Read article on 'Zombie' deer disease...

The biggest problem with CWD is the fact that there is so much we don’t know about it. That is changing as more states become involved in its presence. The cervid (Deer) Farm’s here in Minnesota is where it has shown up. All cases ln the wild, except one, has appeared within a mile or so of a commercial deer farm. The deer in a commercial farm are monitored by the Federal Animal Board of Health. They are supposed to monitor and inspect the farm herds. Review the records of the operation and track animals moving in and out of the farm. The ABOH is part of the Dept. of Agriculture, and is very short on staff. Inspections aren’t being done in a regular timely manner either. On top of that they aren’t very transparent in their findings, although there has been some improvement, but still not enough.
As stated the state DNR has no say about and animal inside the fence. But when a farm deer gets out of the fence it then becomes the responsibility of the State DNR.
The farmer is suppose report the escaped/lost deer to the ABOH. It is also supposed to b recorded, but it appears it’s not recorded and the ABOH don’t notify the DNR, even if they know they don’t seem to notify the DNR. In areas where CWD is known to exist all deer killed during an open deer season must be registered and tested by the DNR. When there is CWD is detected the herd is culled. In the culling operation they have shot deer with ear tags which identified which farm they came from.

When a cervid farm is quarantined only the owner is the one who decided if the herd should be depopulated, no one else. And if the herd is depopulated the owner gets compensation for doing it, and animals are valued at a level of $1000 or more a head. It gets very expensive.
 
Lucas McCain said:
The biggest problem with CWD is the fact that there is so much we don’t know about it.
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There is also a lot we DO know about it. The bigger problem is misinformation and the spreading of false information. Add a little hysteria into the picture and we have folks believing everything and anything.

There is info out there, one just needs to know where to look.

http://cwd-info.org/faq/
 
Keep hunting, ignore hysteria, educate yourself and get cervids tested

This is how I deal with CWD:
1. Shoot to kill. Head, spine shots or wherever you normally shoot game.
2. Dress the animal as always. If you're going to keep the head, cut it off the carcass as usual.
3. Process the animal. If you use a processor use a reputable business that guarantees you get your own meat.
4. Take the head and enough neck to the test facility take enough neck to include the lymph glands, about 8 inches beyond the back of the skull.
5. Wait for test results. If the results are negative, start cooking and if positive for CWD, pitch the meat.

From the Colorado Division of Wildlife:
"When field-dressing game, wear rubber gloves and minimize the use of a bone saw to cut through the brain or spinal cord (backbone).

Minimize contact with brain or spinal cord tissues, eyes, spleen, or lymph nodes. Always wash hands and utensils thoroughly after dressing and processing game meat."

If the animal tests positive its going to get disposed of, so having severed the spinal cord is a moot issue.
 
I'm on the Colorado Redneck plan, except that if you want to get a CWD test, you can't take a head shot. Apparently that messes up the test results. Fair enough.

I usually test and would throw the meat away if it tested positive.

I see the point of caution, but honestly until mountain lions start coming down with CWD in large numbers (I don't know of any), I'm thinking we're all in the clear.

Good luck out there!
 
doofus47 said:
I'm on the Colorado Redneck plan.

I see the point of caution, but honestly until mountain lions start coming down with CWD in large numbers (I don't know of any), I'm thinking we're all in the clear.
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It is believed that the disease came from a disease found in sheep, called Scrappies. It somehow genetically evolved into CWD. Scrappies is thought to be capable to being transmitted to humans, altho no such cases have been found.....yet. CWD has been shown to have been transmitted to Macaque monkeys, the monkey most closely related to human genes. It has also been shown to be transmitted to mice.....and it has not genetically evolved anymore......yet. You can use your Colorado redneck plan iffin' you want. Not me. I'll trust those who know more to tell me what the risks are.
 
Right, plus the mountain lion test requires people 1) find affected mountain lions, 2) recognize that there are issues and/or 3) test to see if it is CWD or an evolved variant. That could be years after it is a problem.

