I am pretty bummed about it. Been on my mind all week as this one is getting close to home. I am quite anxious what the future holds at this disease. I am pissed at our State and Federal governments for not regulating deer farms better when it is clear and has been clear for 20+ years that they are the transmission mechanism.
This isn't regulation for the sake of BS regulating, it's protecting an invaluable wild resource. This disease ever jumps the species barrier (or should I say when?), hunting as we know it is forever changed (and note that not one single medical entity has said that is impossible, just that it has not happened YET).
Even if it doesn't, just being this close to where I hunt now is a game changer for me. I have a 1 year old daughter, am I going to pay $80/deer to get my meat tested before I feed her venison? That's another $160 a year for my two deer, a significant chunk of my hunting budget.
Having researched these TSE's pretty extensively and particular the transmission of scrapie-BSE-vCJD, I don't think I can give her my deer burger anymore without the test. Not to mention these butchers that batch a bunch of meat together for burger/sausage. Thank god I cut up my own. Perfectly healthy deer can carry prions and we all know how far deer can travel.
That's not even touching the deer/hunting management conundrum that is now on the PGC's plate. Personally, having read the research I don't believe eradication is the answer. I am on board with the localized sharpshooter approach, but it has a couple red flags to me too, namely the consequences of baiting and cost. Based on infection rates out West where it's been for decades, I think our best hope is that nature figures this one out on her own. I am more concerned about the potential human impact. I do love my venison.
Yeah, I've never been a fan of these captive deer farms. Now I REALLY don't like 'em! Just another case of what can happen when man tries to mess with "mother nature"! ;-)
