Should we even worry about CWD anymore?

[fairchaser]

CWD is here to stay and it will eventually spread everywhere. Like Covid, there is no stopping it. It's doubtful whether any of the efforts to slow the spread have actually done anything.

Yes, it has and will impact populations in some areas as I'm a witness of that in the area I hunt. But, it won't eliminate a population altogether; just make the population younger.

There is no magic cure on the horizon and thankfully doesn't seem to pass to humans or any other animal that's not in the deer family.
So, here we are. We just have to live with it just like Covid. It's part of society now and forever more.
Is it time to just move on and put it behind us? I say yes.

 

[BSK]

I no longer worry about it.

 

[knightrider]

Not a thing in the world you can do about it, like every thing else in this life, just live till you die

 

[Ski]

It's here. I have my doubts if we humans can do anything about it, but I'll follow the rules like always and let the people who worry about it to worry about it. I'm not one of them.

 

[bowhunterfanatic]

I'm in eastern McNairy County, so fairly close to some confirmed positives. I didn't worry about it when it was found and continue to not worry about it now. Fortunately we haven't been noticeably affected yet but when we inevitably are there is nothing I can do about it so I see no reason to worry about it.

 

[Lost Lake]

Is there really anything we can do about it?

 

[DeerCamp]

CWD is here to stay and it will eventually spread everywhere. Like Covid, there is no stopping it. It's doubtful whether any of the efforts to slow the spread have actually done anything.

Yes, it has and will impact populations in some areas as I'm a witness of that in the area I hunt. But, it won't eliminate a population altogether; just make the population younger.

There is no magic cure on the horizon and thankfully doesn't seem to pass to humans or any other animal that's not in the deer family.
So, here we are. We just have to live with it just like Covid. It's part of society now and forever more.
Is it time to just move on and put it behind us? I say yes.

Fairchaser, nature IS the magic cure. Research is already showing that some deer are developing resistance. We can identify those deer and transplant them into other areas since this feature is definitely hereditable.

https://www.bowhuntingmag.com/editorial/promising-new-CWD-research/476239#replay
PLEASE READ THIS LAST SENTENCE FROM THE ARTICLE

As a result, some individuals are more durable when presented with the prion proteins that cause CWD, and these are the animals nature will select for as disease prevalence increases. This suggests reacting to CWD by aggressively removing all animals from the landscape, or depopulating farmed herds, could cause more harm than good by indiscriminately killing individuals highly resistant to CWD.

 

[Jcalder]

It won't even make your population younger….

 

[fairchaser]

It won't even make your population younger….

Jc, over the past few seasons, we've had younger and younger bucks. The older deer just aren't there in the numbers they were before. Since we age every deer that is checked in, we have the statistics. Sadly, this is a fact.

 

[backyardtndeer]

It will be here likely forever since the prions exist in the soil and cannot be destroyed. Really don't see anything we can do at this point that is going to impact cwd spreading. We will continue to have our deer tested, but not really going to worry about it since there is nothing we can do to change it.

 

[Jcalder]

Jc, over the past few seasons, we've had younger and younger bucks. The older deer just aren't there in the numbers they were before. Since we age every deer that is checked in, we have the statistics. Sadly, this is a fact.

Or just look at any area that has way more cwd data, simply because they've had it for 20+ years, and see how their herd compares. That's been my argument against yours for quite awhile. I'm glad you're starting to come around tho.


I'm currently in a cwd hotspot. Wisconsin. Talked with a local the other evening. He had more concerns with blue tongue. I don't think he understands what truly happens, but he knows that an infected deer is dead in a week tops. If by chance that the deer makes, and it's very slim, that's great. Deer will live with cwd for years. They'll continue to reproduce and thrive.

 

[Bear15]

Never have been worried about it. Yes, it's here and isn't leaving. Just look at the other states that have dealt with it for years. Wisconsin in particular. Still a destination state, still a top producer of booners. Time to stop trying to decimate the west TN herd and get back to normal regs.

 

[timberjack86]

No worries here

 

[Omega]

Fairchaser, nature IS the magic cure. Research is already showing that some deer are developing resistance. We can identify those deer and transplant them into other areas since this feature is definitely hereditable.

https://www.bowhuntingmag.com/editorial/promising-new-CWD-research/476239#replay
PLEASE READ THIS LAST SENTENCE FROM THE ARTICLE

As a result, some individuals are more durable when presented with the prion proteins that cause CWD, and these are the animals nature will select for as disease prevalence increases. This suggests reacting to CWD by aggressively removing all animals from the landscape, or depopulating farmed herds, could cause more harm than good by indiscriminately killing individuals highly resistant to CWD.

I disagree, we humans need to stay out of it until nature runs it's course. Nature will select which ones survive and which will not, all we do is interrupt that cycle. Once the prevalence rate declines to an acceptable level, then we can repopulate any areas that may have been decimated by deer with weak constitutions.

 

[Iglow]

At 62 there's a lot of stuff I once worried about that I don't anymore. I ain't worried about CWD.

 

[DeerCamp]

I disagree, we humans need to stay out of it until nature runs it's course. Nature will select which ones survive and which will not, all we do is interrupt that cycle. Once the prevalence rate declines to an acceptable level, then we can repopulate any areas that may have been decimated by deer with weak constitutions.

I suppose I just meant there are things we CAN do. May not be the right thing to do.

