Your wildest idea to combat CWD

[fairchaser]

No cure on the near term horizon and containment seems to be the only strategy to slow the spread of the disease. It seems like we should go further and deeper than anyone thinks necessary. Curious what ideas anyone has to combat CWD.

 

[DaveB]

Containment via hunting regulation changes is pretty wild. I think the complete herd extermination solution used in hoof&mouth cattle disease is going to be implemented if CWD jumps species.

How about a 10 million reward for finding a cure?

We could inoculate death row criminals with potential cures and if they get really messed up, well, tough. Two birds thing.

Find out if Axis, black buck, or any deer-like animal are vulnerable. If not, breed and release a few thousand across the state and in 5 years start hunting.

 

[fairchaser]

Containment via hunting regulation changes is pretty wild. I think the complete herd extermination solution used in hoof&mouth cattle disease is going to be implemented if CWD jumps species.

How about a 10 million reward for finding a cure?

We could inoculate death row criminals with potential cures and if they get really messed up, well, tough. Two birds thing.

Find out if Axis, black buck, or any deer-like animal are vulnerable. If not, breed and release a few thousand across the state and in 5 years start hunting.

I like your last idea. Find another species to take the place of deer. Kudo get my vote!

 

[Mike Belt]

As much a part of my life as deer hunting has been I really hate my outlook. As long as it can't be eradicated and there is no known cure the future looks bleak. Just looking at the hot zone the only thing I can think of is containment but even with that, there will always be deer that venture out of those zones. If they carry the disease with them then through generations it will spread farther and farther away. Even if you could eliminate every deer in the hot zones through year long shooting there will be new deer venturing into that void. What good would that do? If CWD is saturated into the soil and stays there for years any new deer, whether by natural migration of implanted, would be susceptible to contracting the disease and then what would be gained?

Here lately I've been thinking about having a giant deer hunting yard sale.

 

[gatodoc]

Development of an oral vaccine is the only real hope for an answer. It's been done for rabies virus. Surely, science can develop something for prions...

 

[catman529]

Are TN deer going to go extinct or make people sick? I must have missed something. I know CWD is bad news, but it has been out west for over 20 years and they still have lots of deer to hunt and nobody's getting sick from it. But hey if anyone is selling their stuff at a yard sale please let me know where and when.


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[Matador]

Don't doubt it is bad stuff, but its been around in other states a long time so I think we will survive it just like the other states have. I liked the reward ideal.

 

[fairchaser]

There's plenty of real dollars backing research and over 300 scientists working on prion diseases. No cure is around the corner or could be found if enough money is raised. Look how long Jerry has been raising money for MD. It's not money, it's not for lack of scientists working on it. Its just not going to be easy and may not be possible to cure. Even with a cure, making it effective across a wild landscape is another almost impossible scenario. Yes, it's been around other areas out west in areas less densely populated and herds have survived and even grown. It's never been down here in the south though. I hope we aren't more susceptible. Seems like we are though because we have it bad. Herds will dwindle and get younger. No more 14 year old does like Catman killed.

 

[GRIT]

Are TN deer going to go extinct or make people sick? I must have missed something. I know CWD is bad news, but it has been out west for over 20 years and they still have lots of deer to hunt and nobody's getting sick from it. But hey if anyone is selling their stuff at a yard sale please let me know where and when.


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Will you eat a deer that has CWD?

 

[BULL MOOSE]

Are TN deer going to go extinct or make people sick? I must have missed something. I know CWD is bad news, but it has been out west for over 20 years and they still have lots of deer to hunt and nobody's getting sick from it. But hey if anyone is selling their stuff at a yard sale please let me know where and when.


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Will you eat a deer that has CWD?

I am going to bet that a lot of hunters have and don't even know it. That little positive in Madison county gave me chills because my house was within the hot zone of that animal.

 

[cecil30-30]

I won't be eating anymore. I will antler hunt only from here on out. No more does unless I can give it away to be eaten. I know it's been around a long time but it scares me since there is to many unknowns about it.

