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CWD Expands in PA

Pennsylvania: Game Commission Expands CWD Rules

Pennsylvanians who harvest deer anywhere in New York, Ohio, Maryland or West Virginia no longer may bring them home without first removing the carcass parts with the highest risk of transmitting chronic wasting disease (CWD).

As part of the fight to slow the spread of CWD in the Commonwealth, the Pennsylvania Game Commission has updated its executive order prohibiting the importation of high-risk deer parts into Pennsylvania.

While the order has always prohibited whole deer from being brought into Pennsylvania from most U.S. states and Canadian provinces where CWD exists, it previously permitted deer harvested in New York, Ohio, Maryland or West Virginia to be brought in, so long as the deer weren’t reported to have been harvested in any county where CWD has been detected. The updated order gives Pennsylvania’s free-ranging deer better protection, said Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans.

The previous rules didn’t provide assurance that deer harvested in CWD-positive counties within New York, Ohio, Maryland or West Virginia weren’t making their way into the Commonwealth,” Burhans said. “While the order prohibited the high-risk parts of those deer from being imported into Pennsylvania, enforcement of the order relied on out-of-state hunters being knowledgeable and honest about harvest sites.

As we’ve seen in Pennsylvania, just because CWD appears confined to a specific area, doesn’t mean it won’t turn up somewhere completely new, miles away,” Burhans said. “Tightening up this order puts teeth in the Game Commission’s ability to enforce it, allowing us to better protect our deer and elk from CWD.”

Now that the updated order has taken effect, there are a total of 24 states and two Canadian provinces from which high-risk cervid parts cannot be imported into Pennsylvania.

The parts ban affects hunters who harvest deer, elk, moose, mule deer and other cervids in: Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming; as well as the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Those harvesting cervids in the identified states and provinces must leave behind the carcass parts that have the highest risk for transmitting CWD. Those parts are: the head (including brain, tonsils, eyes and any lymph nodes); spinal cord/backbone; spleen; skull plate with attached antlers, if visible brain or spinal cord tissue is present; cape, if visible brain or spinal cord tissue is present; upper canine teeth, if root structure or other soft tissue is present; any object or article containing visible brain or spinal cord tissue; unfinished taxidermy mounts; and brain-tanned hides.

Hunters who are successful in those states and provinces from which the importation of high-risk parts into Pennsylvania is banned are allowed to import meat from any deer, elk, moose, mule deer or caribou, so long as the backbone is not present.

Successful hunters also are allowed to bring back cleaned skull plates with attached antlers, if no visible brain or spinal cord tissue is present; tanned hide or raw hide with no visible brain or spinal cord tissue present; capes, if no visible brain or spinal cord tissue is present; upper canine teeth, if no root structure or other soft tissue is present; and finished taxidermy mounts.

Pennsylvania first detected chronic wasting disease in 2012 at a captive deer facility in Adams County. The disease has since been detected in free-ranging and captive deer in parts of southcentral and northcentral Pennsylvania. To date, 104 free-ranging CWD-positive deer have been detected in Pennsylvania.

The Game Commission in late February also established its fourth Disease Management Area, DMA 4, in Lancaster, Lebanon and Berks counties in response to CWD turning up at a captive deer facility in Lancaster County.

Burhans said hunters who harvest deer, elk or moose in a state or province where CWD is known to exist should follow instructions from that state’s wildlife agency on how and where to submit the appropriate samples to have their animal tested. If, after returning to Pennsylvania, a hunter is notified that his or her harvest tested positive for CWD, the hunter is encouraged to immediately contact the Game Commission region office that serves the county in which they reside for disposal recommendations and assistance.

A list of region offices and contact information can be found at www.pgc.pa.gov by scrolling to the bottom of any page to select the “Connect with Us” tab.

First identified in 1967, CWD affects members of the cervid family, including all species of deer, elk and moose. To date, there have been no reported cases of CWD infection in people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But the disease is always fatal to the cervids it infects.

As a precaution, CDC recommends people avoid eating meat from deer and elk that look sick or that test positive for CWD.

More information on CWD can be found at CDC’s website, www.cdc.gov.

There currently is no practical way to test live animals for CWD, nor is there a vaccine. Clinical signs of CWD include poor posture, lowered head and ears, uncoordinated movement, rough-hair coat, weight loss, increased thirst, excessive drooling, and, ultimately, death.

Much more information on CWD, as well as a video showing hunters how they can process venison for transport and consumption, is available at the Game Commission’s website.

Contact:

Travis Lau 717-705-6541 [email protected]

What is going to stop live deer from walking across the roads on the borders of these states. Treerat, is that what happened near your hunting area. A few years back.

And deer farms continue business as usual.

Yeah....go figure on the deer farms, right? Wouldn't you think the places where CWD originated from should be the first place to make illegal?

Exactly, PA. The PGC complains they have zero jurisdiction since it’s a department of Agriculture issue. Fine sue them. Force them to address the problem and protect the deer herd as is PGC’s mandate.

Is there an effective test available for a hunter to have his or her deer meat tested before they consume it? If so, why doesn't the PGC advertise that testing source so hunters can get their meat tested if they so desire. I am not looking for the PGC to pay for it, but it seems that they would be doing the deer hunting community a service, by at least publicizing where you can get your venison tested if you so desire.

