Henry county Doe CWD

[double browtine]

I wonder if this is a false positive?
https://www.parispi.net/news/local_news/article_379a1022-11b1-11ec-908a-2f783aa2a948.html

 

[hillbillyfab]

I wonder do they do sample testing in other areas throughout the state, or is only on deer exhibiting symptoms/signs of CWD?

 

[TNReb]

They've been testing Henry and Weakley and other counties in past seasons. TWRA goes to popular check-in stations (Yoders, Country Corner, etc).

 

[backyardtndeer]

Don't know how likely a false positive would be. Would be good if it was a false positive.

 

[BSK]

Seriously doubt false positive. Most testing is by looking at a slice of brain material under a microscope. Very, very hard to misidentify CWD that way.

 

[Pilchard]

Seriously doubt false positive. Most testing is by looking at a slice of brain material under a microscope. Very, very hard to misidentify CWD that way.

They(TWRA) removed a gland from the neck of a buck I killed last year for testing.

But they knew I killed him so they probably figured he didn't have much of a brain to test.

 

[BSK]

Yes, you can also test using lymph glands.

 

[TNGunsmoke]

Article does not say, but I wonder if this was a roadkill deer, or if someone called in a sick deer and they actually dispatched someone to kill it. Does have not been in season yet this year for it to be a hunter harvest.

 

[BSK]

Article does not say, but I wonder if this was a roadkill deer, or if someone called in a sick deer and they actually dispatched someone to kill it. Does have not been in season yet this year for it to be a hunter harvest.

That is interesting.

 

[Andy S.]

TWRA stated "Multiple tests confirmed that chronic wasting disease (CWD) was present."

https://www.tn.gov/twra/news/2021/9/8/cwd-positive-deer-found-in-henry-county.html

 

[backyardtndeer]

Article does not say, but I wonder if this was a roadkill deer, or if someone called in a sick deer and they actually dispatched someone to kill it. Does have not been in season yet this year for it to be a hunter harvest.

Was wondering the same.

 

[cbhunter]

Maybe I dreamed it but I thought I read somewhere that the deer was called in for appearing sick or maybe acting strange….or both.

 

[DoubleRidge]

Maybe I dreamed it but I thought I read somewhere that the deer was called in for appearing sick or maybe acting strange….or both.

I wish it all was only a bad dream.

 

[double browtine]

So I wonder if they will change Henry County regs like the other Red counties, from this one positive test?

 

[philsanchez76]

Maybe I dreamed it but I thought I read somewhere that the deer was called in for appearing sick or maybe acting strange….or both.

This is what I heard from a trust worthy source.

 

[TNGunsmoke]

So I wonder if they will change Henry County regs like the other Red counties, from this one positive test?

At the moment, it is only the feeding, mineral site restrictions, and transport restrictions. The Commission meeting is the 16th, and they could adjust the season parameters(earn-a-buck and bonus bucks, and the processing fee/ability to earn a sportsman's license for the next year) to match the rest of the CWD zone at that time since the season isn't open yet. In the past, if season was already open, they have not adjusted those until the following year.

 

[TheLBLman]

I wish it all was only a bad dream.

My concern remains more about how CWD is reponded to (i.e. regs)
than the CWD itself.

Areas where CWD presented decades ago continue to have good deer hunting today,
WITHOUT state game agencies decimating the deer populations in those areas?

Then there are areas where state game agencies DID DESTROY the deer populations in CWD areas, yet to what extent did those areas fare much differently?

Do we somewhat destroy the heritage of deer hunting with fear-mongering of CWD?

Yes, CWD is bad news.
Just hoping TWRA's "treatment" doesn't end up being worse than the disease.

I know several hunters who just cancelled their deer hunting plans on some October quota hunts (in Henry County) because they're afraid of CWD, along with the edicts of transporting the deer.

One quota hunt in particular presents a unqiue issue, in that currently all options for dealing with a hunter-killed deer would now be illegal. It is for the Big Sandy Unit of the TN National Wildllife Refuge. This unit is in Henry County, but one cannot drive to it without driving thru Benton County. There are no deer processors on the refuge, and as soon as one drives off it, he is in Benton County.

 

[DoubleRidge]

My concern remains more about how CWD is reponded to (i.e. regs)
than the CWD itself.

Areas where CWD presented decades ago continue to have good deer hunting today,
WITHOUT state game agencies decimating the deer populations in those areas?

Then there are areas where state game agencies DID DESTROY the deer populations in CWD areas, yet to what extent did those areas fare much differently?

