Henry county Doe CWD

[BigAl]

Once CWD gets to my area, and it will eventually, will it change anything I do management or hunting-wise? Nope. Stopped using slat licks years ago. Don't have any more tiny food plots. Never used feeders. Don't have a high deer density. Won't change a thing. I'll still hunt the same way, use harvests to keep density below maximum, and eat the deer I kill.

If you notice a change to your age structure as a result of CWD, will you change your buck goals, as in your minimum size or age?

 

[WTM]

CWD seems to have impacted hunter behavior in my area and may be reflected in the now exploding deer numbers. Harvest totals in the last 2 years dipped significantly, and this year deer numbers (via camera data) are absolutely through the roof.

What I'm suggesting is lengthening season, beginning rifle earlier, and making bag limits more liberal did not result in a decimated herd in the first of the CWD counties. It's been quite the opposite because perhaps, hunters sought other non-CWD counties to hunt and/or killed fewer deer because of the disease. Unfortunately, we appear to be in a population explosion.

that pretty much aligns with the study findings from 2013 in that the only culling practice that seems to prevent the prevalence rate somewhat is the illinois sharpshooter program and that hunter culling opportunities did very little.

although there wasnt a non culled control unit, they could compare wisconsin and illinois between the years wisconsin participated in DNR sharpshooter culling. both states had around a 1% average prevalence rate during those years with wisconsin rising sharply after discontinuing their sharpshooter program to move to a hunter culling program. illinois still has a 1% prevalence rate 13 years later but they do kill and process about 4000 deer per year out of those northern counties.

the problem with a population explosion would be a larger prion pool in the environment, hence more infected deer more than likely.

 

[BSK]

If you notice a change to your age structure as a result of CWD, will you change your buck goals, as in your minimum size or age?

Our buck harvest limits are very liberal, because the land is family hunting, with several of the hunters coming in from out-of-state and only getting 5 or 6 days of hunting for the entire year. The buck "rules" are: Any buck as long as it's 2 1/2, except for new hunters (then anything with antlers). If a second buck is killed, it must be larger or older than the first.

Now these limits don't mean everyone shoots the first 2 1/2 year-old buck they see. The out-of-state hunters generally do because they have so little time to hunt, but the in-staters are generally a bit more picky. Over the last 20 years, our buck harvest has been 11% yearlings, 50% 2 1/2, 24% 3 1/2, 10% 4 1/2, and 5% 5 1/2+

And no, we would not change our goals with CWD present. Our goal is to produce a "normal" buck age structure and for our region/habitat a normal buck age structure would be 10% of the antlered buck population being mature (4 1/2+), and so far, so good.

 

[BigAl]

Our buck harvest limits are very liberal, because the land is family hunting, with several of the hunters coming in from out-of-state and only getting 5 or 6 days of hunting for the entire year. The buck "rules" are: Any buck as long as it's 2 1/2, except for new hunters (then anything with antlers). If a second buck is killed, it must be larger or older than the first.

Now these limits don't mean everyone shoots the first 2 1/2 year-old buck they see. The out-of-state hunters generally do because they have so little time to hunt, but the in-staters are generally a bit more picky. Over the last 20 years, our buck harvest has been 11% yearlings, 50% 2 1/2, 24% 3 1/2, 10% 4 1/2, and 5% 5 1/2+

And no, we would not change our goals with CWD present. Our goal is to produce a "normal" buck age structure and for our region/habitat a normal buck age structure would be 10% of the antlered buck population being mature (4 1/2+), and so far, so good.

Thanks for sharing that.

 

[tnanh]

I personally fear it's the end of my deer hunting. When it hits my county twra will do something that I don't agree with and it will just become too much of a hassle to go hunt an area where they kill every deer they see in the summer. I've done that before. It's not very much fun. Decimating the herd is definately not the way to go. I've seen a deer in pretty sure had it 10 years ago so it's been around a lot longer than we've known. All just my opinion. Just let nature take care of itself and go hunt and enjoy the outdoors.

Dead on point.

 

[TN Whitetail Freak]

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

There have been false positives in Lauderdale last season that would have included dyer into the unit. Luckily subsequent test determined no CWD

 

[TN Whitetail Freak]

I personally fear it's the end of my deer hunting. When it hits my county twra will do something that I don't agree with and it will just become too much of a hassle to go hunt an area where they kill every deer they see in the summer. I've done that before. It's not very much fun. Decimating the herd is definately not the way to go. I've seen a deer in pretty sure had it 10 years ago so it's been around a lot longer than we've known. All just my opinion. Just let nature take care of itself and go hunt and enjoy the outdoors.

