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A note to bowsiters

I know some people think I may have been arrogant and sarcastic on the deer farm thread. The answer to that is yes and yes.

The reason is I want everyone to be 100% informed about deer farms and CWD. My foremost goal is to help protect wild deer and bowhunting as well as hunting in general for deer.

I'm 57, and at some point, whether in my lifetime or the next generation we or our children or grandchildren are going to have to face CWD and make a decision. That decision will be whether or not the deer we kill is safe to eat. Just this week the citizens of a county in NW PA are having to answer that for themselves. With the growth of deer farms and transportation I feel that question will become more frequent. That has been the history before, and short of new testing and/or treatment I don't see any reason for it to change.

While there can be debates about the ethics of high fence hunting, this is definately related, but a different question.

If CWD pops up in the area you hunt are you going to feel comfortable eating deer meat? Are you going to feel comfortable feeding it to your family. Are people that you give deer to going to continue to want it? Is The Hunters for the Hungary going to be able to continue with a risk of CWD? Do you want your deer tested, and if you do who is going to pay for it?

Is the next generation of hunters going to continue to hunt for an animal they can't eat? If they don't are states going to have to hire people to just kill deer for population control? Who is going to pay for that?

While we think of ourselves as born with hunting in our blood and that it's our heritage, the government only really thinks of us as a tool to manage animal populations, the fact that we pay for that privlege is a side benefit to the government.

As we all know hunters make up about 10% of our population, antihunters about 10%, and the nonhunting population about 80%. Whether we like it or not , that 80% really control our ability to legally hunt. A big part of that 80% being "ok" with hunting is that they are ok with killing an animal to eat. What if we don't or aren't able to safely eat the animal we kill, are they still going to be "ok" with killing an animal for sport? If history is an indication, the answer is going to be no, as seen by the outlawing of bear and mountain lion hunting outright, or severely regulating it more. That is because most people look at bear and cat hunting more of a sport than hunting for meat.

Again, that is what I am trying to do . I don't even know what I'll do if or when I will be forced to deal with it. While I don't mind killing deer to eat or give away, I don't like the idea of killing a lot of animals just to throw them away. That issue presents another question, what do you do with a deer you don't know is infected or not? Do you leave it in the woods?, do you burn it?, do you bury it?. I don't know the answer, but common sense with other potentially infectious dead animal dictates you just don't leave them lying around. Who is going to feel like killing a deer then having to dig a hole with a back-hoe to bury it?

This is a serious issue that may determine our hunting future , and our children's future as hunters. We need to do what we can to stop the expansion of deer farms or at least try and slow it down at least until we learn more about prions or reliable blood testing can be developed. This is not some scare tactic, this is the reality and we need to deal with it. Talk to your family, friends, business leaders , and House and Senate representatives to let them know your feelings and to see what their feelings are and why.

I don't profess to know the answers to all the questions, or any of them for that matter, but I do know there are tons of questions. I don't know how the hunters in our CWD containment zone is dealing with it. I do know the DNR is staffing and testing up there and it can't be cheap. What if we had 8 or 10 zones? Do we really want our DNR to fund the staffing and testing for that? Somebody has to and I bet it's not the deer farmers.

Thank You for your time

I killed a sick deer several years ago. The DNR had me bring it to a biologist for testing. They never did me what was wrong with the deer. I think CWD is more prevalent than they let on. If the word gets out that more counties are infected then imagine what that would do to deer tag sales and population control. Hunters then wouldnt hunt for meat but just a set of horns on a deer they are not going to consume.

It may be more prevalent than we know. I don't believe the DNR would try to cover it up though. CWD is a a disease that has to be reported to the CDC. They have a division that deals with CWD. If you pull up their web site for CWD it has a lot of info. It breaks down into counties throughout the U.S. that it has been reported in. Because of the CDC and the potential for human transmission there is no way the DNR couldn't report it even if it may cost them money

gobbler, you are not alone. deer farms are not right, ethically or otherwise. they exist for people's vanity. wild game, not fenced, without exception.

Well don't stop at deer farms guys. Go a head and include Turkey Farms, Horse Farms, Chicken Farms, and ect. After all they were all wild at one time and could spread who knows

I read that thread. I must say I agree with you on the position you take. It is sound, smart reasoning concerning deer farming. At the same time is was obvious your very passionate about your feelings. No harm in that.