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[Mike Belt]

Since I started deer hunting I've had to drive at least an hour away to hunt. I've just never run across private land I was able to hunt locally. Almost all of that hunting has been in Fayette, Hardeman, and McNairy counties; the hot zone. Over the last 14 years or so my buck hunting has been reserved for bucks at least 3.5 years old and aimed at the 4.5 to 5.5 year old class. I usually kill from 3-6 does a season for freezer meat. I'm not saying that CWD will wipe out the deer herds where I typically hunt but if it does what is predicted it will eliminate the bulk of my buck hunting. If I'm not able to transport any does I kill into my home county without first semi processing them and then completing that at home and then cutting and wrapping the meat only to sit on it in the freezer until test results come back, and then possibly having to throw it out anyway...well, it just doesn't seem worth the effort. For those who aren't hunting in those areas consider yourself lucky (for the time being). If your hunting was directly effected by CWD your outlook on future hunting might not be as bright.

 

[fairchaser]

Since I started deer hunting I've had to drive at least an hour away to hunt. I've just never run across private land I was able to hunt locally. Almost all of that hunting has been in Fayette, Hardeman, and McNairy counties; the hot zone. Over the last 14 years or so my buck hunting has been reserved for bucks at least 3.5 years old and aimed at the 4.5 to 5.5 year old class. I usually kill from 3-6 does a season for freezer meat. I'm not saying that CWD will wipe out the deer herds where I typically hunt but if it does what is predicted it will eliminate the bulk of my buck hunting. If I'm not able to transport any does I kill into my home county without first semi processing them and then completing that at home and then cutting and wrapping the meat only to sit on it in the freezer until test results come back, and then possibly having to throw it out anyway...well, it just doesn't seem worth the effort. For those who aren't hunting in those areas consider yourself lucky (for the time being). If your hunting was directly effected by CWD your outlook on future hunting might not be as bright.

Look on the bright side Mike, we could be hunting these in a few years.


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[JJ3]

Yes, it's been around other areas out west in areas less densely populated and herds have survived and even grown. It's never been down here in the south though. I hope we aren't more susceptible. Seems like we are though because we have it bad. Herds will dwindle and get younger. No more 14 year old does like Catman killed.

I'm afraid that we will find we are more susceptible because we lack geographical features that inhibit movement in West Tennessee. Relatively flat ground and densities of 40 - 50/sq mile. Think about each generation of deer infected probably extend the radius another 2 miles and there is nothing to check that until you get to the Mississippi River. Plus in our area we remove our deer and take them somewhere to process whether at home or at a processor. In the west they are typically butchered where they fall and only the meat and antlers are carried out. All of that potentially adds up to higher susceptibility in our area.

Back to your original question, I think the best hope is containment in the west by aggressive harvest in the high risk counties to reduce densities (maybe into the 20's or less) combined with aggressive carcass management.

 

[DaveB]

Must be some kind of antlered species that is CWD resistant.

Please don't shoot me, but could we maybe cross a resistant species with a whitetail and see what happens? We have done this for centuries with other animals (look at your doggie).

Aren't there some high fence hunting businesses west of the Tennessee River that have deer species like blackbuck?

What about all the free ranging African game animals in Texas?

Are they seeing CWD in their investment?

 

[AT Hiker]

Are TN deer going to go extinct or make people sick? I must have missed something. I know CWD is bad news, but it has been out west for over 20 years and they still have lots of deer to hunt and nobody's getting sick from it. But hey if anyone is selling their stuff at a yard sale please let me know where and when.


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Getting sick from it and it jumping species barrier are two different things. The later is the concern and something similar has happened before.

As for CWD "out west" that depends on which area your speaking of. Some areas have suffered greatly and others not so much. I believe prevalence rates has more to do with it. A high rate means the population simply cannot keep up and if the disease becomes endemic then that spells bad news for hunters.


