New info on Chronic Wasting Disease

[M77Fan]

Guys I think this is an important subject. I am a whitetail deer hunter. I'm not sure about CWD. I don't know how to test my deer for CWD. and I don't understand how the discussion of this disease in agenda driven. If possible, I would like to know more about how a hunter can tell if the deer he shot has this disease. For me this has nothing to do with politics. My concern is that I have read that a mutated Prion is not destroyed in normal cooking. Any thoughts one and all??

Lenny,

You didn't identify your state, but your game department must have some testing procedures by now. You cannot tell if your animal has CWD without lab testing. But if you have any concern about the health of your animal, certainly getting it tested is prudent, especially if CWD is known in your hunting area. It has been found in a couple animals where I hunt, so I routinely get every deer harvested there tested before I start eating it. I won't kill an animal that looks sick anyway if I want meat.

The Wyoming Game and Fish has a good page on CWD. The address for the main CWD page is https://wgfd.wyo.gov/wyoming-wildlife/wildlife-disease-and-health/chronic-wasting-disease

If you scroll down there is a link to how to collect a CWD sample. It is pretty clear cut and shows how to get the lymph nodes beneath the tongue to submit for testing. The illustration is on elk, but the location is the same for deer and moose. There are also instructions for submitting the sample to WGFD. WGFD probably only processes samples from inside WY since their interest is data for WY.

Alternatively, you can submit a sample from anywhere directly to the Wyoming State Vet Lab. This is what I do, and their normal turnaround is only a few days after the sample arrives. Yes, it does cost you for shipping and testing ($40), but for me the peace of mind and the quick turnaround is worth it. You can mail the lymph node sample via USPS priority mail, and it gets there fine. The lab has instructions for shipping, along with submittal form, sample extraction instructions, etc.

The Wyoming State Vet Lab client services can be found at https://www.uwyo.edu/wyovet/client-services/index.html

Sampling instructions at https://www.uwyo.edu/wyovet/_files/collection-of-cwd-samples-brainstem-and-lymph-nodes.pdf The WGFD people only sample the lymph nodes when they send samples to the lab. Including the brain stem is probably not necessary unless you have actual concerns about the animal. I only send lymph nodes.

Submittal form at https://www.uwyo.edu/wyovet/_files/docs/cwd-submission-form.pdf

Packing and shipping at https://www.uwyo.edu/wyovet/_files/docs/packing-shipping-mailing-biological-samples.pdf

How WGFD handles transport of game:
Whole deer, elk and moose carcasses cannot be transported out of Wyoming. The only parts approved to leave the state are edible portions with no part of the spinal column or head; cleaned hide without the head; skull, skull plate, or antlers cleaned of all meat and brain tissue; teeth; or finished taxidermy mounts. While these parts are permitted to leave Wyoming, not all state regulations align with this.

Hope this helps.

 

[M77Fan]

Old Rooster and memtb, thanks for that discussion on the odd smell of carcasses that later tested positive for CWD. That could be a useful observation that might up awareness that something may be amiss.

 

[Dvldad]

Noobie posted:"It is interesting they recommend 40% bleach for 5 minutes to clean knives. That is some strong solution!"
Glad you posted that.I clean my knives and cleaver with mineral spirits but will switch to bleach.

I bleach my stuff too. But if it's legit I don't see bleach doing anything if you can't even burn it.

 

[436]

Just found this my wife read it first about Chronic Wasting Disease:

2 hunters may have died of prion disease from eating contaminated deer meat, researchers say

A new report calls for further study into a possible link between chronic wasting disease in deer and a rare and deadly brain disease in humans.

www.cbsnews.com

Rare and fatal brain disease in two deer hunters heightens concerns about CWD

A team of researchers said the cases hint at a potential contamination from infected venison. CDC says link is unlikely.

www.startribune.com

Old Rooster,
I heard Chronic Wasting Disease started in the White House under that demented old circus monkey sitting in the Big Guy chair, the fatal brain disease part was the clincher. So now it's in the Deer population and our University campuses, what next? Cheers

 

[Old Rooster]

I like the way you think!

