Possible to manage for trophy deer and be a good steward in cwd country?

[hard county]

This is the approach we took this year in the heart of cwd country. Shoot 1.5 year old bucks, pass on 2.5s. shoot lots and lots of does. We had 40% positive bucks and 16% positive does.

The logic behind shooting 1.5s being they are less likely to make it to maturity and trophy status than 2.5 yo bucks.

Other cwd related practices implemented, micronutrient fertilizers in plots based on a study I read that areas deficient in certain micronutrients had higher prevalence. (Probably 0 effect but cheap and easy) tried to "spread out" deer by planting more acres in less intensive management. I.e. 10 acres of wheat in lieu of a 1 acre soil tested clover field. With the same mindset, no sanctuaries, hunted every inch of the property.

Any other suggestions for dual purpose strategies?

 

[hard county]

Whew cwd management is as popular here as it is everywhere else haha

 

[BSK]

I'm hesititant to comment because I don't want to be labelled a "CWD Conspiracy Theorist" by the TWRA!

But honestly, I question whether knocking the deer density way, way down to slow the spread of CWD is the answer. There's such a thing as throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Nothing is going to stop the spread of CWD. It's here to stay and it will eventually infect all reaches of the whitetail world.

 

[hard county]

I'm hesititant to comment because I don't want to be labelled a "CWD Conspiracy Theorist" by the TWRA!

But honestly, I question whether knocking the deer density way, way down to slow the spread of CWD is the answer. There's such a thing as throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Nothing is going to stop the spread of CWD. It's here to stay and it will eventually infect all reaches of the whitetail world.

I agree nothing will stop the spread, maybe not even slow the spread, but from what I've researched, infection rates may be lowered via lowering deer density. And in Hardeman county west of Bolivar, deer density is truly phenomenal. Wisconsin hiatused it's war on whitetails and the rates that had gone down, are now back up.

All that said, you know way more about this, and deer, than I do and I appreciate you weighing in.

 

[fairchaser]

As many on here know, I hunt Ames Plantation which is the heart of CWD infection. Ames had a first class QDM program and was reaping the benefits when CWD hit and hit hard. The QDM program was decimated and we are picking up the pieces now.
Some well meaning folks would suggest ignoring CWD as there's nothing can be done to eliminate it and that's true. However, it can be slowed and that's the goal until something better can be found. This is very similar to fighting COVID-19. You must thwart the disease until you can get a vaccine. If you ignore it, it will overwhelm the herd and spread to other areas. In the end, you're buying time.
Since the disease is density dependent, keeping densities low is effective in reducing prevalence.
That's the goal for Ames while keeping the herd balanced. Since does outnumber bucks even though they have a lower rate of CWD, they must be targeted too. This is why we have gone to "earn a buck." This has changed things a bit as does can be pretty difficult to find when they have a bounty on their head.
We are also collecting DNA samples to see if certain doe families in certain areas have higher prevalence rates than others. These areas can then be targeted for eradication if necessary. We have seen a slight decline in prevalence rates this past season and that's some encouragement.

 

[Boll Weevil]

No deer, no CWD positives...easy peasy.

More seriously, how many other states have already tried the "kill'em all" approach without success? It's in the dirt and killing every single solitary deer in the county isn't going to change that.

Is it possible to be a good steward and manage in CWD country, absolutely. We were before its discovery a couple of years ago and my guess is it has been in localized herds for quite some time..we just didn't know it yet.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

A dream, but wouldn't it be nice if they could develop a supplement with a substance that could deter or subside the disease at salt lick locations? Maybe that's what faichaser was eluding to. I don't see any other alternative.

I'll take it a step further (with a tinfoil hat)....what if we found a "vaccine" we could put in liquid form and spray all our fields with it? HA just being optimistic. It's a sad ordeal, but truly believe some sort of solution is on the horizon.

 

[hard county]

As many on here know, I hunt Ames Plantation which is the heart of CWD infection. Ames had a first class QDM program and was reaping the benefits when CWD hit and hit hard. The QDM program was decimated and we are picking up the pieces now.
Some well meaning folks would suggest ignoring CWD as there's nothing can be done to eliminate it and that's true. However, it can be slowed and that's the goal until something better can be found. This is very similar to fighting COVID-19. You must thwart the disease until you can get a vaccine. If you ignore it, it will overwhelm the herd and spread to other areas. In the end, you're buying time.
Since the disease is density dependent, keeping densities low is effective in reducing prevalence.
That's the goal for Ames while keeping the herd balanced. Since does outnumber bucks even though they have a lower rate of CWD, they must be targeted too. This is why we have gone to "earn a buck." This has changed things a bit as does can be pretty difficult to find when they have a bounty on their head.
We are also collecting DNA samples to see if certain doe families in certain areas have higher prevalence rates than others. These areas can then be targeted for eradication if necessary. We have seen a slight decline in prevalence rates this past season and that's some encouragement.