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[BigAl]

With the way hunting has morphed into a "big buck" sport, its going to hit hunting hard in my opinion. You could say you could drop the herd numbers to slow it down, but those counties have been in unit L the longest and I bet there hasn't been much of a herd decline. I hate it for the next generation of hunters more than anything.

 

[fairchaser]

http://www.americancervidalliance.org/u ... -20181.pdf

The latest scientific data on CWD. You will note the methods we currently are employing for containment are not scientifically tested and may not be effective. Also a caveat that Dr. Kroll is one of the participants and he known to be in the deer farming business.

 

[bowhunt25]

Looks like we got deep in the weeds on this one and didn't answer the original question. That said, for we hunters in the Hot Zone, need to cover up all known salt blocks, mineral blocks, corn piles, remove feed troughs etc. Cover them to the point that a deer can't find his/her way to the lick itself. The idea is to cover what possible prions exist or not.......The less opportunities to spread for future generations of deer.....Just spit balling here to answer Fairchaser's question.

 

[TheLBLman]

Your wildest idea to combat CWD?

First, beware ideas that are more about "doing something" than doing something worth doing.
Secondly, beware the fear-mongering so often used to push an agenda that may have little do with the problem.

Just seeing what has happened, over decades, in other states,
here are my ideas:

1) I like what TWRA has done/proposed regarding transporting (or not) harvested deer.
------- This is good, and should do more good than the nominal harm of its inconvenience.

2) I don't like TWRA's proposal to increase buck-only hunting, especially during the summertime.
------- Believe this is a bad idea that will do more overall harm than good.
------- Any increase in buck-hunting and buck limits will likely decrease the doe harvest (counterproductive overall).

3) So what would I do differently (but mainly just in the "hot zone")?
------- Increase doe-hunting opportunities (without increasing the buck limit).
------- This could be done by making the muzzleloader season segment "rifle" --- THIS would greatly increase the number of deer killed, not just bucks, but DEER!
And, if that's not enough, then make the archery season "rifle" as well.
Just keep the buck limit at two, and the doe harvest will increase via allowing hunters to hunt with greatly more effective weapons (a rifle vs. a bow).
Oh, and yes, the buck harvest will also greatly increase, even with a 2-buck limit, mainly because there would be so much more earlier hunting with a rifle.

------- The ongoing deer population is mainly controlled by the doe harvest, and that's where more focus should be.
"Buck Only" deer hunting has always been about increasing the deer density, exactly the opposite what CWD experts say we should do.
Which is much of my opposition to the summertime buck-only proposal & doubling of the buck limit.

------- Lastly, again, it's not that killing more bucks might not be of benefit in slowing the spread of CWD, but rather, as proposed, it will cause fewer female deer to be killed, which may then make the increased buck-only hunting more harmful than beneficial.

 

[fairchaser]

Your wildest idea to combat CWD?

First, beware ideas that are more about "doing something" than doing something worth doing.
Secondly, beware the fear-mongering so often used to push an agenda that may have little do with the problem.

Just seeing what has happened, over decades, in other states,
here are my ideas:

1) I like what TWRA has done/proposed regarding transporting (or not) harvested deer.
------- This is good, and should do more good than the nominal harm of its inconvenience.

2) I don't like TWRA's proposal to increase buck-only hunting, especially during the summertime.
------- Believe this is a bad idea that will do more overall harm than good.
------- Any increase in buck-hunting and buck limits will likely decrease the doe harvest (counterproductive overall).

3) So what would I do differently (but mainly just in the "hot zone")?
------- Increase doe-hunting opportunities (without increasing the buck limit).
------- This could be done by making the muzzleloader season segment "rifle" --- THIS would greatly increase the number of deer killed, not just bucks, but DEER!
And, if that's not enough, then make the archery season "rifle" as well.
Just keep the buck limit at two, and the doe harvest will increase via allowing hunters to hunt with greatly more effective weapons (a rifle vs. a bow).
Oh, and yes, the buck harvest will also greatly increase, even with a 2-buck limit, mainly because there would be so much more earlier hunting with a rifle.

