Will you hunt deer if CWD is found in your area?

[Don K]

Re: Will you hunt deer if CWD is found in your are

I live here in Northern Illinois (and hunt) where CWD has been found. As of right now I have not changed my hunting habits. 2 weeks ago I sat in on a CWD seminar at Springfield Illinois where the head Biologist let us know whats going on. We now have 52 confirmed cases here. They offer free testing of deer during both archery and gun seasons. The turn around on the testing is alot faster now and I will get all my deer tested before I eat them. During gun season it could take a month for results but bow alot faster. I will butcher my own deer, mark the packages and then wait for the results. Right now they are using sharp shooters to thin some deer out in populated areas and also test them. They have a old house turned into a lab and do their own testing on the deer they shoot. If they come back positive they have a company come and get the carcases for inseration and disposal. If they come back clean the meat gets donated to the food banks. I learned alot about CWD during the seminar and did enjoy going.

So as i said i continue to hunt here and just get the deer tested before I eat it.

Now if I draw my Iowa tag this year i wont worry about it when im over by you people

 

[horst]

Re: Will you hunt deer if CWD is found in your are

[ QUOTE ]
I agree with the caution and common sense, but my concern is the long incubation period in which a deer could not show any signs of being infected. CWD is related to BSE (mad cow) and 143 people have died of nvCJD (The human version of mad cow disease, a very similar condition known as new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease) in England.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thats the thing Kat, how longs mad cow desiease been in the news and its killed 143 people.Colorados had CWD zones since the 1970s and theyve never had a confirmed case of it killing anyone.

People still hunted and ate game out of these areas because realy nobody knew nothing about it.They just knew alotta animals were turning up dead in areas.It didnt even become widely known till it started turning up in other areas and they finally decided to look into a little closer.

Sadly it all the way around us and probably just a matter of time before it turns up here, somewhere in Iowa.The only thing Id worry a lot about is if I took my meat to a locker and it was thrown in with other deer that you have no idea how they were handled.Ive never liked that idea though and have always cut up my own deer.I guesse what Im trying to say is if it shows up theirs not much we can do about it, except study up on it, follow a few simple guideline for dressing and butchering a deer, and getting any sickly looking deer tested.The only other alternative wuld be to quit hunting or go somewhere they dont have it.

 

[River1]

Re: Will you hunt deer if CWD is found in your are

I also think it's just a matter of time before it is found in Iowa. Hopefully they will have developed reliable field tests by that time. I can't see myself not bowhunting. It is encouraging to know there have been no links to the human disease from eating venison.

Horst makes an important point though. Most deer processors throw everyones venison together when making processed foods such as sausage etc. I'd hate to have an unnecesary exposure to infected meat. Suppose one of these days I'll start making my own sausage and other.

 

[teeroy]

Re: Will you hunt deer if CWD is found in your are

i ain't changin nothin! if deer meat is what finally kills me, then atleast i will go happy

 

[SaskGuy]

Re: Will you hunt deer if CWD is found in your are

I won't change my ways. CWD has been found all over Saskatchewan in recent years. Call me stubborn, call me whatever you wish but I believe it has been around for a hell of alot longer than I, I feel the same with mad cow disease. I think we have just become too damn smart for our own good and now we're finding all of these less thasn desirable "diseases". In my opinion, CWD was around long before we started tsting for it and will be around long after i'm dead and gone and I don't believe eating some tasty venison will be the reason I die when I do!

 

[Kat]

Re: Will you hunt deer if CWD is found in your are

I totally agree with butchering the deer yourself, which I’ve always done, as it also bothered me, the thought of my deer hanging and being butchered with a bunch of others. So I just got some books with pictures to learn how. (I wish I knew how to read…)

I also make my own sausage (breakfast, not summer) and burger and jerky too.

You’re right, the disease has been around for a while now. And I can’t see myself giving up hunting either. I guess all we can do for now is learn as much as we can and stay on top of things. I still don’t think its something to be taken lightly, but then again, neither is diet coke. I guess I’m what you would call a health nut, as I always want to know what’s going on with my food. The whole ‘my body is a temple’ thing, which is why pretty much the only meat I eat is wild, and about the only time I don’t eat organic is when we go out to eat, but that’s usually Thai or Indian. Do I have my weaknesses? Oh yeah. Dark chocolate and a good cabernet sauvignon!

 

[Kat]

Re: Will you hunt deer if CWD is found in your are

Oh, and according to all4s, drinking too much herbal tea.

 

[all4s]

Re: Will you hunt deer if CWD is found in your are

I see it's homemade granola bars with Bob Mondavi today.

Hunt on All4s

 

[Kat]

Re: Will you hunt deer if CWD is found in your are

You're killin me! How'd you know I like Bob? Hey, it's good for your heart...

Cheers!

 

[teeroy]

Re: Will you hunt deer if CWD is found in your are

bob monduvi?!?!?! cabernet sauvignon?!?!!?

english, damnit ENGLISH
that s*&t sure as hell don't sound like beer

 

[all4s]

Re: Will you hunt deer if CWD is found in your are

"All things in moderation - with a few glorious exceptions!" Robert Mondavi

Hunt on All4s

 

[JNRBRONC]

Re: Will you hunt deer if CWD is found in your are

Why would you not continue to hunt? I think one of the best ways to combat disease is to keep the population in check. If we don't hunt, then it's a mass die off (might not be such a bad thing, survival of the fittest?).

Like Kat, I used to process all my own venison. We really took our time, never cutting a bone, removing every morsel of fat and sinew. Left with nothing but red meat. Then came kids, decided we didn't want the mess in the house. We started taking deer to the locker. They are in if for speed, how many deer can we cut and wrap today. The vension quality took a real dive. The last couple of years, I've been giving deer away. I have my own "hit list" of people to call. They show up, the deer disappears, little mess. The other thing I don't like about lockers is the "community sausage" pot. You get your weight back, not YOUR deer. You took time and extra effort to take good care of your deer in the field, and it gets run through the grinder with every gut shot, found it third day of season deer. Let's see if we add 30% pork, and really spice it up.... BLECK!!

Some friends hunted a relatives property. After season, I asked how they did. Said they shot a real dandy, but the antlers pulled off as they tried to drag him out of the woods. Also commented that the hooves were sloughing. I asked them what they did with it, and was told they took it to the locker.

This year, Iowa started distributing venison to the prison system. I've wondered how long it will be before a prisoner sues the state, claiming that they have been exposed to/contracted CWD from being fed venison?

Am I worried about contracting CWD? I will still eat vension steak. Never did eat the portions they warn you not to (spine, eyes, brain, lymph nodes, etc.).