anyway.

 

[BigAl]

Going to have to pass this along to some of my KY friends in that area and get their thoughts.

 

[kentuckylakebuck1]

its all about the federal money boys, dont kid yourself! no state agency ever gave a sheet since 1967 until the feds started sending money to fight the disease, they dont get federal money to fight a disease they dont have, so lets start the testing so we can find the disease! SICKING!!

 

[7mmWSM]

I hate it for the Ky hunters but they have no idea how their deer hunting is fixing to get turned upside down. The good ole days are fixing to end. Sad to see it go that way for them. You'd think their state would've seen what a mess TWRA has turned ours into.

 

[chris1976]

In spite of all the efforts of wildlife officials to slow the spread ( where have we heard this before) CWD has spread and will continue to spread throughout all of whitetail habitat.

Is it crazy to just let it spread so that it gets to a natural solution? Have we really slowed it down? I'm not sure. The deer will find a way to survive and the subspecies that has a natural ability to fight the disease will become dominant and replace the others.

I'm reminded of the King Canute who said that no man can hold back the tide. Are we close to a cure? If the whitetail herd is to become extinct (hopefully not) then it will be replaced by something else.

We will go extinct long before the whitetail does.