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CWD and what I should know about it

LAKY said:
I don't really want to eat or feed my family meat from a diseased animal that can't be cooked out of it. Lots of diseases, bacteria, viruses can be cooked out. CWD prions can't. So, I'll probably start dropping off the lymph nodes at testing sites from my deer after I process them. I'll label the packages, and throw them out if the tests come back positive.
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I've never received any notice back from all of mine, Pos or Neg! How long are we supposed to keep it before they let us know? I'm not even sure they get tested at all. Not really sure I want to do jerky this year!
 
Blacksmith said:
I've never received any notice back from all of mine, Pos or Neg! How long are we supposed to keep it before they let us know? I'm not even sure they get tested at all. Not really sure I want to do jerky this year!
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As big of a deal as CWD is, if you had one test positive, they would contact you. They will want to know exactly where they were shot. At least that is how it has been here.
 
Blacksmith said:
I've never received any notice back from all of mine, Pos or Neg! How long are we supposed to keep it before they let us know? I'm not even sure they get tested at all. Not really sure I want to do jerky this year!
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If I was concerned, I would call and ask them. I'd bother the heck out of them and go up there if I needed. If they are supposed to be monitoring for this and asking for samples, then I'd hold them to it.
 
BTaylor said:
Thanks for that link. So based on that they dont know for sure if the deer he consumed were actually infected or not? We have a fairly significant area of the state here where we have CWD but as I understand it from conversations with AGFC staff and the Chief Vet. not all deer in the area test positive. I'm not sure if they have statistics on pct of population that test positive. I assume they do but I am not aware of those number.

I guess my really question is do you pull the fire alarm because you see someone with some matches or when you see smoke and flames? I'm not suggesting that CWD isnt a problem or that it might not be a problem for humans. There just seems to be a continual push to make it so rather than letting real medical and scientific data confirm it is. It's not like this is something new. There is what 50+ years of study so far with no evidence of cross species infection of humans. Can it mutate or adapt to cross species? Who knows. If it is confirmed that it can and does, then by all means sound the alarm.
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We've had CWD present in our herd here for years. There's a randomly selected testing program during rifle season but no testing program unless we hunters voluntarily pay for and send them off on our own during archery and muzzleloader seasons.
I'm wondering how many are slipping through the cracks as compared to states that have a more aggressive approach to CWD testing?
We eat a lot of venison and as far as I know I've never had an issue and have only had a few tested during rifle season which were negative. All this being said, I don't think anyone has a full grasp on the situation as has been said numerous times.
If there isn't an imminent threat it seems like some of this research gets put on the back burner or funding falls short to cover the research. Another angle to look at is, how do you ethically get someone to willingly infect themselves with a potentially mortal disease? It might mean CJD diseases will be/are monitored closer as it relates to hunters or persons consuming potentially CWD infected venison as seen in the referred publication.
For me and my family, I'll probably start getting all deer harvested CWD tested and comply with my state's recommendation of disposing of any animals testing positive for CWD. I don't think a proactive approach will interfere with my hunting enjoyment or is necessarily a detriment. I'll just have to include a couple more steps processing and spend a little money out of pocket for the test until hopefully someday our state implements a more aggressive testing program that I don't have to pay for during archery and muzzleloader seasons.
 
Blacksmith said:
I sent over (60) heads in to the DNR this last summer and didn't here anything back from them! I dont even know if they were tested? We ate jerky from them all! They tell us it's non transferable but does anyone know for sure?
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We don’t know anything for sure, the article posted is the first faint clue that I am aware of, that human transmission is possible. If I lived in a CWD area I would only eat venison that had been tested, just my personal weighing of the upsides vs the downsides. I don’t have a spare brain if I start getting holes in this one.

The negative impact of humans on the biosphere increases each year. CWD hits a particular nerve for me “yeah that #1 passion of yours, that animal you think about 365 days a year, we’ll ruin that whole scene too.” CWD is teeny tiny, silent, and insidious.
 
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Jtaylor said:
We've had CWD present in our herd here for years. There's a randomly selected testing program during rifle season but no testing program unless we hunters voluntarily pay for and send them off on our own during archery and muzzleloader seasons.
I'm wondering how many are slipping through the cracks as compared to states that have a more aggressive approach to CWD testing?
We eat a lot of venison and as far as I know I've never had an issue and have only had a few tested during rifle season which were negative. All this being said, I don't think anyone has a full grasp on the situation as has been said numerous times.
If there isn't an imminent threat it seems like some of this research gets put on the back burner or funding falls short to cover the research. Another angle to look at is, how do you ethically get someone to willingly infect themselves with a potentially mortal disease? It might mean CJD diseases will be/are monitored closer as it relates to hunters or persons consuming potentially CWD infected venison as seen in the referred publication.
For me and my family, I'll probably start getting all deer harvested CWD tested and comply with my state's recommendation of disposing of any animals testing positive for CWD. I don't think a proactive approach will interfere with my hunting enjoyment or is necessarily a detriment. I'll just have to include a couple more steps processing and spend a little money out of pocket for the test until hopefully someday our state implements a more aggressive testing program that I don't have to pay for during archery and muzzleloader seasons.
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It showed up here in parts of the state I havent and dont hunt so I havent had any tested. The area is spreading though and is getting closer to one of my main hunting areas. At some point probably in the not too distant future, we will have to start testing.
 
I called the DOW and they said all of the deer heads submitted for testing are tested and if you hear nothing from them, they were negative!
 
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