CWD In Ks
Contributors to this thread:Kansas
From: KsRancher
25-Dec-18
My brother and I made a trip out west on Thanksgiving day and both got a mule deer buck. Had them tested for CWD. Both are positive. Wondering if anyone else mule deer hunting Ks. gets it tested and if so, any positives. Not looking for a debate on it, just wondering how may test their deer and if any came back positive?
From: Slate
25-Dec-18
Dam that sucks
From: goldtip5575
25-Dec-18
What county were they harvested in?
From: writer
25-Dec-18
Yes, what area, please?
From: sitO
26-Dec-18
I noticed the state "CWD maps" stopped coming out, or being updated last year Mike...or at least I can't find the most recent? I know it's always been a very small sample, but it gave us somewhat of an idea where the "positive's" were being identified.
Did you or your brother eat any of the meat Rusty?
From: Thornton
26-Dec-18
What's wrong with eating it?
From: leftee
26-Dec-18
Has the commission ever addressed ‘baiting’ in the context of CWD? Did a search but didn’t find anything.See Tennessee banned ‘feeding’ at least in part from a thread in the main forum. Haven’t done the research but my intuition suggests feeding(baiting)sites could be a problem.
From: MDW
26-Dec-18
I had always heard that if one boned out the meat and didn't cut into the spinal column or brain tissue, the meat was okay to eat. Is there proof that states otherwise?
iIseriously doubt if many folks would get animals tested, as long as they appeared healthy.
From: HoytZinger
26-Dec-18
Did the deer seem healthy when they were harvested?
From: KsRancher
26-Dec-18
Both deer seemed to be normal. And were in good body shape. We didn't eat any of the meat, hauled it to the local landfill. They were shot about 6 miles apart. I don't know much about it, but in all the years hunting out west I have never seen a deer bone/carcass. So either there aren't many dieing from it or I just haven't came across the bones. And I haven't even seen a sick looking deer.
From: KsRancher
26-Dec-18
My brother's
My brother's
From: KsRancher
26-Dec-18
Mine
Mine
From: Matt Palmquist
26-Dec-18
Congrats Rusty on the deer...sorry about the CWD. From what I have read or heard from those that study it there isn't any proof that eating the meat is harmful, but there isn't proof that it isn't either. There could always be a first.
What county were you in? I can likely guess, but curious.
Matt
From: Thornton
26-Dec-18
This whole CWD scare is stupid craziness. I've talked to outfitters in northern Colorado that said it's always been there and it never affected anyone.
From: sitO
26-Dec-18
Do you think they said the same thing about CJD at the turn of the century Jason? To take a chance...knowing the animal tested positive... would in fact be "stupid craziness" imo.
My buddy and I both shot bull Elk in 2007 in NW CO, and had them tested...both were negative thankfully.
From: Matt Palmquist
26-Dec-18
I don't know many people out here that test them though. The ones that make it to the taxidermist may get sent in due to a request from the state, but that is a small percentage. Point is, you can bet there is plenty of CWD positive meat consumed each year in NW KS alone, not to mention nation wide.
From: sitO
26-Dec-18
I would agree with that Matt, and I don't claim to know any more about CWD or CJD than anyone. I do know that I wouldn't take that chance if I could keep from it.
From: goldtip5575
26-Dec-18
The most up to date map.
From: goldtip5575
26-Dec-18
Is it safe to eat?
Here's a link to the article: http://northernwilds.com/osterholm-sees-human-health-risk-in-cwd/?fbclid=IwAR0vCiBXSzfinEpFwPUmdqhZqtN8jTZ8EUwBurYX2wM3cuz7uBW2G7SFJfo
From: Matt Palmquist
26-Dec-18
Michael shared that on FB as well...not sure I posted it, but articles like that are going to give more people the excuse they need to not clean a deer in a CWD county. They will get dumped imo more regularly than they already are:(
From: KsRancher
26-Dec-18
Both of our deer were shot on WIHA. My deer was 1.5 miles from truck, so we boned it out and left carcass at kill site. My brother's deer was only 1/4 mile from pickup, so we drug it to truck. And because of CWD, we hauled his carcass to our local landfill. After test came back positive, we hauled all meat to our local landfill. That's what was recommended for disposal, by the lab. I am sure there are 1000's of CWD eaten every year all over the US. There was an article on here a while back about how many they estimated were eaten in one of those states up around the great lakes. I don't remember which state, but they estimated 1000's were consumed. But for me, NOPE. Not going to eat it. I have shitty luck in life the way it is, don't need to be patient #1
From: Matt Palmquist
26-Dec-18
I am not recommending eating it after you know it tests positive btw:) My concern is if these articles keep coming out about the reasons NOT to consume deer meat and the 'what ifs' that it could lead to some things we don't want to see. One would be to manage for it by killing WAY more deer. I.E. multiple buck tags, etc. Wipe them out. Two would be what I mention above, people will still hunt and just won't eat deer anymore. Lastly, people will just quit hunting deer as it isn't worth the hassle. Could be construed as a positive, but big picture it is not for the future of hunting.
