Time To Get Serious About CWD

[Dusty Britches]

I just read an article in Whitetail Journal by Dr. David Samuel "It's Time to Get Serious About Chronic Wasting Disease" and I must admit, I'm stunned. While I can't find it online yet, I'm sure it is forthcoming.

I had no idea how bad, how contagious, and how dangerous this disease is. I also read an article in Drovers yesterday (CWD a Time Bomb for Agriculture?) about how the agriculture industry needs to sit up, pay attention, and move on this. CWD could devastate the ag and food industry.

You cannot wash it off plants or soil. It lingers for a very long time. It has a 100% mortality rate. It is highly contagious, spreading through food, water, and nasal contact. Cervids (Deer, elk, etc.) can carry it and spread for 2 years prior to showing signs of infection. NY Times reported that fire may be the only way to stop it - and that means killing every cervid in the zone and burning the bodies, plants, trees, and soil with fire.

Right now the experts are saying it is safe to eat CWD deer if it is well cooked, but a new study showed monkeys were infected after 3 years of eating uncooked CWD infected meat.

[AntlerCollector]

Scary stuff. Especially the potential it has to wipe out deer, crops, etc

[TXHUNT3R]

Geez, I have not experienced it first hand but that sounds horrible.

[KactusKiller]

wonder if its contagious for humans, when I grill venison i like it rare to med rare.

[M16]

Someone will be along shortly to say false alarm.

[dustoffer]

The fact that other primates (monkeys) were infected by the prions is a potential indication of a path of direct infection to humans---and the article I read in the American Vet Journal said neither freezing nor cooking kills the prions.

[adam_p]

I think they are sensationalizing it some, but I think it needs to be done to get people to pay attention. The deer farmers can't see past their profits and immediately talk down anything CWD related.

I don't know if CWD is ever going to be transmittable to humans, but I've done quite a bit of reading on prion diseases and we need to be paying attention.

[Dusty Britches]

I don't think there is sensationalizing going on here. A Google search will show years of articles from vets and researchers about the seriousness of this.

I like my deer steaks med rare, too, but I'm not in a CWD area. If the deer comes from a CWD area, you might want to think twice about eating it.

[Stoof]

Put me in the "I don't know enough about it" camp. But I do make it a priority to take my deer to the check station if there is one near by, mandatory or not. The more info they can collect the better the information can be applied. I did take one doe outside of Tarpley this season. Right next to the ranch it was located on a couple of years back. Tests came back negative, so I can finally start feeding this deer to the family.

[offthemap]

How can we check if we're hunting in a CWD area?

[Stoof]

How can we check if we're hunting in a CWD area?

https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/diseases/cwd/

[panhandlehunter]

My only concern would be if could make the jump from cervid to human. Mad cow is the same type of disease as CWD and it did make the jump to humans.

[JeffK]

My only concern would be if could make the jump from cervid to human. Mad cow is the same type of disease as CWD and it did make the jump to humans.

or to cattle.

[Dave]

I am not someone to panic or by into sensationalism but I think this will be the end of hunting in Texas as we know it. Baiting, game ranches, breeding facilities, all of it will eventually have to go away. I know to some that sounds like sensationalism but if half the predictions come to be true that's the road we are heading down.

[wytex]

The sky is not falling.
I live and hunt in a CWD endemic area. Our herds are doing fine. Not one person has ever been diagnosed with CWD, variant CJD is the human form, in our state. We manage a ranch that literally borders the WG&F facility where it was brought to study in the 60's. Yes elk and deer are affected , not one domestic animal, cattle etc has ever been diagnosed with CWD. The only way that CWD was infected in primates was through direct injection into their brain. We have lived with it for years, yes you will see some infected animals, but my thought is it has been around forever just lately recognized and studied. I have no doubt we have consumed CWD meat but as of yet no issues. Are area is ground zero for Wyoming, where it was brought to study and has been found to be endemic to our herds. Elk and deer numbers are not tanking, elk are at all time highs right now for population numbers.
Would I eat a noticeably sick animal , no way, but I also don't worry about eating any other animal I harvest.
We have had it for years living in our environment, no- ZERO- human cases of CWD or variant CJD.
If you want to feed brain or spinal matter to your cattle then yes you may need to worry, but to date the research showing a cross over via just eating CWD infected animals does not exist. The primate study has its flaws, look it up and read it.