Do we somewhat destroy the heritage of deer hunting with fear-mongering of CWD?

Yes, CWD is bad news.
Just hoping TWRA's "treatment" doesn't end up being worse than the disease.

I know several hunters who just cancelled their deer hunting plans on some October quota hunts (in Henry County) because they're afraid of CWD, along with the edicts of transporting the deer.

One quota hunt in particular presents a unqiue issue, in that currently all options for dealing with a hunter-killed deer would now be illegal. It is for the Big Sandy Unit of the TN National Wildllife Refuge. This unit is in Henry County, but one cannot drive to it without driving thru Benton County. There are no deer processors on the refuge, and as soon as one drives off it, he is in Benton County.

I have the exact same concerns.... several states that have had CWD for decades have quality hunting opportunities.....So if (or when) this terrible disease hits my county I will absolutely abide by the transportation rules, no mineral sites, etc..... but I will NOT participate nor encourage the wholesale slaughter of the local herd....makes no sense....I will continue to focus on habitat improvements and enjoying my time outdoors.

 

[2020]

They(TWRA) removed a gland from the neck of a buck I killed last year for testing.

But they knew I killed him so they probably figured he didn't have much of a brain to test.

Ha Ha.

 

[2020]

Maybe I dreamed it but I thought I read somewhere that the deer was called in for appearing sick or maybe acting strange….or both.

No dream, you are correct.

 

[BSK]

I'm a firm believer in in reducing opportunities for the spread of CWD, such as transport of game laws/rules. I also favor STRONGLY discouraging the feeding of deer, salt licks, or use of bait piles in CWD areas. However, I'm not a believer in the "greatly reduce the deer density" theory. People point to the IL data, yet that data comes without control. You can also look at other states who have tried the "reduce the deer density" tactic and it has not stopped the spread of CWD. In my personal/professional opinion, trying to knock out the deer population to slow the spread of CWD is throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

CWD is here to stay. It will slowly spread throughout the whitetails' range. The only answer is letting Nature take her course, and allow a natural immunity to develop and foster. Sadly for today's hunters, that will probably take centuries. But Nature always finds a way.

 

[tnanh]

Completely agree with the above. The mass killing in Fayette and Hardeman counties may have slightly slowed the spread but it has not stopped it. If it is spreading anyway just let the deer seasons continue as they have traditionally and implement the other rules. People will throw rocks at me but I think hunters being trophy hungry (QDM) contributes some to CWD. When it was first discovered in Tennessee TWRA reported higher prevalence rates in bucks, especially older bucks. They travel further during the rut and spread the disease further in the process. Ames Plantation is a prime example for the management and maybe mismanagement of CWD. They have lowered their trophy standards and have still lost membership since CWD, Deer sightings have greatly decreased and the monster bucks that were once there are nowhere near as prevalent. They have also killed a lot of deer even when the season is over to mitigate CWD and it has not appeared to have worked.

 

[gobblegrunt]

The mass killing of deer will not stop CWD. I really don't understand the logic behind this at all. Hunting out west where it originated is still thriving. Is it not?

 

[DeerCamp]

I think I read the deer was sick.

 

[TheLBLman]

. . . . . . .
However, I'm not a believer in the "greatly reduce the deer density" theory.
. . . . . . . In my personal/professional opinion, trying to knock out the deer population to slow the spread of CWD is throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

CWD is here to stay. It will slowly spread throughout the whitetails' range. The only answer is letting Nature take her course, and allow a natural immunity to develop and foster.

EXACTLY.

 

[TheLBLman]

People will throw rocks at me but I think hunters being trophy hungry (QDM) contributes some to CWD. When it was first discovered in Tennessee TWRA reported higher prevalence rates in bucks, especially older bucks. They travel further during the rut and spread the disease further in the process.

Well, I shall cast the first stone at you

I believe this is misinformation.
While it is true that older rutting bucks MAY SOMETIMES travel greater linear distances than younger rutting bucks, this is not always the case, as many mature bucks actually decrease their rut range.

But, it almost doesn't matter in view of other factors, particularly the MUCH GREATER DISTANCE that YOUNG BUCKS DISPERSE from their birth areas. This typically greatly exceeds the roaming "rut range" of bucks at ANY age.

QDM and/or "trophy" buck management contributing to the spread of CWD?
May be just the opposite.

Those managing for older bucks also tend to manage for a healthier deer herd, including very active "doe management", attempting to have a closer balance in the buck:doe ratios.

