23-05-2025
Fish and Game Dept asks for help keeping deer disease out of NH
CONCORD, N.H. (ABC22/FOX44) – New Hampshire biologists are asking hunters for help keeping a deadly deer prion disease out of the state as we enter hunting season.
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is always fatal for affected deer. As it progresses, deer with the disease experience drooling, poor coordination, and behavior changes. No human cases have been confirmed, though medical researchers looked into a case from 2022 without drawing firm conclusions. Eating venison that may be affected by CWD is not recommended.
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CWD spread from its first detection in a government research facility in Colorado in 1967 to 36 states and five Canadian provinces. So far, it has never been detected in New Hampshire or anywhere else in New England, but deer in Quebec have tested positive for the disease. New York had no cases for nearly two decades before a positive test in Herkimer County in 2024.
New Hampshire has two regulations aiming to stop the spread of this disease into the state. One is a law against taking deer carcasses from states that have had positive CWD tests. The other is a law against using deer urine as a lure because if commercial deer used to produce the urine are affected, this risks spreading CWD to the state's herds. Vermont shares the same two regulations.
The New York Department of Health recommends taking additional precautions, such as by avoiding touching certain parts of deer carcasses with your bare hands, especially the spinal cord and the brain.
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'While it is good news that New Hampshire remains CWD-free, we are asking hunters to help our herd by not using natural urine-based deer lures when hunting because these products can potentially spread CWD,' said deer biologist Becky Fuda.
New Hampshire Fish and Game has more information on where CWD is found and how to stop its spread on its website.
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