Hey Hunters! Serious concern with CWD!!!

[Mackeyser]

CWD or Chronic Wasting Disease is a similar disease to Mad Cow in how it functions.

it is decimating deer (white tail and mule) as well as Moose, Elk and Caribou (reindeer).

There is tremendous concern that because it is transmitted with saliva, blood and/or urine that it will make the leap to humans if it hasn't already.

Moreover, with it being found both in captive and wild populations in 25 states and 2 provinces in Canada, there are serious questions about how it could be contained.

Norway did a "stamp out" in which they killed every reindeer in a herd (some 2400) and then closed off the area to any reindeer for 5 years. This because the prions (a protein called Pree-ahn) that cause the disease, unlike the normal ones we all make that last 4-6 hours, these can last for decades with incubation periods once ingested up to 40 years.

The scary part, and I've now read this from two independent sources, is that like Mad Cow and Scrapies, there is a period where the animal is technically positive and likely putting out these "tainted" prions while not putting out enough to test positive. They look and behave normally, but they don't test positive, yet.

So, even field testing on the lymph nodes prior to field stripping isn't a guarantee.

So, hunters, what's your take on this?

Will you be eating deer, elk, moose or caribou if CWD is present in your state?

Do you or will you keep testing supplies on you for field testing prior to field stripping?

Will you chance eating the meat knowing that infection is fatal and really, it's one of the more crappy ways to go out?

I dunno if there are good answers, but I was wondering from the hunters how you all see it.

 

[coconut]

It sucks since there are too many deer. Hunger is real. And to see such waste. Still no proof it can infect humans. EHD is already widespread and CWD is another looming nail to be pounded into the deer hunting sport coffin.

 

[ozarkram]

Regardless of what you may read this is not a new problem. Where I am its been common knowledge for 15 or 20 years. As with most things in life apply common sense. Have the animal tested. ( MO conservation is very good about it) Demanding it in some areas. An obviously sick animal should be put down immediately. If you butcher your own (as I do) Wear gloves, throw away all organ meat, make sure all your tools are clean before and after. (including yourself) Make sure the animal is bled out let hang for a few days if possible. Cook all meat well. Again common sense don't buy into the scare tactics. Hunting and hunters are a valuable conservation asset and an age old tradition. If anything herds need to be thinned much more just ask the insurance agencies. Cant stress it enough use common sense.

 

[coconut]

If CWD is like CJD then cooking the meat and cleaning the tools won't help if the issue is prions for CWD as it is for CJD. But again no evidence of CWD being transmitted to humans. It is a shame since more deer hunters are needed practically everywhere.

 

[ozarkram]

If CWD is like CJD then cooking the meat and cleaning the tools won't help if the issue is prions for CWD as it is for CJD. But again no evidence of CWD being transmitted to humans. It is a shame since more deer hunters are needed practically everywhere.

OK. Sorry, disregard my prior post. Don't know what I was thinking.

 

[coconut]

OK. Sorry, disregard my prior post. Don't know what I was thinking.

Maybe these days hunters are more hunted than game?

 

[Mackeyser]

If CWD is like CJD then cooking the meat and cleaning the tools won't help if the issue is prions for CWD as it is for CJD. But again no evidence of CWD being transmitted to humans. It is a shame since more deer hunters are needed practically everywhere.

True. The disease prions can survive greater than 1000 degrees. That’s how they made mad cow, making a feed from cows and feeding it to cows.

The tough part is that with such long incubation periods, if it has or will crossover, the consequences could be severe.

My wife was in England during the Mad Cow deal and there were several issues. She couldn’t give blood for two decades and she had to disclose this to every healthcare professional. Several pregnant nurses over the years swapped out to avoid issues in case of accidental exposure.

The big concern with such long incubation periods up to 40 years, it’s possible the proliferation would be substantial. As it is communicated via bodily fluids including blood and waste, I’m left to wonder if it could be communicated like an STD including kissing (saliva).

Lots of unanswered questions that are important because a worst case scenario is pretty scary.

 

[ozarkram]

We have to remember we are not talking about mad cow disease. We are talking about CWD. Same family but different disease. Many unknowns. No strong evidence of crossover. Yet.

 

[RamFan503]

For me, I hunt the western states of CA, OR, WA, and NV. There are no known cases of CWD in those states. Still - I will eat anything I kill and if I go to Montana as I plan, I will not let the very few cases of CWD stop me from eating my game. CWD has no known cases of transference to humans and I don't intend to have the fear change what I do.

At such a point that I can no longer eat what I hunt, I will stop hunting. Until then, I will enjoy the best, organic, hormone free, free range, flavorful meat on earth.

 

[RamsAndEwe]

Are the Prions confined to the Brain, Spinal Cord, and nerve matter as this gentleman claims? Styx echoes RamFan503 sediment - "Hunt states where no cases of CWD have been identified."


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PneQv5rnqJc

 

[Mackeyser]

No. If that was the case then Britain wouldn't have had to kill something like every cow in the country over 30 months old due to mad cow (4.7M cows in total)

As the tribe in New Zealand that practiced ritual cannibalism saw as well as cases in England, Prions are proteins that travel throughout the body.

They are found in all body fluids and waste which is how they are Xfer'd.

I really hope that CWD doesn't transfer.

But just the fact that every animal (deer, moose, elk, caribou) a hunter kills has to be tested for CWD... and the horror that are spongiform encephalitis diseases...that's a shitshow way to go...

anyway, gives me pause.

I still want to shoot and have a list of guns I'd like to shoot, but with my precarious health situation, even if I could hunt, i'd have to pay to go out west or maybe wait.

I'll do more research and see what I can find.

I did enjoy the Joe Rogan podcast that talked about it. I'll include the smaller clip of 18 mins (they tend to run 2-3 hours if you haven't heard of him)

 

[coconut]

I still want to shoot and have a list of guns I'd like to shoot, but with my precarious health situation, even if I could hunt, i'd have to pay to go out west or maybe wait.

Depends on how you want to shoot. Some gun shops have indoor ranges that can handle high power rifles. They will charge a small fee to shoot the rifle with their ammo on their indoor range. If you buy the rifle they will deduct the fee from the purchase price. You could also look into shooting clubs with an outdoor range. They will have membership drives with range time familiarization and instructional shooting.

You can hunt deer in FL too.