Rate of deer brain disease increases in Southwest Wisconsin
MADISON—Wisconsin wildlife officials say last year’s testing of whitetail deer for chronic wasting disease shows the rate of the deadly brain ailment is increasing.
The Department of Natural Resources says the disease prevalence for bucks at least 2 1/2 years old in an area of western Dane County and eastern Iowa County was 15.5 percent in 2008, compared with 10 percent in 2007.
The prevalence for yearling bucks was 6 percent last year, double what it was in 2007.
CWD was discovered in wild deer in southern Wisconsin in February 2002.
The DNR says that since then, nearly 152,000 deer have been tested for the disease, with 1,172 testing positive.
Aug 5, 2009 at 4:50 p.m.
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I agree with you fbcoach66 on the theory but my experience the past few years is that the number of does has been reduced so significantly (based purely on my observation)that not enough bucks are taken in that process. Now since the does are harder to come by that reduces your chances of even taking a buck. It is a frustrating "double edged sword". Either way the all taste good!
Aug 5, 2009 at 4:31 p.m.
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While I am a meat hunter not a trophy hunter, the majority of hunters are trophy hunters. That may change in this economy, but anytime earn a buck is removed the harvest actually decreases. No I'm not a DNR employee, but did take many wild life ecology classes getting my Biology degree, so yes I speaking in general not specifically to SW Wisconsin.
Aug 5, 2009 at 4:12 p.m.
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Actually, both of you are correct. The disease does primarily spread by contact/silivia and eye fluids but a carcess left to fully decay would leave the CWD prion in the dirt which could be ingested by future animals in the form of food,etc. Maybe if the DNR would get rid of the Earn-a-buck rule in the CWD regions we could harvest more bucks to help reduce the problem!! Seems as the current strategy is doing the opposite of what it is intended on doing.
Aug 5, 2009 at 11 a.m.
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Scientists aren't certain of the transmission mechanism, MadeinUSA, but it probably isn't from dead animals but rather live animals in contact with each other, perhaps through bodily fluids.
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