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We can stop the spread of this disease on this side of the river, but we need to act quickly. If hunters in WI don't take to the field this season to thin the herds, it will be much harder to contain, if not impossible. We really need a total kill in the infected areas. Without that, herds across the eastern part of the nation will be faced with a devistating disease that is always fatal. This is a call to action. If you don't know how to contact your Senator and House Member, go here to my page (the URL above) and click on "LINKS". If you live east of the river, and hunt; you have a vested interest in keeping this disease on the other side of the river! The USDA is the biggest road block; let's tear it down! Oooops, I mean let's tear down the road block, not the USDA! Much of what they do I respect as a former meat cutter (even if their meat grading system is totally outdated; don't ask - let's not get bogged down in side issues).

It is time for a letter writing FREEP action.

MARK A SITY

PS. To any anti-hunters here; CWD is a disease that affects the brain. Deer are some of the most skitish critters on the planet. But a deer that has an advanced case will not even run from a gun shot. It will just stand there because it has become so stupid as to not know it is in danger. Or perhaps, it is just wishing for an end to the confusion and pain? Even PETA nuts should be in favor of eliminating this threat to the herds. We can sort out our meat issues later. Although, perhaps the PETA and ALF/ELF types already have CWD? That would explain alot.

The problem is in the cerebral spinal fluid transfering prions...(thats what I've heard)
The butchers in our area are starting to refuse whole (deer) carcases and will only cut de-boned meat.
I can imagine when they are cutting up a couple of hundred deer a day...the saws are going to cut through spines sooner or later and spray the adjacent meat with infected material...
I live on the edge of the infected area...and am not going to hunt this year...as you are not allowed to inspect the meat before you have tagged it...and if it is infected will I have to pay for its disposal in a hazmat waste site....
no thanks...I may go back home and hunt north of hwy 8 but that as you say will be risky next year...and in the meantime who wants to risk CJ disease for a taste of untested venison?

I haven't researched this in a while, but about two years ago, I read a lot about it, and this is what I recall:
- CWD was discovered as early as the mid-60's in the West, in penned stock (elk).

- Over most of the 35 years the number of confirmed cases remained very small. The recent increase might just be due to better detection, more testing, and increased awareness.

- the disease is protein related, simply killing the infected animals will not 'cure' an area. In the earliest instances, even after the infected stock were gone for over six months, new stock in the same pens developed the disease.

- at some point (in Idaho, Colorado, I think), testing was required at hunter check-in stations.

- The specific strain infecting Elk was thought to not be easily transferred to whitetail or muledeer (I forget why they said that), but there were cases.

- AT THAT TIME, no human had ever caught the disease by eating infected meat. Even in England, the people infected were rose gardeners who had been handling bone meal from infected cattle.

I think testing should be mandatory and openly provided by whomever - vets, state P&W/F&G, etc. at cost. I also think they should institute strict controls on the tranfer of penned stock (since this is where CWD is most common).

I am not aware of any cases in Texas, although I have tuned out for a while. Many ranches do import/transfer penned stock as part of their wildlife management program. Texas needs to very tightly control/monitor that, or we will end up with infected deer in the Texas wild.

I understand that in Illinois all deer checked in are tested.

I buy elk from a ranch in western Illinois, They are tested when they are killed.

Illinois is not allowing ranches to import any new animals (deer or elk), but deer cross the mississippi sometimes, and wild elk have been sighted in some of the state's larger parks.

Thanks for the post. Very informative and I agree political pressure needs to be applied to the USDA on access to testing.

I'm not a deer hunter (varmit hunter only) but support those who like to hunt deer.

Any suggestions on where to go in northern KY for wild pigs?

I live in Lexington, KY (roughly the geographic center of the state) but cannot direct you to any locations in Kentucky where you can hunt pigs. However, there are places in Tennessee that specialize in pig (boar) hunting. Look in the American Rifleman magazine for ads. Hope this is helpful.