fischnrod
Well-known member
What is this disease TWRA is talking about in middle Tennessee (Chronic Wasting Disease) ?
jb366 - 12/21/2018 11:30 AM
It's pretty much mad cow disease for deer and elk. The "prion" that causes the disease is pretty much indestructable and is spread deer to deer through saliva, feces, and urine. It can also be spread into the ground by nervous tissue. Say you killed a buck in west tn, then brought the head home to the other side of the state and buried it in the back yard to decompose the tissue to do a european mount. That would contaminate the soil with the prions and it can from there be picked up and spread around your neck of the woods.
So far TWRA's response plan is to mow down the deer population to limit the deer to deer spread. They're going to open up the 2 counties they've found CWD positive deer through Jan 31st with an unlimited bag limit on does and I'd imagine professional "hunters" will be busy out there this spring and summer.
My concern is they only tested for CWD at select processors on opening weekend of rifle season. Just how many deer do you think have been killed in the "infected" area and transported to other parts of the state this year?
Tn bullet - 12/21/2018 1:46 PM
Agree and disagree states like Illinois have a zero tolerance for supplemental feeding and zero mineral licks yet they have the disease all over. Go a state south to ky where you can hunt over feeders corn piles and mineral licks and you have it. Go to Tn where you can’t hunt over any of that but can use it the deer have it. I don’t think that the deer know where the state lines are and I believe it spreads no mater what we do. Kinda like the Asian carp they will spread just like the cwd is spreading. I don’t know if there is an answer to how to stop it but it’s not just based on feeding