What I don't understand is your continued insistence that History will repeat itself. While I agree with that assessment 100% in all situations if things are done the same way, I point out you dismiss similar threats that pose just as big a threat to long term hunting in this state by suggesting that isn't always the case.

Anyways, I'm with you on protecting our heritage, our hunting, and the future of them both. And I believe you have pretty much summed up why you are right to feel the way you do about deer farms. God Bless

I don't think they spread CWD. Besides they are for eating not hunting.

You could be right JR. In a couple years we all might be eating Kentucky Fried Deer, of taking our kids to McDonalds for a deer burger happy meal complete with a toy deer with really big antlers.

I agree, turn the horses and chickens loose as well. one horse can feed a family in New York for 1 year Ill bet....

I meant the chicken and turkeys. There is a big difference in raiding food than horns IMO

Well on a good note. My wife made a homemade Pizza with deer meat and it was really good. Dang hope Pizza Hut don't read this they might steal her idea.

I heard that a small group of people from the coal counties have been going to one of the Amish deer farms in Ohio to collect some of those big bucks. They even get to pick out which one they want before they go. Funny thing is they can't bring back any meat. Something about the meat not being safe for humans to eat.

You mean I can put my order in for a big buck?

Of course. You can get on a website and pick it out now or wait to see how it looks in summer. They will even send you pictures every week or two so you can see how it's growing.

If you're busy or have a conflicting golf game you can probably arrange for them to kill it and ship you the antlers and cape if you want.

Wow. I don't play golf but I may be busy hunting those wild spikes in Pendleton county. At least they are wild. I wonder how many deer are killed like that?

Gobbler are you against Coal also. Sounds like it.

No, I love coal. I like the electricity. I grew up in a coal mining town, coal is what kept us warm during the winter. Coal pays the bills and supports the local economy in much of Southern WV as well as a number of northern counties. Plus it helps us to become more energy independent so we don't have to depend as much on OPEC.

Reclaimed strips make excellent deer, bear, turkey, grouse and rabbit habitat. Hopefully, in the near future it will be great elk habitat as it has in KY.

So no, I am not against coal. What does coal have to do with deer farms anyway?

So your ok with moving Elk across State lines. HMMMM

They are doing it themselves anyway. Kentucky's herd is considered by state wildlife agencies to be one of, if not the safest in North America. That's why Missouri, Virginia, and Wisconsin has or is getting elk from Kentucky. Before Maryland decided not to proceed with an elk stocking program it was going to use Kentucky as a source for its herd. If the leading biologists in the nation on elk reintroduction, as well as the Rocky Mt. Elk Foundation support using Kentucky elk with the testing and quarantine policies they have in place. Then, yes, I'm ok with it. It sure sounds better than a guy in Ohio transporting untested deer with forged paperwork across state lines.

I've answered your question. In fact I think I've answered most every question, but you continue to avoid mine. For starters, what does coal have to do with deer farms?

http://www.deerfarms.com/ky.shtml Here you go checkout all the Deer and Elk farms in KY. Remember you said the leading biologists said it was SAFE to cross state lines. As far as coal goes in your above post it appeared you were saying coal was bad, or the people from coal counties. Saying what you heard someone done dose not help anyone.

No one was speaking about deer and elk farms in KY.

The elk at the land between the lakes in KY came from Elk Island, Alberta which is the most disease free herd in North America.

If you thought I was being derogatory about people in the coalfields you have to have the most vivid imagination I've ever seen. I'm a product of the coalfields and sometimes joke about being from the coalfields, I'm proud of being from there.

I never got that gobbler was bad mounting the coal fields. I hsve read it 3 times.

I know everybody is sick of reading about this topic. I.m sick of typing about it for now.

I started this thread, so I'm signing off on it.

One last bit of news before I go.

The State of Iowa has just confirmed and reported its first case ever of CWD. It was from a deer in Allamake county, which is in the NE part of the state. It was from a buck killed during shotgun season. As a last note, Allamake is one of the top, if not the top producer of Pope and Young as well as Boone and Crokett in the state of Iowa. That is the cream of the creme as far as producing wild whitetail trophy deer. Allamake county is just across the river from Wisconsin. I wonder where it came from?

The WV DNR probably traded a Hampshire county deer in exchange for some rattlesnakes or copperheads. :)

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