Chronic Wasting Disease

[PathfinderNC]

Looks like our county here in North Carolina and some nearby ones are surveillance areas for deer CWD.
Makes me a bit worried about a deer harvest…
There is no word on any affects from eating venison if the animal has the disease, or been exposed to it, only a requirement for sample testing of any game bagged in late Nov- to early Dec.
The CDC statement is that no info has been obtained regarding eating CWD exposed deer meet and to be just cautious of it.

 

[SDSmlf]

Just as an FYI, I have not heard of any cases of CWD (hunting a little south and west of you in Caldwell County), but there were ‘reported’ incidents of Blue Tongue a few years ago. From the Surveillance Areas map, appears CWD is slowly creeping along.

 

[Stykbow]

I’d be surprised if CWD hasn’t been around forever and we just didn’t have a name for it. Of course, I’m no biologist and could be wrong. It’s been a big deal here in Tennessee for a few years, but not documented in my county.

 

[appalichian hunter]

Stay away from spinal cord and brain matter you will be fine. I hunt in a CWD declared area have killed a bunch of deer over the years and never had a situation relating to the disease. Even had a few subjected to testing by the game dept. and no problems.

 

[sussexmuzllodr]

Only recently detected in a few Counties in N.C.

 

[Jaeger]

The appearance of CWD here in Michigan has been a great source of distress and concern for me personally. It has been spreading slowly in our state since it first appeared. Do yourself a favor and read about the disease and what causes it. It's NOT a typical disease caused by a virus or bacteria; it's a PRION disease and that should scare the hell out of you. Reading about prions is a bit mentally taxing, since knowledge about them is still new and evolving, and it's a complex subject. Of course there is no cure for prion diseases. One problem: prions are not living things, but protein molecules, and they are extremely diffficult to destroy or neutralize. Recent research shows that prions can stay in the soil and in the plants that grow in that soil for up to 16 years, so deer can become infected by grazing. The Michigan DNR says that there is no proof that people can contract CWD by eating a deer with CWD, but they recommend not eating it......lol. They don't have to tell me that! All I know is that I will not hunt in an area that has CWD, so I figure my deer hunting days are numbered. I shoot deer so that I can eat venison, and If I can't eat it, one big reason for hunting disappears. Deer hunting is already in a serious decline, and this is one more nail in the coffin. As if all that wasn't enough, the problem of deer processors not being able to clean their equipment well enough to prevent transfer of any prions has recently come under discussion. Folks, this all bad news!

 

[appalichian hunter]

Do a gut less method of meat removal and process your own meat.

 

[Daytime Smoker]

Looks like our county here in North Carolina and some nearby ones are surveillance areas for deer CWD.
Makes me a bit worried about a deer harvest…
There is no word on any affects from eating venison if the animal has the disease, or been exposed to it, only a requirement for sample testing of any game bagged in late Nov- to early Dec.
The CDC statement is that no info has been obtained regarding eating CWD exposed deer meet and to be just cautious of it.

Which country are you in? Some of my Tennessee property borders Carolina. (within a few miles) I’m in upper East TN. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s all over to be honest. Hopefully, it’s just random cases.

Anthony

 

[64Springer]

I’d be surprised if CWD hasn’t been around forever and we just didn’t have a name for it. Of course, I’m no biologist and could be wrong. It’s been a big deal here in Tennessee for a few years, but not documented in my county.

There's a Supreme Court Justice joke in there somewhere but I won't make it.

I'm convinced that PETA cooked up CWD in deer so hunters would be afraid to cook up more deer.

 

[1950DAVE]

Do we know but what our just killed deer would not have shown the outward symptoms of CWD a week later had he not met his untimely death by lead.

 

[COTNTOP]

Johnston and Cumberland counties reported cases as of a few weeks ago. Biologist told me that the disease takes around several years to show up in deer.

 

[necchi]

Folks, this all bad news!