My question is does not eating the meat eliminate the risk? The way I understood from a friend that studied CWD in college the CWD prions are everywhere. Meaning, if you caped the deer, processed, etc you have already been exposed to CWD Prions. Likely some were ingested. I may have misunderstood so please correct me if so.
I don't think anyone has the answers to CWD yet. It is interesting and scary at the same time on what CWD will mean for deer hunting in the future.
From: Thornton
26-Dec-18
Take a course in microbiology and you'll want to never eat at a public place again. So far, nobody has contracted CWD even after thousands of infected animals were eaten. Yet we continue to eat bear and wild hog, both of which carry trichanosis. I've seen patients that had this, and the parasite made its way to their brain and there is no cure but a long, slow death.
From: KB
26-Dec-18
I’m with Matt. The speculation scare tactics aren’t doing anyone any good. It’s going to give some folks a moral free pass, if you will, to cut a head off and let them lay in high density areas instead of going through with the testing process. Meanwhile they might be coming into contact with far more prions by severing the skull or skull capping and exposing brain matter than simply eating some burger off the hind end. If you’re that scared of it, steer clear of positive areas... If CWD gets me before the tobacco, alcohol, cheeseburgers, tens of thousands of miles on the road every year and a fairly dangerous occupation, you guys can give me an “I told you so.” :)
From: leftee
26-Dec-18
Over the course of my season in SE Ks this year i’ve seen 2 deer that concerned me.A doe and then recently a nubbin buck both of which had swollen areas or growths on one cheek and both had some drooling.Not sure but could be CWD.Good to see the Map posted above.
From: Catscratch
26-Dec-18
Leftee, that could have been "lumpy jaw". Arterial worms can cause it.
From: Thornton
26-Dec-18
I agree, it was probably lumpy jaw. I had a dog once that wasted away and the vet couldn't figure out why. After he passed, I figured out years later he probably had myasthenia gravis, a neurological disorder that makes the muscle waste away. Many guys on here will die from coronary artery disease caused by poor genetics or poor lifestyle and eating habits.
From: Zmax
26-Dec-18
The state does not guarantee that the meat of any game animal will be edible.. there is already plenty of hunters who kill deer or other game with no intention of eating it. Many donate to a "hunters feeding the hungry" program... how much if any of those animals are tested? How is the test performed?
From: One Arrow
26-Dec-18
That brings up a good point zmax. Who is going to be held liable for donated meat that CWD positive?
From: leftee
26-Dec-18
K,thanks.
From: Thornton
26-Dec-18
It's always been alarming to me how many "hunters" never intended to eat their deer in the first place, or the waterfowlers that throw away their ducks and geese
From: One Arrow
26-Dec-18
We eat between 2 and 3 deer a year. We kill more than that... we donate as much as we can. A lot of it stays local. I’ve given away deer to families willing to process the animal themselves... didn’t have a pot to piss in.
My dad loves to hunt, but mom won’t cook deer meat, although they both eat it all the time at my house. They donate what he kills if we don’t want it... don’t see a problem with it at all, not wasted. But I would have to reconsider the donation of meat if the hunter that donates it could be held liable. I’d probably quit buying doe tags.
From: Antlerhunter
27-Dec-18
Why only doe tags?
From: Catscratch
27-Dec-18
Thornton, I can't think of anyone I know that doesn't eat the deer/ducks/geese that they shoot. Is it more common to do that than I know?
From: One Arrow
27-Dec-18
Because I’m an Antlerhunter
From: One Arrow
27-Dec-18
Joking of course.
If the person who donates meat would be liable for said meat then my family would be eating the deer we killed and would no longer donate meat. We’ve donated a lot and would love to continue to do so.
Depending on how this all plays out...
I have 3 people in my family that hunts... and we will be aiming to kill bucks, because we want to. Obviously the tag would not go unfilled, and we would be happy with a big fat doe later in the season as we still rely on deer meat for most of our meals.
We kill a lot of does, but I’m not going to start shooting does and leave them lay in the field.
From: MDW
27-Dec-18
Since I don't feel like looking it up now, "How do you folks go about testing'?
Send it off, "How long to get results back"?
By the way, I have meat from four different deer in my freezer right now.
From: TwoDogs@work
27-Dec-18
I am single and aim to get three deer a year. I have them gone by early summer. I am not going to worry about CWD at this point in my life. I do not have that many years left to hunt and I am going to do so as long as I am physically able. I also fish a lot hunt upland birds. I only hunt what I like to eat. Thus I do not hunt waterfowl. I buy very little meat in the store.
From: cherney12
27-Dec-18
I’m no scientist but I would guess this applies to deer with CWD as well. Meat is fine.
From: Thornton
27-Dec-18
Catscratch- it is more common than you think, especially with goose guides whose clients leave their birds behind. My parents always taught me not to kill more than I could eat. Mom grew up in a dirt floor house and dad survived the Great Depression. Unfortunately, the newer generation has been raised with too much and all they care about is killing. In the few years I had more geese than we could eat, I would boil them for the dogs at least.