I am of the same opinion. It's inevitable and going to ruin my best spots. To combat this I'm expanding into new areas and hunting multiple other states instead

 

[BigAl]

There have been false positives in Lauderdale last season that would have included dyer into the unit. Luckily subsequent test determined no CWD

Does that mean they test them twice?

 

[Andy S.]

Does that mean they test them twice?

Always wondered what that statement meant as well. Maybe he will reply and shed some light and give an example.

 

[RutnStrut]

Really hate that CWD hit Henry County because I just recently bought a farm there in 2019. Even though I heard about the cases in Fayette and Hardeman Counties, I didn't expect it to hit Henry anytime soon!! Now I have a dilemma to deal with since I live over 3 hours away from my farm and can't bring a deer home if I kill one! Talking about bad timing because I also just lost my last private land spot here in middle TN I've hunted for the past 16 years when it sold! This year is definitely not going the way I hoped! Well I guess that's life, I will figure it out I'm sure! On the upside, I did find a couple good looking spots on some public land yesterday that I'm going to try out later this week! Wish me luck!

 

[eddie c]

Really hate that CWD hit Henry County because I just recently bought a farm there in 2019. Even though I heard about the cases in Fayette and Hardeman Counties, I didn't expect it to hit Henry anytime soon!! Now I have a dilemma to deal with since I live over 3 hours away from my farm and can't bring a deer home if I kill one! Talking about bad timing because I also just lost my last private land spot here in middle TN I've hunted for the past 16 years when it sold! This year is definitely not going the way I hoped! Well I guess that's life, I will figure it out I'm sure! On the upside, I did find a couple good looking spots on some public land yesterday that I'm going to try out later this week! Wish me luck!

From TWRA website.

• Approved parts (listed below) are free to be transported anywhere statewide.
• Also remember, only Approved Parts can be transported into Tennessee from another state.

Approved Parts

These parts have a low risk of spreading CWD.

• De-boned meat
• Cleaned (free of meat and tissues) skulls/skull plates & teeth
• Hides & tanned products
• Taxidermy
• Antlers- including those attached to clean skull plates

You just need to debone the meat and do your processing or find a processor.

 

[TNGunsmoke]

Really hate that CWD hit Henry County because I just recently bought a farm there in 2019. Even though I heard about the cases in Fayette and Hardeman Counties, I didn't expect it to hit Henry anytime soon!! Now I have a dilemma to deal with since I live over 3 hours away from my farm and can't bring a deer home if I kill one! Talking about bad timing because I also just lost my last private land spot here in middle TN I've hunted for the past 16 years when it sold! This year is definitely not going the way I hoped! Well I guess that's life, I will figure it out I'm sure! On the upside, I did find a couple good looking spots on some public land yesterday that I'm going to try out later this week! Wish me luck!

Looks like you have 2 processors to choose from for a processor in Henry County. Yoders and K&J.

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Testing Locations in Tennessee | TWRA

Find mandatory and voluntary CWD testing locations in the state of Tennessee. Chronic Wasting Disease is found in Deer and Elk. Please get your harvest tested.

www.tn.gov

 

[Craneo52]

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.

Got drawed for big sandy. thats is the issue we are dealing with still aint hurd nothing on what there gonna do.i think Twra needs to set up an check at road going in an out to check the deer.. or the peninsula needs to be exempt

 

[TheLBLman]

. . . . . the peninsula needs to be exempt

The Big Sandy peninsula, despite being designated as being in "Henry" County,
is actually farther removed from the rest of Henry County than ANY county that adjoins any boundary of Henry County other than this peninsula.

The peninsula is COMPLETELY ISOLATED from 99% of Henry County, and unless travelling via boat across Kentucky Lake, the peninsula can ONLY be accessed per Benton County. Even via boat, it's closer to Stewart County than Henry County.

The map image below represents only @ 15% of Henry County, but this 15% includes the Big Sandy Peninsula. Seems crazy that the very tip of this long peninsula is NOT Benton County instead of being designated as Henry Co.

 

[Andy S.]

 

[Blockhouse]

It's not the end - our buck quality in hardeman county has improved through this whole mess. More liberal limits are a benefit but racks are improving. I'm interested in whether Fayette and others are seeing the same.