Wow, you should re-read everything you have read,, with someone that can explain language too you as you go along.
The concerns you express are un-founded, your choices seem extreme based on the limited knowledge.
But here goes an example of typical mentality, if in your area;
Bird Flu; DON'T Eat Poultry or Egg's. Swine Flu; Don't eat pork!
Even if those items are shipped to your local store from out-state,,
CWD has been prevalent in MN, Wisc. for decades now. Management policies have been in place for almost as long.
Procedures to process harvested game have been available for about 100yrs, including areas of harvest that may have CWD
So your right, condemn all knowledge of CWD, Stop hunting, Don't eat Venison.
That way you and yours will be safe from a disease that affects only cervids.

 

[TDM]

“They say” there have been cases in Mississippi. I’ve never seen any sign of it in my area. And I keep a pretty close eye on the herd.

 

[Jaeger]

Wow, you should re-read everything you have read,, with someone that can explain language too you as you go along.
The concerns you express are un-founded, your choices seem extreme based on the limited knowledge.
But here goes an example of typical mentality, if in your area;
Bird Flu; DON'T Eat Poultry or Egg's. Swine Flu; Don't eat pork!
Even if those items are shipped to your local store from out-state,,
CWD has been prevalent in MN, Wisc. for decades now. Management policies have been in place for almost as long.
Procedures to process harvested game have been available for about 100yrs, including areas of harvest that may have CWD
So your right, condemn all knowledge of CWD, Stop hunting, Don't eat Venison.
That way you and yours will be safe from a disease that affects only cervids.

Good point about it being in Wisconsin and Minnesota for a long time already. I guess some people there are bound to have eaten venison tainted by CWD in all that time. BUT....the disease is related to Creutzfeldt-Jakob Syndrome, and people have died from that in Europe and elsewhere. It's a terrible disease and there is no treatment for it. As far as bird and swine flu are concerned....we already have the flu in humans and there are treatments for it.

 

[PathfinderNC]

Which country are you in? Some of my Tennessee property borders Carolina. (within a few miles) I’m in upper East TN. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s all over to be honest. Hopefully, it’s just random cases.

Anthony

Surry County

 

[Spikebuck]

Here are some quotes from various medical sources:

"CWD is similar to “mad cow disease” in cattle, scrapie in sheep, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans."

"Is Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease the same as mad cow?

CJD is not the same as mad cow disease or CWD. All three diseases are in the TSE family and can cause related illnesses and brain lesions. However, they are caused by three different prions that can be differentiated from one another in a laboratory."

"What happens if a human eats beef with mad cow disease?

People cannot get mad cow disease. But in rare cases they may get a human form of mad cow disease called variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), which is fatal. Over time, vCJD destroys the brain and spinal cord."

"Has a human ever gotten mad cow disease?

One case has now been detected in the United States. Strong evidence indicates that BSE has been transmitted to humans through the consumption of BSE-tainted beef and beef products, causing a human form of the disease known as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), which is a rare, fatal brain disorder."

"Does CWD infect people?

There is no direct evidence that CWD has ever been transmitted to humans like mad cow disease (as vCJD). However, some research shows that CWD can be transmitted to monkeys closely related to humans by feeding them meat or brain tissue from deer and elk infected with CWD. Because of this, health organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest being careful if you eat meat from animals harvested from areas where CWD has been found."

The majority of sources about CWD I have read, since it was first detected no more than 50 miles from my home in Minnesota and within a few miles of a place I hunted, agree mad cow has transmitted to humans as a variant and monkeys have gotten CWD from being fed contaminated deer/elk meat. To me it's not a great leap to assume that CWD, being from the same family of TSEs and considering mad cow transfer & mutation to vJCD in humans and/or monkeys getting CWD directly, that there is some level of risk to eating meat from a deer known to be CWD positive.

I am now in a full fledged CWD area as it has slowly spread across SE MN and is now also in Central MN, albeit at VERY low test counts. Everyone can have their deer kill tested to be sure. Testing in Minnesota is mandatory the first two days of each modern gun season.

