Weekly Prepper Thread

Hello Folks, this thread is either way late of very early [depending on how you look at it] . I have been getting notices from the State of Missouri Dept. of Conservation, about the deer population/s within our state. In one of our earlier discussions I brought up the subject of problems in prepping & food sourcing, like this. Here are a couple of the email I got;

The discovery this spring of 86 cases of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in northern Arkansas has led the Missouri Department of Conservation to increase sample collection for testing of the disease. This 10-point buck and other deer in the state are at greater risk for the spread of disease due to the drought. (photo credit, Noppadol Paothong)

This 10-point buck and other deer in the state are at greater risk for the spread of disease due to the drought. (photo credit, Noppadol Paothong)

CWD is a disease that is spread from deer to deer and is fatal to all deer it infects. This neurological disease infects only deer and other members of the cervid family by causing degeneration of brain tissue.

As has been MDC’s procedure since Missouri’s first positive CWD case was confirmed in 2010, the agency has increased sample collecting and surveillance around areas where the disease has been found. A focus area of 50 miles from Arkansas’ CWD positive tests has been established. This consists of the Missouri counties of Barry, Christian, Douglas, Ozark, Stone and Taney. Since mid-spring, MDC staff has increased efforts in these counties to collect samples from sick and road-killed deer to test for CWD.

It’s important to note that, though the current effort represents sample collecting of a greater magnitude in southern Missouri, this isn’t the first time samples have been collected in this part of the state. Since 2002, MDC has conducted statewide vigilance for the disease in accordance with its CWD surveillance and management plan. In addition to this watchfulness across the state, MDC has periodically intensified sample collection in some parts of Missouri, either on a rotational basis to make sure all parts of the state are being tested or because the detection of a positive case has warranted increased focus on a particular area.

MDC’s current statewide surveillance (“statewide” being defined as meaning outside of counties that have already been established as CWD Management Zone focus counties) concentrates on one-half of the state each year. For the 2015-2016 deer hunting seasons, MDC’s focus was on southern Missouri. Most of these samples came from hunter-harvested deer and were collected by cooperating taxidermists.

To date, more than 51,000 deer have been tested for CWD in Missouri. A total of 27 cases of the disease have been confirmed in the state. These have been found in the northeast, central and east-central portions of the state. At present, no animals collected from southern Missouri have tested positive for CWD.

MDC is maintaining close contact with Arkansas Game and Fish personnel to monitor findings and collaboratively interpret what this means for our state.

As always, MDC appreciates assistance from the public. Anyone who sees a deer portraying signs of illness or abnormal behavior is encouraged to call their local MDC office or contact the county’s conservation agent. The more details callers can provide (gender of animal, location, etc.), the better the deer can be located and the situation assessed.

More information can be obtained by calling MDC’s Southwest Regional Office in Springfield, (417) 895-6880 or MDC’s Ozark Regional Office in West Plains, (417) 256-7161. Information on CWD can also be found at mdc.mo.gov.

MDC reminds public to not feed deer in CWD counties Regulation banning feeding deer in 29 counties starts May 30. JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reminds landowners, deer hunters, and others that a regulation banning the feeding of deer becomes effective on May 30 for 29 counties in north-central, central, and east-central Missouri.Grain, salt products, minerals, and other consumable products used to attract deer are now prohibited year-round in the following 29 counties: Adair, Boone, Callaway, Carroll, Chariton, Crawford, Cole, Cooper, Franklin, Gasconade, Jefferson, Knox, Linn, Livingston, Macon, Miller, Moniteau, Morgan, Osage, Putnam, St. Charles, St. Louis, Randolph, Schuyler, Scotland, Shelby, Sullivan, Washington, and Warren. Exceptions to the regulation include feeding wildlife within 100 feet of any residence or occupied building, feed placed in a manner that excludes access by deer, and feed and minerals used solely for normal agricultural, forest management, or wildlife food-plot-production practices. The feeding ban is one step MDC is taking to limit the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), a fatal neurological disease that infects only deer and other members of the deer family. The disease has no vaccine or cure and is 100-percent fatal. CWD is spread from deer to deer and the potential for transmission increases when deer gather in larger, concentrated numbers, such as at feeding sites. The 29 counties affected by the feeding ban comprise the Department’s CWD Management Zone. The zone consists of counties within or that touch a radius of approximately 25 miles from where CWD has been found. According to MDC, 33 free-ranging deer in Missouri have tested positive for the disease with 21 found in Macon County, 9 in Adair, one in Cole, one in Franklin, and one in Linn. Other MDC actions to limit the spread of CWD The ban on feeding deer is one of several actions MDC is taking to help limit the spread of CWD. MDC also collects tissue samples from several thousand harvested, sick, and road-killed wild deer around the state each year to test for CWD. The sampling efforts focus both on areas where CWD has been found and on broader, statewide testing. The Department will increase its CWD sampling and testing efforts in north-central, central, and east-central Missouri this fall by requiring hunters who harvest deer in one of the 29 CWD-Management-Zone counties during the opening weekend of the fall firearms deer season (Nov. 12 and 13) to present their deer (or the head with at least six inches of the neck intact) for CWD testing at one of 75 MDC sampling locations on the day of harvest. The testing is free and hunters can also get free test results. Sampling locations will be listed in the Department’s 2016 Fall Deer & Turkey Hunting Regulations and Information booklet and online at mdc.mo.gov. MDC has also removed the antler-point restriction in all CWD-Management-Zone counties starting this fall so young bucks are no longer protected from harvest. Young bucks can potentially spread the disease to new areas as they search for territories and mates. The Department has also increased the availability of firearms antlerless permits from 1 to 2 in all CWD-Management-Zone counties starting this fall to help prevent undesired population increases in local deer numbers. MDC also strongly discourages the removal of deer carcasses from CWD-Management-Zone counties. Moving carcasses of potentially infected deer out of the immediate area where they were harvested and improperly disposing of them can also spread the disease. Certain carcass parts, such as boned out meat, are okay to move because the protein that causes CWD is not concentrated in these parts. Learn more about CWD at mdc.mo.gov/CWD. MDC reminds landowners, deer hunters, and others that a regulation banning the feeding of deer becomes effective on May 30 in the shaded counties of the CWD Management Zone. And to include this about wild swine;