So how may the higher doe harvest on QDM properties play into the spread of CWD?

For starters, orphaned male fawns tend to NOT disperse from their birth areas.
This should mean that QDM properties reduce the spread of CWD since fewer yearling bucks disperse the great distances?

Just saying, I don't believe living buck travels have much to do with the spread of CWD, but to the extent it may, I would be more concerned with yearly buck dispersal than any bucks' rut ranges.

Lastly, here's why maybe nothing we can do in terms of deer management may matter:

CWD prions live on for years & years wherever an infected deer died (or it's animal "parts" ended up).

Worse, these CWD prions are then carried around in the fecal material of the scavengers which eat the animal or its remaining "parts". Scavengers, such as coyotes, often travel a greater range year-round than rutting bucks in November.

Worst of all, one of the largest consumers of CWD infected dead deer carcasses are buzzards.
Buzzards may weekly "hunt" over areas larger than an entire county, and think nothing of flying a short distance across the Tennessee River.

Lastly, buzzards and other raptor scavengers are migratory.
They often travel hundreds of miles in a week, leaving deposits of CWD prions along their journeys.
And it's not just buzzards, but also hawks & eagles as well.

Sometimes doing nothing is better than the somethings we do to FEEL better about a situation.

 

[tnanh]

Well, I shall cast the first stone at you

I believe this is misinformation.
While it is true that older rutting bucks MAY SOMETIMES travel greater linear distances than younger rutting bucks, this is not always the case, as many mature bucks actually decrease their rut range.

But, it almost doesn't matter in view of other factors, particularly the MUCH GREATER DISTANCE that YOUNG BUCKS DISPERSE from their birth areas. This typically greatly exceeds the roaming "rut range" of bucks at ANY age.

QDM and/or "trophy" buck management contributing to the spread of CWD?
May be just the opposite.

Those managing for older bucks also tend to manage for a healthier deer herd, including very active "doe management", attempting to have a closer balance in the buck:doe ratios.

So how may the higher doe harvest on QDM properties play into the spread of CWD?

For starters, orphaned male fawns tend to NOT disperse from their birth areas.
This should mean that QDM properties reduce the spread of CWD since fewer yearling bucks disperse the great distances?

Just saying, I don't believe living buck travels have much to do with the spread of CWD, but to the extent it may, I would be more concerned with yearly buck dispersal than any bucks' rut ranges.

Lastly, here's why maybe nothing we can do in terms of deer management may matter:

CWD prions live on for years & years wherever an infected deer died (or it's animal "parts" ended up).

Worse, these CWD prions are then carried around in the fecal material of the scavengers which eat the animal or its remaining "parts". Scavengers, such as coyotes, often travel a greater range year-round than rutting bucks in November.

Worst of all, one of the largest consumers of CWD infected dead deer carcasses are buzzards.
Buzzards may weekly "hunt" over areas larger than an entire county, and think nothing of flying a short distance across the Tennessee River.

Lastly, buzzards and other raptor scavengers are migratory.
They often travel hundreds of miles in a week, leaving deposits of CWD prions along their journeys.
And it's not just buzzards, but also hawks & eagles as well.

Sometimes doing nothing is better than the somethings we do to FEEL better about a situation.

I like the way you think and I do not mind someone casting stones. Nothing in your comment suggests the kill em all mentality and I like this line of thinking. I just don't want it to go back to when I was a kid in a lot of counties. If you saw a deer you were a deer hunter. If nature is going to kill them there is nothing we can do to prevent it. Nature kills them and we kill more and more to try and mitigate what nature takes is just crazy.

 

[BigAl]

This deer and/or CWD jumped a lot of real estate to get to Henry Co. I'm guessing 70 miles or more from the nearest positive from last season. Probably a good guess that is in all points in between.

 

[middleTNbowhunter]

This deer and/or CWD jumped a lot of real estate to get to Henry Co. I'm guessing 70 miles or more from the nearest positive from last season. Probably a good guess that is in all points in between.

More likely is that a hunter transported CWD into the area from elsewhere, whether by bringing home a carcass and dumping it or using tainted scents/urine products.

 

[Blockhouse]

I hunt in the center of the outbreak. When I say center - right in the middle of the concentration. When this started I had a buck test negative. Since then buck quality has improved year over year. Cameras this year reveal the same. I'm confused a bit by the panic while enjoy and extended season and limit. We harvest 4-6 bucks a year and quality has improved during this. Very confusing science.