The MN DNR's position on eating an infected deer simply refers to the CDC's position:

"...public health officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that hunters do not consume meat from animals known to be infected."

My final thought: It is well documented that the prions are spread via deer fluids, including their urine. It is also well known that symptoms do not appear for two to three years. So, how much of this spread is being caused by hunters using scents and lures based on deer fluids from farms with deer they don't know are infected? Many times this disease seemingly jumps by hundreds of miles...WAY outside the range deer travel. My contention is that one of the causes of the disease spread is via use of contaminated deer lure products. Personally, I won't use those poisons and if the entire deer lure industry went belly up I'd lose no sleep at all.

 

[necchi]

.the disease is related to Creutzfeldt-Jakob Syndrome,

Your right, stop eating all deer meat. Your the best at being safe for your family, make sure you teach your kids the same,

 

[Jaeger]

Here are some quotes from various medical sources:

"CWD is similar to “mad cow disease” in cattle, scrapie in sheep, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans."

"Is Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease the same as mad cow?

CJD is not the same as mad cow disease or CWD. All three diseases are in the TSE family and can cause related illnesses and brain lesions. However, they are caused by three different prions that can be differentiated from one another in a laboratory."

"What happens if a human eats beef with mad cow disease?

People cannot get mad cow disease. But in rare cases they may get a human form of mad cow disease called variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), which is fatal. Over time, vCJD destroys the brain and spinal cord."

"Has a human ever gotten mad cow disease?

One case has now been detected in the United States. Strong evidence indicates that BSE has been transmitted to humans through the consumption of BSE-tainted beef and beef products, causing a human form of the disease known as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), which is a rare, fatal brain disorder."

"Does CWD infect people?

There is no direct evidence that CWD has ever been transmitted to humans like mad cow disease (as vCJD). However, some research shows that CWD can be transmitted to monkeys closely related to humans by feeding them meat or brain tissue from deer and elk infected with CWD. Because of this, health organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest being careful if you eat meat from animals harvested from areas where CWD has been found."

The majority of sources about CWD I have read, since it was first detected no more than 50 miles from my home in Minnesota and within a few miles of a place I hunted, agree mad cow has transmitted to humans as a variant and monkeys have gotten CWD from being fed contaminated deer/elk meat. To me it's not a great leap to assume that CWD, being from the same family of TSEs and considering mad cow transfer & mutation to vJCD in humans and/or monkeys getting CWD directly, that there is some level of risk to eating meat from a deer known to be CWD positive.

I am now in a full fledged CWD area as it has slowly spread across SE MN and is now also in Central MN, albeit at VERY low test counts. Everyone can have their deer kill tested to be sure. Testing in Minnesota is mandatory the first two days of each modern gun season.

The MN DNR's position on eating an infected deer simply refers to the CDC's position:

"...public health officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that hunters do not consume meat from animals known to be infected."

Nicely summed up, Spike! I will continue to hunt deer in areas where CWD has not been found, but I will have any deer that I take tested. Right now it has not been found in the area of Michigan where I hunt.

 

[Wirehair]

CWD was just verified in my county, although it has already been found in surrounding counties. The genies out of the bottle and there is no way to control or reverse the spread at this time. We normally kill and eat 3-4 does each year, so we plan to have each deer tested before consumption. Since we process our own venison, we'll cut it up, identify each one according to its testing I.D. number and discard any deer coming up positive for CWD. We've been practicing quality deer management for 25 years (bucks 3 1/2 yrs or older), but CWD will probably eliminate all progress in this effort as mature bucks appear most susceptible to the disease.

 

[sturmkatze]

Two things: I have a friend who is a big time deer skater and he says there’s some good evidence that a lot of road kill has cwd. I don’t know, but it’s make some sense as it seems to be getting worse; the road kill deer I mean.

As to testing: why would one not get it done?Does it cost a lot of money? Is there something I’m missing about getting one kill tested?