Like you, I seen less deer than I have in several seasons, but I'm nowhere near the current cwd zone. I won't say we don't have it, but there's no testing going on that I'm aware of.
Why we don’t find dead deer from CWD
- Thread starter fairchaser
- Start date
In the peak years, it was not unusual to see 60 deer or more a day. This past year it was rare to see more than 6 or 7. We are in the epicenter of where the outbreak started.
I actually saw about as many coyotes as I did deer. I was out there almost every day of gun season.
CliffordN
Well-Known Member
I heard that BigFoot carried them off.
That's the big question. Believe it or not, the article seems to indicate otherwise.
fairchaser
Well-Known Member
If this is true, please explain why harvest numbers are down.
If it's not true explain why all these deer ain't ricked up like fire wood. Your doom and gloom you keep trying to pass just isn't working with all the other places that have been dealing with this disease for decades. It's not the end of the deer herd. Sure, it's something we will all have to learn to work around, whether or not we choose to continue to eat them, whether or not we want to continue to hunt them knowing they could be potentially infected. But the herd ain't going anywhere. The sky ain't falling in.
Simply because of our Hunter numbers and more importantly hunter days afield are down.
I bet the numbers arent down in the CWD areas. Especially in the buck department
Last edited:
7mm08
Well-Known Member
Whoever is pushing it is looking to make a name for himself! To go around making lectures, write articles, and secure their place in a government role. Much like global warming nationally, and much like the guy in the GSMNP that was out to protect , study, lecture, keep his job and all tied up to the little brook trout in the Smokies. He implemented killing thousands of trout in the Smokies ( Browns and rainbows ) to protect & reintroduce brook trout. He kept that crap up until he retired……. Follow the CWD money…….
3 doe's a day for 10-15 years, farmers shooting more and more and the most recent Cwd "kill em all regulations" equates to excessive pressure and an excessive death toll. In my opinion the deer in unit cwd are tired of being shot at. When that happens hunter enjoyment begins to decline.
Mescalero
Well-Known Member
Fairchaser, keep up the good work. Appreciate the information you provide on CWD.
If Chronic Wasting Disease Is Fatal, Why Aren’t We Finding CWD-Killed Deer in the Woods?
If chronic wasting disease is so fatal, why aren't hunters finding more dead deer in the woods. Answer: CWD is a slow, stealthy killer.www.outdoorlife.com
From most of the comments, unfortunately, I don't think many on this thread actually read the article. The article uses the term "management," but doesn't fully define CWD management. Whenever the subject of CWD is brought up, regardless of the specifics of the article or a poster's post, the discussion inevitably leads to the notion that we're killing all the deer (i.e., the notion that we are cutting off noses to spite faces). This article makes no mention of the type of management that the TWRA is pursuing, other than carcass transport restrictions and testing. As I understand it, Wisconsin early on also took the approaches that TWRA has taken, including "killing all the deer." The state stopped doing so as I understand it. As the article points out, Wisconsin now has a 60% prevalence rate (I think that's Richland County, not statewide). The most interesting piece of the article for me was that Illinois discovered CWD on its border with Wisconsin at the same time that Wisconsin discovered CWD. Yet, Illinois has a 6% prevalence rate. I wished the article would have gone into detail about the Illinois CWD management practices.
Fairchaser, I think its human nature that most people only agree with science if it tells them what they want to hear. Similar to wanting their news fair and balanced as long as their notions lie within it.
fairchaser
Well-Known Member
BSK
Well-Known Member
I read the article. It was written by Lindsay Thomas Jr., editor of the QDMA's (now NDA's) magazine "Quality Whitetails." I like Lindsay and have worked with him often in the past. I respect his views. However, his organization, along with many others, have adopted positions and policies I find troubling. And those policies can be boiled down to "The Hand of Man - even a fist - is the only answer." In essence, they always seem to hold the view that only intervention by Man, even the most heavy-handed extreme intervention, is the only answer to any biological problem. I disagree with this. And I disagree with it strongest when we are talking about something occurring in Nature. History is flush with problems we humans made much, much worse because we felt we had the answers and implemented a risky solution. In my personal opinion, hubris and arrogance are dangerous traits in science.
AT Hiker
Well-Known Member
Fact check these, I stole it off the internet. I'm too lazy to look up buck vs doe.
Note the downward trend over the years, notice covid lock down, and the continued downward trend.
Correlation doesn't equal causation but even a blind man can see this…question is does it actually mean anything?
There is a large jump from the 19/20 season to the 20/21 season then a significant drop. Interesting. Is that a product of poor weather or hunters throwing in the towel
AT Hiker
Well-Known Member
Covid
BSK
Well-Known Member
Let me check AT Hiker, but I believe similar reductions are evident in areas without CWD.
AT Hiker
Well-Known Member
If so, I wonder if it coincides with the discovery of CWD in TN? Meaning, did people start fearing the human consumption of deer?
Or is this just a state wide trend not fully related to CWD?
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
Totally agree.
fairchaser
Well-Known Member
I think you'll find that hunter numbers are also down. Hunters who might hunt a few times to kill a deer and have it processed for the freezer are just passing on hunting. It's much harder now to go through testing and finding a processor who is still open and then wondering whether your deer is being contaminated. For those on the fence, maybe it's no longer worthwhile.
