As Wisconsin's gun deer hunting season kicks off last Saturday, growing concerns about the spread of a deadly disease through Wisconsin's deer herd has also been reported. Despite this, hunters were found to remain unfazed about eating the contaminated venison. The start of the hunting season has also reportedly triggered a fresh debate in Michigan over the wisdom of allowing hunters to buy and use bait to attract deer.
The Chronic Wasting Disease And Its Impacts
According to reports released by Channel3000, it was found that the chronic wasting disease (CWD) is known to cause neurological issues, wasting and, eventually, death. Experts have recently revealed that there is no known risk to humans, but the possibility is still being studied by state and federal health officials. CWD's discovery is allegedly considered to elevate the growing concerns that the widespread use of bait will bring too many deer into close quarters and accelerate the spread of the disease.
Currently, as The Journal Times have reported, experts were said to be wailing to the fact that they only have less data than ever about CWD considering that its prevalence has already been put into new heights in the core outbreaks in southern Wisconsin and appears in more and more counties miles away.
Chair of the Wisconsin Conservation Congress, Larry Bonde, which advises the state Department of Natural Resources has revealed that he is actually considering the idea of testing whether he has hunted to places where CWD had been found. However, current findings have suggested that it hasn't been detected in the wild near his usual spots in Manitowoc County and Calumet County.
Meanwhile, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources area wildlife supervisor Andy Paulios has also revealed that more hunters getting their deer tested would allow officials to know more about the disease and its spread. Furthermore, Paulios suggests that CWD symptoms doesn't necessarily show at the onset, however, he believes that if you're in the CWD zone and you're concerned, then most definitely, you should get yourself tested.
