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CWD results from mandatory testing

At the February meeting of Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission there was a chronic wasting disease testing update provided to the commission by CPW staff. If you have time to listen in, the information starts about 25 minutes into the presentation. No licensing changes were proposed or enacted at this meeting. It was primarily an informational update on testing results from 2017. There is discouraging news, and lessons are being learned as CPW determines how to scientifically manage disease prevalence. The D7 deer herd which had population estimates of 100,000 animals not to far back is down to 30,000, a 70% decline. I am not saying the decline is from CWD, there have been big time winter loss and other factors.

In addition to the decline, mandatory testing is revealing what once was a small 1.5% prevalence of CWD(2003) in that herd is now 15% in a short time span, with hot spots of prevalence of 25% in certain GMU's.

The good news is the red feather herd prevalence has decreased down to 5%.

One takeaway I had after the presentation is hunting is a critical tool in managing wildlife disease. See the link at about 25 minutes in for the presentation

Interesting that the Red Feather area herd is adjacent to the core endemic "hotspot" and yet for some reason the prevalence is decreasing? Might lend credence to the theory of a natural resistance in some individuals, which may be passed on genetically..

Seems that CPW's concept is to significantly reduce the herd numbers. Not sure that concept is working for control of CWD.

Where is the "D7" deer herd and where are the high CWD areas? Thanks Ray

They show a map in the video. D7 looked like it was the flatops heading west. they list the units, I think it was 12,13, 211 had over 25% prevalence, expected to increase. Red feather was 17%, now 5.5% for the last 6 years.

I shot a deer in 13 this year and it didn't have it.

How do they expect out-of-staters to comply with the mandatory testing given the hours of the submission sites?

^^^^ Shoot a doe

It was pretty easy HiMtnHnter. Shot the deer around 10am. Had it out to the truck by noon and over to Steamboat to the CPW by 12:45 and she took out the glands. Easy to comply with.

Guess if they're open when you come through, it's easy.

They were open 7 days a week from 8-5 during the season I hunted. So it's pretty easy. I guess if you don't think you can comply with it then don't shoot. So in essence the non-resident probably should stop hunting Sunday around noon if they are catching a plane in Denver Monday morning. But maybe someone could turn the head in for you Monday morning. They don't keep the head. All they do is cut out a few glands.

It should be self-submissions 24/7.

Self submission would be tough. Would there be a refrigerator just hanging out in some parking lot? The trained CPW employee getting the glands out of my deer's head kept apologizing because they were having a difficult time finding them. So unless you have master's degree in anatomy of animals or biology the average hunter would not be able to handle this at a self serve station.

Guess we could just keep going around on this. I know of a few submission sites in the past (last year) that weren't even open on Sunday, and only until 11 am on Saturday. That makes it tough for the traveling hunter. Just sayin...

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