I have several friends and family that hunt in hickory valley and the prevalence is pretty incredible. Z xWhat percentages did you guys see from testing this year?

A dream, but wouldn't it be nice if they could develop a supplement with a substance that could deter or subside the disease at salt lick locations? Maybe that's what faichaser was eluding to. I don't see any other alternative.

I'll take it a step further (with a tinfoil hat)....what if we found a "vaccine" we could put in liquid form and spray all our fields with it? HA just being optimistic. It's a sad ordeal, but truly believe some sort of solution is on the horizon.

No deer, no CWD positives...easy peasy.

More seriously, how many other states have already tried the "kill'em all" approach without success? It's in the dirt and killing every single solitary deer in the county isn't going to change that.

Is it possible to be a good steward and manage in CWD country, absolutely. We were before its discovery a couple of years ago and my guess is it has been in localized herds for quite some time..we just didn't know it yet.

That depends on your definition of success. Nothing eliminates cwd but the one thing we do know is that infection rates are related to density. When deer are taken out of a herd the percentage of the remaining herd with cwd is lowered.

 

[BSK]

fairchaser,

I've seen the data from the states attempting targeted removal (to slow the spread). I'm not that impressed. No local control group to see if doing nothing produced different results. And then, let's say it does slow the spread. So what? It's going to spread. Everywhere eventually. So how long do you hold deer densities at extremely low levels - for some, so low they will give up hunting? I'm not saying targeted removal doesn't have an impact, I'm just asking, in the long run, is it doing any good? There will never be a "cure" for CWD. It is a disease the wildlife species it affects will have to genetically adapt to.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

I have several friends and family that hunt in hickory valley and the prevalence is pretty incredible. Z xWhat percentages did you guys see from testing this year?


That depends on your definition of success. Nothing eliminates cwd but the one thing we do know is that infection rates are related to density. When deer are taken out of a herd the percentage of the remaining herd with cwd is lowered.

I don't mean to put ANY optimistic ideas into reality. BUT think of what we can do with modifying the genetics of corn, soybeans, etc...how corn grows depending on regions, how many ears per stalk of corn and the height they grow or soybean pods...how many pods each stalk can grow and whether they can keep growing depending on browse pressure or not. May be years down the road, but you would think they'd develop something that could deter certain proteins (and the type of proteins) from multiplying (CWD). I'm no scientist, but time will tell???

 

[hard county]

fairchaser,

I've seen the data from the states attempting targeted removal (to slow the spread). I'm not that impressed. No local control group to see if doing nothing produced different results. And then, let's say it does slow the spread. So what? It's going to spread. Everywhere eventually. So how long do you hold deer densities at extremely low levels - for some, so low they will give up hunting? I'm not saying targeted removal doesn't have an impact, I'm just asking, in the long run, is it doing any good? There will never be a "cure" for CWD. It is a disease the wildlife species it affects will have to genetically adapt to.

I 100% agree slowing and especially stopping the spread is a fools errand.

I think the "solution" to limiting cwd's impact is qdm. Whatever we can do as hunters to have a quality herd we should try to do. In my area, where the deer eat shrubs off the sides of people's houses during daylight, I think less is more. Purely anecdotal, but since the cwd work we've done the last two years I've heard quail on one farm I hunt for the first time in several years. I can't help but wonder if browse pressure could be partially responsible.

Whatever the "carrying capacity" is for a farm went down by at least 25% in my mind when cwd came into the picture. I don't think we can fight cwd but I do think it makes sense for management strategies to change when such a monumental event happens to an ecosystem.

 

[hard county]

I don't mean to put ANY optimistic ideas into reality. BUT think of what we can do with modifying the genetics of corn, soybeans, etc...how corn grows depending on regions, how many ears per stalk of corn and the height they grow or soybean pods...how many pods each stalk can grow and whether they can keep growing depending on browse pressure or not. May be years down the road, but you would think they'd develop something that could deter certain proteins (and the type of proteins) from multiplying (CWD). I'm no scientist, but time will tell???

The thing that discourages me with regards to treatment are that we have prion diseases impacting humans and we haven't cured them.