It's also possible some treatments will be developed

 

[BSK]

As a result, some individuals are more durable when presented with the prion proteins that cause CWD, and these are the animals nature will select for as disease prevalence increases. This suggests reacting to CWD by aggressively removing all animals from the landscape, or depopulating farmed herds, could cause more harm than good by indiscriminately killing individuals highly resistant to CWD.

I will disagree with part of that last statement. I would 'depopulate" deer farms in a heartbeat. What purpose do they serve for the health of white-tailed deer? None. In fact, they were responsible for spreading this disease all over the country. Outlaw deer farming.

Let Nature handle the rest. And we won't need to "repopulate" anything. CWD has never and will never kill out a deer population. We have decades of experience to show that. Even in the areas that have had it the longest and the highest percentage of the population has the prions in their system, the deer herds have not (and will not) die-off. Nature will leave those deer that are resistant or immune to keep the population going.

 

[BSK]

And by the way, I'm NOT saying "Don't follow the CWD rules." I'm saying I'm not worried about it spreading to my area. It will. It's already close. But I AM saying I will change nothing about my hunting or management styles because of CWD.

 

[Iglow]

I will disagree with part of that last statement. I would 'depopulate" deer farms in a heartbeat. What purpose do they serve for the health of white-tailed deer? None. In fact, they were responsible for spreading this disease all over the country. Outlaw deer farming.

Let Nature handle the rest. And we won't need to "repopulate" anything. CWD has never and will never kill out a deer population. We have decades of experience to show that. Even in the areas that have had it the longest and the highest percentage of the population has the prions in their system, the deer herds have not (and will not) die-off. Nature will leave those deer that are resistant or immune to keep the population going.

If the day comes that nature has decided that deer should become extinct from CWD there is nothing on this earth that will change it, they will and something else will replace them.

 

[DoubleRidge]

I wish CWD wasnt here. I hate it. But theres nothing we can do about it so I'm not going to worry about it....but we can manage the habitat for a healthy herd, improve fawning cover, etc.

 

[BSK]

If the day comes that nature has decided that deer should become extinct from CWD there is nothing on this earth that will change it, they will and something else will replace them.

I don't think that day will come. The White-tailed Deer is one of the most genetically diverse mammal species known. Massive genetic diversity leads to "Nature finding a way." Eventually (in fact, I think it's already true), some deer will be immune to CWD. These deer will continue to pass on their resistance to their offspring. Now because CWD doesn't kill quickly, the spread of genetic resistance will be slow. Probably 50-100 years before resistance is widespread. But it will happen.

 

[BSK]

I wish CWD wasnt here. I hate it. But theres nothing we can do about it so I'm not going to worry about it....but we can manage the habitat for a healthy herd, improve fawning cover, etc.

And that's what I'm going to continue to do.

 

[bloodtrailing]

Jc, over the past few seasons, we've had younger and younger bucks. The older deer just aren't there in the numbers they were before. Since we age every deer that is checked in, we have the statistics. Sadly, this is a fact.

Did they not reduce the size restrictions that would lead to this. CWD was here well before it was identified.

 

[trkhunter]

And by the way, I'm NOT saying "Don't follow the CWD rules." I'm saying I'm not worried about it spreading to my area. It will. It's already close. But I AM saying I will change nothing about my hunting or management styles because of CWD.

what if twra says otherwise??

 

[BigAl]

I no longer worry about it because I can't really control it or do anything about it that I haven't already done. I do think once it hits areas in TN that have lower deer densities it will slow the spread or affects on the herd. Those areas will think CWD is much ado about nothing because it will have less affect there, but here its had a huge impact.

 

[TNGunsmoke]

But I AM saying I will change nothing about my hunting or management styles because of CWD.

The only change I made is that I have mine tested, and won't eat a positive one. I just don't want to be the test case if it does jump from cervid to human.

 

[DeerCamp]

I don't think that day will come. The White-tailed Deer is one of the most genetically diverse mammal species known. Massive genetic diversity leads to "Nature finding a way." Eventually (in fact, I think it's already true), some deer will be immune to CWD. These deer will continue to pass on their resistance to their offspring. Now because CWD doesn't kill quickly, the spread of genetic resistance will be slow. Probably 50-100 years before resistance is widespread. But it will happen.

Hey BSK, I think your point here is interesting. The theory put forth by the researchers is that these heartbeat areas are important because they will become the areas with the highest % of resistant deer the fastest.

I do not know this to be true, and I think your idea has plenty of merit.

What IS clear is that the idea of having liberal regulations in regions with very little CWD doesn't seem to be the right call.

 

[DeerCamp]

The only change I made is that I have mine tested, and won't eat a positive one. I just don't want to be the test case if it does jump from cervid to human.

It would be exceptionally unwise to eat positive deer because the risks are non-zero. If it is possible, even if extremely rare, would be more likely in deer with higher concentrations of prions.

That said, I have an untested tenderloin thawing in the fridge right now. Should be tasty

 

[Antler Daddy]

Biden is proof CWD has jumped to humans.

 

[BSK]

Hey BSK, I think your point here is interesting. The theory put forth by the researchers is that these heartbeat areas are important because they will become the areas with the highest % of resistant deer the fastest.

This is correct. The areas that have CWD the longest and at the highest concentrations are the "test beds" for finding resistant or immune deer.