I bet that's what they said about the Bubonic Plague right before it swept the people from Europe.

'Pfff, way overblown.'

Still don't know anything about who does the test and whether it is reliable. I find it somewhat remarkable that the PGC as well as QDMA (which I am a longstanding member) have not published anything about the testing procedures that presently exist, who does them and whether they are reliable. It almost seems like these groups are hunkering down hoping it blows over. All of the press that I have read on the topic dances around or avoids the subject of testing almost entirely other than to say that it is being done. Do the tests that the PGC is contracting cost $100 a pop? I somewhat doubt that. But then again... Something just isn't right here...

What do you expect from politicians running a game commission?

Ya got that right RC!

I hear that washing down cooked venison with an ice cold PBR, is the only surefire way to kill the CWD. ;-)

So if I get a buck on my annual trip to Ohio I now have to basically cape it out, remove the eyes and butcher it before bringing it home? Um yeah, I will, honest I will. This is friggin dumb!

CWD is overblown? If we get it like some states, we will be wishing for the good old days soon enough. Besides, the deer farms basically started it, why not make them pay the freight for the clean up and testing.

You guys that think CWD is overblown need to go do some research. It really makes you wonder what our deer herd is going to look like in 30 years. I’m not saying this is the solution to the problem (I’d start with the deer farms for starters) but the threat is real. It’s just slow enough that it’s hard to see the progression from year to year but it will eventually snowball.

That should all be illegal anyway.

How bout this.... just let it spread and let em all die off. There's always a silver lining. Trophy hunting, poaching, trespassing, crossbows, crowded woodlots, stupid tag lotteries, etc.... all things of the past, not to mention crop damage gone, curbing the spread of Lyme disease, safer roads, lower insurance premiums, the game commission would have it made, and just think how much better it would be for the environment if the deer were comPLETEly gone. I could go on and on. Geeze, you guys make it sound like a BAD thing. Heck, dozens of species go extinct every single day. It's natural. Don't be so selfish. I ain't all about you.

CWD is a big deal, and you're beig f'ing stupid, on purpose, if you think otherwise. If you're going to ignore the PGC Executive Order on bringing the banned parts into PA, you're part of the problem and are no friend to the Sportsmen of this State, nor are you a friend to the wildlfe you claim to love.

http://cwd-info.org/faq/

http://cwd-info.org/hunting-faq/

"Little is known about how infected cervid parts may or may not contaminate the environment. Researchers have discovered, however, that prions readily adhere to various soil elements and remain infectious for many years. Therefore, it is recommended that bones and other carcass parts be double bagged in strong garbage bags and disposed of at a landfill with an approved dead animal disposal area."

This is exactly what I do with any deer, as my family & I do our own butchering. So how does it make sense for me to debone the deer in the field, and let the spinal cord, glands, tonsils, and internal organs lay there and soak into the soil? Won't that put the CWD prions directly into the soil, and contribute to it spreading to other deer in the area? If I kill a deer in any of the bordering states, what is the problem with throwing it in my pickup bed, bringing it home, butchering it, double bagging the bones, and taking it to my local landfill? Maybe I'm reading it wrong, but it sounds like they want you to not only debone your deer, but then drive the bones to a landfill that accepts animal remains to properly dispose of them...I'm sure that will be an easy task. How many landfills are open after dusk? I'm all ears.

You read at least part of it right. You can take the deer home if you live in that DMA. If you live outside that DMA you need to either take the deer to an approved butcher shop or debone it and dispose of the skeleton in an authorized dumpster.

Yes, Phil...I understand. So if I get a deer in Maryland, why can't I bring it back home here in PA, butcher it here, and dispose of the skeleton in an authorized dumpster? As long as the remains are going to a landfill, does it really matter? I live about 5 miles away from a landfill that gets trash from New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland. I have a feeling that if I kill a deer in Maryland and dispose of the skeleton in an "authorized" dumpster, it's probably going to end up right in my backyard anyway. I've never once seen a deer digging up the trash over there, so I don't think CWD is a big concern at the landfill. However, this does sound like a great deal for the approved butcher shops and taxidermists within these DMA's.

I can't answer why you aren't allowed to bring the deer home except that it's illegal. I don't know where the remains from the CWD carcasses go, maybe in the public landfills, maybe not.

I don't like this at all but this is something I believe we should trust the scientists on.

Until the PGC stands up and forces the Dept of Agriculture to shut down deer farms, I'll take what they say about CWD with a grain of salt.

Has there ever been a case where Mr. Hunter has transported an infected animal from another state and caused an outbreak? Deer Farms are the problem but they get a pass, sad.

with all that is being said by the authorities on this, why would anyone take a deer from these designated areas when it is really not known for sure whether it can or cannot be contracted by humans? Have any hunters decided to not hunt deer in these areas? Wonder how many have stopped hunting there?

I think we should ALL go there and kill ALL the deer... with AR15's, bait, drives, poison, food plots, whatever it takes. Then we go straight to the deer farms... fish in a barrel baby. Maybe then even Roy could get one.

:^)

Naw Jeff, he would miss!! Lol

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