------- The ongoing deer population is mainly controlled by the doe harvest, and that's where more focus should be.
"Buck Only" deer hunting has always been about increasing the deer density, exactly the opposite what CWD experts say we should do.
Which is much of my opposition to the summertime buck-only proposal & doubling of the buck limit.

------- Lastly, again, it's not that killing more bucks might not be of benefit in slowing the spread of CWD, but rather, as proposed, it will cause fewer female deer to be killed, which may then make the increased buck-only hunting more harmful than beneficial.

Maintaining a viable herd with CWD is a balancing act. You don't just kill down the deer until there's only a small percentage of deer per mile unless you care little for what's left in the zone and are only concerned for what gets out of the zone. You need does to maintain the herd. A single buck can breed several does so not as many needed. A lower buck/doe ratio might be warranted to maintain a viable herd. If that's sound then the state's proposal would help accomplish this.

 

[TN Whitetail Freak]

99% of the public have turned a blind eye to how this disease really got here. Billy Bob went on an elk hunt in New Mexico or a whitetail hunt in south central Wisconsin and was very successful. He couldn't wait to get back home to Tennessee and show off his prized trophy. He transported it back to Tennessee and discarded the remains of the carcass God knows where just after he took a trophy pic to post here on TNdeer. That's how the disease got here. I've personally seen it on here and have private messaged those guys about the illegality of importation. Were those trophies CWD positive...who knows 50/50 chance. The state cant stop illegal importation so there really isn't gonna be hope in stopping the spread. I'll do my part, however, there are thousands of hunters who will not abide by the importation regulations.

 

[Lost Lake]

It's going to be hard to contain it, but going forward I'd consider shutting down every high fence operation and banning importation of live deer. I don't know how easy that would be to do, but that's my 2 cents worth.

 

[TheLBLman]

Hard to combat the spread of CWD when we don't fully understand how it is spread?

Ever thought about what happens to MOST deer which die of CWD?
What eats them? Mainly buzzards & coyotes?
Coyotes range more daily, year round, than a rutting buck in November?
Coyotes crap out prions everywhere they go?
Buzzards migrate from Canada to Mexico?

What if we find out the primary macro-spread (like from one state to another) has been migratory raptors
like buzzards, hawks, eagles, etc.?

Then, perhaps on a county to county level, we may find that more prions are spread by coyote scat than by roaming deer?

Just saying, much about the spread remains a mystery.

 

[GRIT]

The main cause is man.Every thing else is just helping the spread of what man started.

 

[fairchaser]

The main cause is man.Every thing else is just helping the spread of what man started.

It's climate change. That's it. Fix that and CWD goes away.

 

[ROUGH COUNTRY HUNTER]

How do we know it hasn't been here for the last 4 or 5 decades,with the population growing out of control it could just be one of God's ways of keeping the numbers in check

 

[fairchaser]

How do we know it hasn't been here for the last 4 or 5 decades,with the population growing out of control it could just be one of God's ways of keeping the numbers in check

The state has been testing for it since 2002. Unless, they have been incredibly unlucky, they would have found it. Also, you can tell how it's been spreading if you look at a time lapse map. It's pretty obvious where it started and how rapidly it's spreading.

 

[CBU93]

CWD was introduced by TWRA to keep mountain lions from spreading :super: oke: op:


In all seriousness, how has it been contained in AR but basically all over the state of MS and contained to three counties in TN? Will is spread past those three counties? I suspect it will, but has there been any more confirmations? Surely road killed deer are getting tested?

 

[TDW05]

How do we know it hasn't been here for the last 4 or 5 decades,with the population growing out of control it could just be one of God's ways of keeping the numbers in check

The state has been testing for it since 2002. Unless, they have been incredibly unlucky, they would have found it. Also, you can tell how it's been spreading if you look at a time lapse map. It's pretty obvious where it started and how rapidly it's spreading.

How many samples a year until now though? They could have tested for 50 years but if they only tested 100 deer a year then it would probably take a little time to find I would think.