State destroys 100 hogs on Mid-Missouri farm Ag officials suspect herd infected with pseudorabies May 12th, 2016 by Jenny Gray in Local News Read Time: 2 mins.

About 100 hogs were destroyed recently at a Callaway County farm, suspected of contracting a disease known as pseudorabies.

The disease was most likely contracted from feral hogs, according to a statement emailed by Sarah Alsager, public information officer with the Missouri Department of Agriculture. It is a disease of the central nervous system that causes convulsions and intense itching, and is usually fatal.

Alsager stated department officials discovered a positive result for pseudorabies when testing feral hogs in the area in which the farm is located.

"As part of the department's disease surveillance for pseudorabies and brucellosis, feral swine are routinely tested. When MDA is informed of positive results, we conduct an investigation to identify any at-risk swine within a one- to two-mile radius of the captured feral swine," she said in the email. "At-risk swine herds are tested and appropriate actions are taken, which may include re-testing a herd (if there are not any indications of disease) or depopulating a herd (if re-testing is not an option or animals are exhibiting clinical signs of disease)."

"The department was notified of a positive result and identified an at-risk swine herd within the area of the feral swine that was captured," she said in the email statement. "A group from the herd was tested and determined to be serologically positive for pseudorabies. Due to the nature and exposure of the operation, a decision was made to respond proactively and depopulate the herd."

She also said a producer receives payment based on the current market price if his herd is depopulated.

Anyone seeing feral hogs on public or private property may report them to the Missouri Department of Conservation by calling 573-522-4115, ext. 3296 or online at http://on.mo.gov/1VUbzY5.

Feral hogs also may be reported to the Missouri Department of Agriculture State Veterinarian's office at 573-751-3377.

Adult feral hogs average about 110 to 130 pounds, but they can weigh up to 400 pounds. They stand about 3 feet tall and can grow up to 5 feet in length. Their color varies from solid black, brown, white or red to spotted or belted blends. Their tracks are similar to deer tracks but with more rounded toes.

Females gestate about 115 days and average two litters per year, six per litter, at any time of the year. Their population can double every four months. they can lived court to five years on average and up to eight years with no natural predators in Missouri.

Females and their young travel in family groups called sounders, while the males, or boars, are generally solitary. Feral hogs are omnivorous, meaning they will eat almost anything from grain to carrion.

This is why I have stated that you need to check with your state dept of conservation. Not to mention that every half-wit will be out there trying to "bag" something for their family to eat & NOT knowing or understanding what is going on around them. And fishing will be just as bad, because some MORON will be out there with explosives or some other durned fool devices trying to feed their family and NOT caring the damage that they are doing to the environment & everyone else out there trying to take care of their families. This is where our local prepper communities are going to have to band together in order to survive, the upcoming/on going collapse of civilization as we knew it.

You’re lucky to have a group.

I’m in a semi-rural area, but none of my nearby neighbors are preppers.

I don’t remember if I’ve mentioned this before, but there’s a book called “The Knowledge” by Lewis Dartnell. I highly recommend it for any prepper! It contains enough information to take a society from the stone age to the pre-nuclear era in a single generation.

Even if you never need to use it, the information contained is fascinating enough to be worth reading just for fun.

Thanks for the post. Do you know if this disease renders the deer unfit for human consumption?

I reside in one of the most low economic areas in rural Missouri, and we have a lot of families that depend on the deer they hunt and kill to feed their families.

” Thanks for the post. Do you know if this disease renders the deer unfit for human consumption? “

I am unsure about human consumption.
The best source would be your State DNR (Division of Natural Resources) , or State DEC (Dept. Environmental Conservation).

What concerns me is that many Preppers figure they can sustain themselves and their families by hunting game.
With the increase of diseases in wildlife, that seems less likely a possibility, or at least, a concern for all hunters and sportsmen.
I was truly surprised by the number of diseases and wildlife affected, since some of these are transmissible to adjoining areas.
Wildlife does NOT respect State borders, so there could be over-flow .

T I K

I myself, have always felt that growing one’s own food is the only way to go. Raising a few animals along with a garden is good, if one can manage it.

As with any preparation, having several plans is better than one or none.

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