Bad plan.
 
Colorado Redneck method

I advocate other hunters do whatever they are comfortable with regarding CWD. Testing cervids prior to consumption is my M.O. There has been no evidence of cross species transmission to humans. There is evidence of a genetic barrier preventing infection in humans. Population control is seemingly the only means of slowing the infection rate in wild populations, and I do advocate hunting.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4981193/#s0002title
 
It was once assumed that humans were not susceptible to these ruminant forms of prion disease, but an outbreak of a new form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) among young Britons, almost certainly due to dietary exposure to BSE-contaminated beef, has disproved this supposition.
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The basis of this "species barrier" is incompletely understood,
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Reliable experimental models for determining the resistance of humans to animal prion diseases do not yet exist.
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In the absence of a reliable means for determining the susceptibility of humans to animal prion disease, measures to minimize human exposure to animal prions should be emphasized.
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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12359101
 
Colorado Redneck said:
There has been no evidence of cross species transmission to humans. There is evidence of a genetic barrier preventing infection in humans.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4981193/#s0002title
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The article in your link was published in 2016. From a link shown in that article, there is a newer article published in 2018 that states.....

However, two studies on squirrel monkeys provided evidence that transmission of CWD prions resulting in prion disease is possible in these monkeys under experimental conditions and seven in vitro experiments provided evidence that CWD prions can convert human prion protein to a misfolded state. Therefore, future discovery of CWD transmission to humans cannot be entirely ruled out on the basis of current studies, particularly in the light of possible decades-long incubation periods for CWD prions in humans. It would be prudent to continue CWD research and epidemiologic surveillance, exercise caution when handling potentially contaminated material and explore CWD management opportunities.
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Tons of info out there, some that is contradictory. I do agree tho with you about hunters need to do whatever they are comfortable with. While at 65, I wouldn't feel too bad about getting CWD myself from a deer I shot, I sure as heck would regret it if one of my grandkids came down with it.
 
Grandkids

I agree! Thats why all the deer we harvest get tested. I have not found any source that has accuracy numbers for testing for CWD. I'm sure there is a percentage confidence interval, and also sure it isn't 100%.

Life is a risky proposition. Just a fact. There is a risk involved driving to work. We know for a fact people die in auto accidents. Most people continue driving. This CWD issue is a risk that so far, seems a lot lower than the risk of dying in a car accident. We should each decide whether the risk is too steep for our own comfort.

Whenever I go to the game processor the employees are handling many animals every day. This area near Fort Collins, Colorado is where CWD has infected cervid populations for a good while. I know people that bought the cheap hunting tags in the early 2000's and lived on venison during the herd reductions that were initiated to try and control CWD. None of these people (butchers or consumers of venison) have contracted any prion disease. So, that said, we are gonna keep on hunting and eating venison that tests negative for CWD.

YMMV. :)
 
I was living Ft Collins when they finally figure out what CWD was. Back then you had some raising elk for the horns and that market dried up. Game unit I hunt is CWD and one of the guys that cuts meat his extra help come from CSU vet students.

I live south of Denver now, still in CWD unit but don't hunt here.

2019 Regs you pay for testing $25 deer unless killed in unit selected for mandatory testing and it's $25 for elk. Last I read it's 16% on buck

This is est from DOW

https://cpw.state.co.us/Documents/Research/CWD/2019_CWDprevalence_GMU-DAU_deer.pdf
 
Old Roper
Thanks for posting that link. The unit I hunt NW of Fort Collins is 6%. The unit east of Pawnee Buttes is 33% of animals tested. Whew! The deer I had tested over the years,all tested negative.
 
I hunted one year north side of Poudre unit 7. That's when we could buy buck tag OTC. I read something where bucks are 16% and going to try lower that to 5% unit effected.

We should be getting draw result couple weeks. Hope you get all your tags.
 
Sure did also bear tag. I'm getting up there 77 and if I draw every tag that's about all I can handle. I used to hunt antelope unit 125.
 
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