Hypothetically speaking CWD

[First-light]

So I've read a few stories about CWD. Ohio had 24 cases last year. What would you do if your county became a hot spot for DWD? 

I guess you would be allowed to hunt but any game taken would have to be tested? Even if it tested negative would you still eat it? Would field dressing change for you? I don't wear gloves most of the time that could change. I know there is no known cases of CWD spreading to humans. It sure would put a damper on things big time. Thoughts? 

[wolc123]

  On 3/30/2025 at 1:44 PM, First-light said:

So I've read a few stories about CWD. Ohio had 24 cases last year. What would you do if your county became a hot spot for DWD? 

I guess you would be allowed to hunt but any game taken would have to be tested? Even if it tested negative would you still eat it? Would field dressing change for you? I don't wear gloves most of the time that could change. I know there is no known cases of CWD spreading to humans. It sure would put a damper on things big time. Thoughts? 

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I think it is blown way out of proportion and wouldn’t change a thing for me.  I’d still get most of my families protein from “free” venison and wouldn’t be overly careful about using gloves while processing.  

[landtracdeerhunter]

Know one that I know has stopped eating beef even though some cattle test positive for mad cow disease. People have not stopped eating chicken just because of bird flu. The risk are real for all types of meat wild or other wise. I believe when business start penning these animals up in close quarters, thy lies the problem, and big trouble starts. Deer are free range, which in my boat, make them much safer.

 

 

 

[landtracdeerhunter]

  On 3/30/2025 at 2:03 PM, wolc123 said:

I think it is blown way out of proportion and wouldn’t change a thing for me.  I’d still get most of my families protein from “free” venison and wouldn’t be overly careful about using gloves while processing.  

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In the real world, their really isn't anything free.

Edited Sunday at 02:42 PM by landtracdeerhunter

[Four Seasons]

  On 3/30/2025 at 2:39 PM, landtracdeerhunter said:

Know one that I know has stopped eating beef even though some cattle test positive for mad cow disease. People have not stopped eating chicken just because of bird flu. The risk are real for all types of meat wild or other wise. I believe when business start penning these animals up in close quarters, thy lies the problem, and big trouble starts. Deer are free range, which in my boat, make them much safer.

 

 

 

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So if that’s your line of thinking what’s your answer to all the states that have no deer behind fence yet have it in the wild in the last 60 years? Or the states that have had fenced deer for years and years and have never had a case but have had it in the wild for just as many years?  You do realize the first cases of it were wild deer?  Not fenced. Regardless CWD is now and has always been a political money grab. CWD has done no harm to any herds in any states ever. You don’t see mass die off of animals like you do the real deer killer in EHD. Ever.   CWD will go by the way of Covid here very soon when the federal government stops handing out money for these white coats to keep researching the same thing over and over and coming up with nothing. You want to see some info. Google how much money goes to states for CWD issues and then ask yourself where that kind of money goes. An easy look of the stupidity is the state of Wisconsin. When they found it and went absolutely nuts and they killed off almost the whole herd because of a couple cases. Saying that CWD would be the end all of their herds. Well don’t ya know. The herds rebounded in a matter of 5 years to twice as many animals then they had at kill off time. And with CWD. Go on a hunting site in that state and read how many hunters never ever got their deer tested. And they are not walking zombies. Maybe look at the state of Oklahoma that now allow private land owners to buy and release farmed deer onto their no fence property to improve their deer size and genetics.  After 60 plus years and what CWD itself has shown people exactly what it’s not doing to deer anywhere I’m amazed it’s ever even talked about anymore anywhere. I believe when those leading our government today see they wasted money going on there CWD will be a thing of the past pretty soon. Go Trump!!!

[airedale]

I would be carrying on doing the same as I always have.

Al

[Doc]

Ever wonder if CWD is as devastating as is popularly believed, why are the woods not littered with dead deer bodies everywhere. I do not know why the scare stories are so popular to pass on, but a little common sense goes a long way toward calming all the panic.

[wolc123]

  On 3/30/2025 at 7:29 PM, Doc said:

Ever wonder if CWD is as devastating as is popularly believed, why are the woods not littered with dead deer bodies everywhere. I do not know why the scare stories are so popular to pass on, but a little common sense goes a long way toward calming all the panic.

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I think it’s because about 47 % of the American people are very easily duped.  Look at how they gobble up all the fake news on CNN & MSNBC.  