Treatment | Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, Classic (CJD) | Prion Disease | CDC

www.cdc.gov

Im holding out for some kind of proof that humans can't be infected or at least enough that the cdc recommends eating without testing. I honestly think it's a fantasy.

 

[fairchaser]

fairchaser,

I've seen the data from the states attempting targeted removal (to slow the spread). I'm not that impressed. No local control group to see if doing nothing produced different results. And then, let's say it does slow the spread. So what? It's going to spread. Everywhere eventually. So how long do you hold deer densities at extremely low levels - for some, so low they will give up hunting? I'm not saying targeted removal doesn't have an impact, I'm just asking, in the long run, is it doing any good? There will never be a "cure" for CWD. It is a disease the wildlife species it affects will have to genetically adapt to.

It truly is a balancing act. The state wants the numbers down to slow the spread to unaffected areas. Ames is a research facility. Ignoring the problem doesn't seem to be in the cards. Whether there's a cure or not; I'm not smart enough to know. Experts believe canines can sniff out deer with CWD. Areas with wolves seem to have less of it. Some older bucks seem to live with it somehow. A 5.5 yo buck was taken this season with CWD. There are certain plants that seem to help reduce the spread too. Maybe we just need time for the genetics to find their own cure. I'm not ready to agree there's no solution.

 

[BSK]

I'm definitely not saying let's do nothing. What I'm asking is, is trying to knock the deer herd WAY back the right answer? At this point, I believe that's throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

 

[BSK]

Im holding out for some kind of proof that humans can't be infected or at least enough that the cdc recommends eating without testing. I honestly think it's a fantasy.

I suspect it's biologically possible. "Humanized" mice can get it. But during the Mad Cow Disease problem in Europe, best estimates are 38 million people ate MCD infected beef. At last count only 206 people got it from the infected meat. That's a very, very low infection rate. And that's considering how commercial meat processing works, with all sorts of bits and pieces of animal ground together. I suspect we haven't seen a human infected with CWD yet because hunters are much more selective of how their deer are butchered, and generally don't use spinal column or brain tissue as a food source.

 

[Andy S.]

Shoot 1.5 year old bucks, pass on 2.5s. shoot lots and lots of does. We had 40% positive bucks and 16% positive does.

What was your sample size of deer killed/tested (how many 1.5 bucks killed, how many total bucks, and how many total does)? Was your 40% prevalence rate for strictly 1.5 year old bucks, or did you have some older age bucks in your sample? How many acres do you control/influence? What are your neighbors doing? Are you or your neighbors participating in the after season CWD permits that allow you to shoot as many deer as you like through 31-Mar-21?

 

[First orda of biness]

As many on here know, I hunt Ames Plantation which is the heart of CWD infection. Ames had a first class QDM program and was reaping the benefits when CWD hit and hit hard. The QDM program was decimated and we are picking up the pieces now.
Some well meaning folks would suggest ignoring CWD as there's nothing can be done to eliminate it and that's true. However, it can be slowed and that's the goal until something better can be found. This is very similar to fighting COVID-19. You must thwart the disease until you can get a vaccine. If you ignore it, it will overwhelm the herd and spread to other areas. In the end, you're buying time.
Since the disease is density dependent, keeping densities low is effective in reducing prevalence.
That's the goal for Ames while keeping the herd balanced. Since does outnumber bucks even though they have a lower rate of CWD, they must be targeted too. This is why we have gone to "earn a buck." This has changed things a bit as does can be pretty difficult to find when they have a bounty on their head.
We are also collecting DNA samples to see if certain doe families in certain areas have higher prevalence rates than others. These areas can then be targeted for eradication if necessary. We have seen a slight decline in prevalence rates this past season and that's some encouragement.

This is off-subject, but does anyone have any experience hunting near large solar farms? I believe the green initiative together with the invasion of the center pivot will take most of our quality habitat in West Tennessee. Do you ever see deer amongst the solar panels? Will deer use areas where solar farms are prevalent, or are they gone forever?

 

[First orda of biness]

This is off-subject, but does anyone have any experience hunting near large solar farms? I believe the green initiative together with the invasion of the center pivot will take most of our quality habitat in West Tennessee. Do you ever see deer amongst the solar panels? Will deer use areas where solar farms are prevalent, or are they gone forever?

Any opinions or observations please ??

 

[First orda of biness]

Any opinions or observations please ??

These solar farms will be coming to a lease near you.

 

[Boll Weevil]

I drive past the solar farm in Moscow on the way to my farm...see deer in that area all the time. Also, I routinely get unsolicited inquiries about buying my place; no thanks