Where CWD HAS GONE

[JWEBB]

 

[stlusn30-06]

Has there been anything to show a danger for human consumption?

It hasn't been passed by a deer carrying CWD yet, but Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is the human equivalent. People did get CJD from eating cows that had Mad Cow Disease (bovine equivalent). More recently a person contracted CJD from eating Squirrel (https://www.livescience.com/63831-squirrel-brains-rare-disorder-creutzfeldt-jakob-disease.html). On stopping the spread; the only effective way that has been shown to stop the spread of the disease is total eradication. It made it's way into a heard of Reindeer in Norway. They are culling the entire heard, and preventing any other cervids from entering the range for 5 years. They are taking action on a massive scale. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/04/norway-plans-exterminate-large-reindeer-herd-stop-fatal-infectious-brain-disease . This could be one of the biggest threats to hunting, period. If a deer passes CWD onto a human in the form of CJD, you can bet there would be immediate action to stop the consumption of deer meat.

[Stein]

Most game agencies used to say there was no identified danger to eating it.  Now, I believe all or at least most recommend not eating it and they modified wastage laws to not penalize throwing it away.  The consensus is that it hasn't made the jump but there is no reason why it won't eventually do it as the other similar diseases with other species have made the jump.  I think most believe it is only a matter of time or at least an unreasonable level of risk that it will happen.

[MonstroMuley]

So if Hunting out of state or even in WA ... do we need to start carrying our own CWD Field Test Kits just to be sure? 

NEW CWD Test Potential Allows Hunters to Inspect Harvested Meat
https://www.gohunt.com/read/news/new-cwd-test-potentially-allows-hunters-to-inspect-harvested-meat
$10 for the Kit, $40 Lab Processing and Analysis ... 7 - 10 Days wait time for results.

Penn State Dept of Agricultural Sciences - Deer Forest Study "Buyer Beware"
https://ecosystems.psu.edu/research/projects/deer/news/2017/buyer-beware

Like the Penn State Guys view point ... states there is only one valid test:
"Testing for CWD requires postmortem collection of brain and specific lymphoid tissues.  There is only one USDA-APHIS approved test to detect the presence of CWD prions:  Immunohistochemistry (IHC) test.  And there is only one USDA-APHIS approved screening test: enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)."

and goes on to suggest that even negative test results may be inconclusive ...?

"Results of these USDA-APHIS testing methods are reported as either positive, not detected, or unsuitable. Note that those results do not include "CWD-free." That's because a conclusive negative result is impossible because the animal may be infected but the CWD prions may not be at a high enough concentration to be detected by the test.

Neither USDA-APHIS test is a food safety test."

Maybe just leave it up to the Professional Bio's at the MT/WY Game Check Stations ...

[Twispriver]

I'm thinking that baiting, winter feeding and anything else that congregates deer and elk are on the way out. There was a good article in a recent issue of Bugle Magazine that listed the recommendations of a panel of wildlife managers and this was at the top of the list of preventive measures.

[fishnfur]

This is a tough one.  There's apparently not going to be any easy solution.  As I re-read several articles, I kept wondering how they're getting infected deer in areas well distant from known loci of infection.  Wikipedia article discusses the possibility of crows possibly carrying the prions from one area to another, transmitting the particles in their feces.  Good luck stopping that.

[Tiger01]

I don’t believe it’s crows, I think it’s people that are moving this disease to new areas. They either don’t know or don’t care and are transporting carcasses to places that previously didn’t have CWD and dropping the carcass in their back 40 and now they brought CWD to a new location. I think state agencies need to step up the awareness/fines/laws when it comes to how people are transporting animals.

[Stein]

They also don't know all of the deer that have it.  It could be transmitted from deer to deer to deer...... to a deer that gets shot and tested.  There could very well be deer between the two known locations that have it but just haven't been tested yet.

It could also be people moving carcasses around from other areas or even stuff like dirt.

[nwwanderer]

A wisconsin example showed deer take by hunters from 48 states in one season from an area with very high CWD incidence.
Be careful out there

[cryder]

Field test kits , eliminateing bait sites ,discouraged scientists ,I'm starting to think my bad hockey knees are going to be a blessing in desqiuze , it will keep me from being able to persue my usual prey , Mr majestic ,maybe I'll just switch from bow to zoom teliphoto lense , trying to get some helpful info for the protection of my popscicle stand vigilence for crap sakes ,this is really a downer , to say the least

[MonstroMuley]

Talked to WDFW Guyz @ Puyallup Sportsman Show and said Spokane Regional Office coordinating with other western states dealing with CWD and WDFW developing own plan to deal with it when first detected in this state.
Nice to hear they're proactive.  Sounds like only matter of time  ...

[JWEBB]

Talked to WDFW Guyz @ Puyallup Sportsman Show and said Spokane Regional Office coordinating with other western states dealing with CWD and WDFW developing own plan to deal with it when first detected in this state.
Nice to hear they're proactive.  Sounds like only matter of time  ...

Why are they even wasting their time? The wolves are taking care of all the deer anyway. Their priorities are so screwed up

[cryder]

First the deer !! Then the wolves !!!! Let mecontemplate that ,,,, more elk ? Hmmmmmmmm ?? ABSUGULOOOOLY redonkulouse !!

[fishnfur]

Talked to WDFW Guyz @ Puyallup Sportsman Show and said Spokane Regional Office coordinating with other western states dealing with CWD and WDFW developing own plan to deal with it when first detected in this state.
Nice to hear they're proactive.  Sounds like only matter of time  ...

Why are they even wasting their time? The wolves are taking care of all the deer anyway. Their priorities are so screwed up

Wolves?  I'm thinking it was the humans that messed up that equation.  The wolves and deer had it all working fine till humans arrived.  Roads, highways, freeways, homes and towns in wintering grounds, fences, over-hunting and poaching, road kills.....  Now, add CWD, HLS, and hoof rot for the elk.  Stinkin' wolves messed it all up!

[Stein]

Talked to WDFW Guyz @ Puyallup Sportsman Show and said Spokane Regional Office coordinating with other western states dealing with CWD and WDFW developing own plan to deal with it when first detected in this state.
Nice to hear they're proactive.  Sounds like only matter of time  ...

Yeah, they will just adapt the salmon recovery plan and it will be eradicated pretty quickly - along with the deer.