[Four Seasons]

  On 3/30/2025 at 7:29 PM, Doc said:

Ever wonder if CWD is as devastating as is popularly believed, why are the woods not littered with dead deer bodies everywhere. I do not know why the scare stories are so popular to pass on, but a little common sense goes a long way toward calming all the panic.

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Exactly. If there were even remotely proof that the stuff killed animals it would be one thing. The Prions are the same exact Prions found in Scrapies in sheep and we have been living with that for the last 60 years without all the banter. The white coats found a way to get funding to get their paycheck and then the DNR of some states found an opening to try and use it against high fence. Didn’t Work. Just like anything else, if there is no demand then the product will fail. Well high fence grows yearly with people making great $$$.  Now my other question is where is all the studies done on EHD that 100% kills 1000’s of deer yearly and they can be found littered across the countryside by the 100’s yet no testing or no white coat funding for that. That’s in part because they can’t come back at all on high fence for it so it stays silent. Just open your eyes, use common sense the good lord gave ya and you will come up with the answers on just what CWD isn’t !!

[First-light]

Didn't Wisconsin's Deer population dwindle when CWD hit the herd? They are still reporting that it is hurting the population in 2025. I guess I would take a few more precautions and have the deer tested. 

[Four Seasons]

  On 3/31/2025 at 11:18 AM, First-light said:

Didn't Wisconsin's Deer population dwindle when CWD hit the herd? They are still reporting that it is hurting the population in 2025. I guess I would take a few more precautions and have the deer tested. 

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The population dwindles because they bait and shoot all the deer looking for the harmless crap. The Wisconsin herd has rebounded after the kill off and with CWD to having more animals and they are still positive. 

[knehrke]

Just to interject a thread of common sense among all the bombast.

The concern was because we don't currently understand prion diseases nor their mechanism of transmission. EHD is much better understood, hence there's less risk for unanticipated consequences, even if it's "deadlier". 

With all of the possible avenues of research available, there's a reason we study prion diseases, and it isn't simply because there's funding to be had. As the landscape and our understanding evolves, priorities will shift, but it's not stupid to be cautious.

I'm the last one in the world who would be upset at a disease being less of a concern that was originally anticipated. And I'm the first one who would applaud paying attention to what we don't understand rather than gaslighting concern over potential dangers.  

That having been said, I certainly hope that the impact of CWD turns out to be benign or at least negligible. 

[Four Seasons]

  5 hours ago, knehrke said:

Just to interject a thread of common sense among all the bombast.

The concern was because we don't currently understand prion diseases nor their mechanism of transmission. EHD is much better understood, hence there's less risk for unanticipated consequences, even if it's "deadlier". 

With all of the possible avenues of research available, there's a reason we study prion diseases, and it isn't simply because there's funding to be had. As the landscape and our understanding evolves, priorities will shift, but it's not stupid to be cautious.

I'm the last one in the world who would be upset at a disease being less of a concern that was originally anticipated. And I'm the first one who would applaud paying attention to what we don't understand rather than gaslighting concern over potential dangers.  

That having been said, I certainly hope that the impact of CWD turns out to be benign or at least negligible. 

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Well.  After 60 years of CWD in deer and lord knows how many years of Scrapies in sheep which is the same prion and lack of any animal die off’s or human issues of any kind common sense says we are in pretty good shape. They continue to get handed millions of dollars to do research on what?  The same exact stuff over and over. I agree if it ever was an issue I would be all for the research and such. But to only use the prion scare when it involves deer and we never hear a word about the Scrapies cases there is a problem and points to an agenda. Just like hunters can’t bring deer back from a CWD positive state dead or alive but can bring sheep all across the country?  Problem!!   Can’t bring a deer head across lines but can haul all the corn and alfalfa you want from CWD positive states after this research has 100% shown that the CWD prions travel up and into these products from the soil?  Problem!!  Again just follow the $$$$ and you will get many answers. 

[knehrke]

You don't hear about scrapie because you're not in the sheep business; you hear about CWD because you're in the deer business. Please don't assume the scrapie is simply tolerated; the regulatory burden is fairly strict. Both flock and individual standards exist. 

But we've had this conversation over the years, and I'm not going to change your mind about a single thing. 

We can chat again in another ten years, maybe. Cheers.