 

[dstancu]

Didn't know the game biologists wanted to be informed and would actually go out and kill the animal and test it. Last fall I saw a deer that was walking very funny, as if it was a horse trotting. It was with a group of several dozen deer each day and occasionally a large herd of elk mixed in. That was in SD. WY has a huge problem. They have recommendations here, and there are also limits on what you can pack out or transport in the game regs.

https://wgfd.wyo.gov/sites/default/files/2024-04/2023-CWD-Surveillance-and-Monitoring-brochure.pdf

It is interesting they recommend 40% bleach for 5 minutes to clean knives. That is some strong solution!

Those recommendations are all good, however bleach (can be either sodium hypochlorite, or calcium hypochlorite, or peroxides) DO NOT destroy the prions, nor do pure acids... Bleach is great to clean utensiles (knifes included), but so is any decent detergent/soap.
I don't think one needs to get too worked up about perfectly cleaning utensiles, it is more about avoiding eating the meat, and especially brain, bome marrow, etc.

 

[M1A1ABRAMS]

Chainsaw! Seriously

Yeap it makes quick work. He took the head & we took the rest. lol

 

[JiggyIi]

CWD has been around for a Looonnnngg time!
In cattle, years ago we called it hardening. The whole herd never got it. One rare occasion, one in maybe ten years.
CWD is a tool to wipe out a food supply just like TimberWolves.
The govt uses CWD to eradicate deer by shooting them in the guise of public safety

 

[Dvldad]

CWD has been around for a Looonnnngg time!
In cattle, years ago we called it hardening. The whole herd never got it. One rare occasion, one in maybe ten years.
CWD is a tool to wipe out a food supply just like TimberWolves.
The govt uses CWD to eradicate deer by shooting them in the guise of public safety

Be careful there are some guys on here with really tight Sitka jeans who are going to call you a conspiracy theorist and talk about tinfoil.

 

[L2land]

I was in WI in the early 2000's when the CWD thing was reported there. Never ran into any sick deer or tested any I shot back then. I remember there being a guy from DNR at a local church showing some butchering tips to identify and remove endocrine glands but they just said avoid the brain and endocrine system. Maybe I'm remembering wrong. 20 plus years later I've never heard of any issues from CWD from people I know up in the north woods.
I will always remember one of my favorite bars had a sign they put up for people that baited because of all the restrictions that were imposed.

" this corn is for birds and squirrels only. Violators will be shot on sight!"

 

[Tulsa Reiner]

Don't label me conspiracy theorist, based on my tight Sitka pants, please. But I do need some new conspiracy theories, because all my old ones came true.

 

[hoplite122]

I think though that we can all agree if eating our prey is deadly. There us no reason to hunt and no real reason to own guns. The question is how far do you trust the left. Some thing to ponder.

You're falling into the classic anti-gun lobby argument path. I don't own guns to hunt animals that I would eat, although that is a hobby into which I have invested a great deal of time, and resources, and greatly enjoy. But no, it is not the primary reason that I owns guns. I own guns because a well regulated militia is essential to maintain a free nation. I own guns for the protection of my liberty and my family, friends and community.

 

[JTComfort]

My limited understanding, with any of the "prion" related diseases, you need to avoid brain tissue and spinal cord. Whether it's Kuru, mad cow, CJD or CWD. Again I have a limited understanding.

Correct. The"link" that CWD shares with these other diseases is that they are caused by prions that live inside the brain and spinal nerve tissue and fluid.

BSE/MadCow is transmittable to humans from bovines from consumption of animal. CWD had not made that jump to humans. Cases of BSE are rarely reported, in part because in US we slaughter steers so early (at approx 18 months) that they haven't reached an age where symptoms present. So far, CWD had not made that jump to humans.

Prions are not killed by the heat delivered by common cooking methods - they are proteins - so cows with symptoms are destroyed. There is concern about CWD prions remaining in the food chain and that potential for the prion disease to jump species is more likely to be seen in scavengers and predators like coyotes first.

VA's urban archery program requires submission of harvested deer heads for sampling and testing. In addition to being detected in several adjacent counties over the last few years, CWD was detected in deer in Fairfax County last year from a deer outside the archery program. The rapid spread is a serious concern to cervids health as they cross paths with livestock as well as hunters and civilians.

 

[dabouv]

This is fake news don't post this political crap here. CWD IS AGENDA DRIVEN.

Those crazy liberals in Wyoming are out to get your guns.