Latest news with #CWD
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
DATCP: Positive CWD result found at a deer farm in Wisconsin
MADISON, Wis. (WFRV) – Officials with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection confirmed on Thursday that a deer at a deer farm in Wisconsin tested positive for chronic wasting disease. According to a release from the DATCP, the positive result for CWD came from a 5 1/2-year-old doe on a Rock County Deer Farm CWD is a fatal, neurological disease of deer, elk, and moose, caused by an infectious protein that affects the animal's brain called a prion. Menominee Tribal PD arrests 3 following 'drug activity' tip DATCP officials say they regulate deer farms for registration, record keeping, disease testing, movement, and permit requirements. In this case, the farm where this recent doe was found is being quarantined while the DATCP and the US Department of Agriculture veterinarians and staff conduct an epidemiological investigation. No other information is available at this time. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Tennessee Legalizes Baiting During Deer Season — for an Extra $50 Fee
Tennessee deer hunters will be able to hunt over bait on private land starting this coming season, thanks to a new law signed by the governor earlier this month. The legislation, which received strong support from state politicians, creates a baiting privilege license for deer hunters in the Volunteer State. The new law drops at a time when other states, like Washington, are banning baiting to attempt to reduce the spread of CWD. House Bill 938, which was introduced by Kip Capley in the House and Joey Hensley in the Senate, establishes a bait privilege license, which will be issued by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. The license fee, which essentially requires hunters to pay extra if they want to put out corn piles, will cost $50 for residents and $100 for nonresidents. All hunters in a party using bait are required to possess a permit — including those who are ordinarily exempt from purchasing a hunting license, including landowners and children under 13. TWRA will have the authority to suspend the baiting privilege (without a refund of fees) on a county, regional, or statewide basis to prevent the spread of wildlife diseases like CWD. Hunting over bait is currently prohibited in the state of Tennessee. Although hunters can put out corn or other food attractants, they cannot legally hunt within 250 yards of it until at least 10 days after the bait has been removed. The new law, which takes effect before the 2025 hunting season, makes an exception for deer hunting with the designated license. The original draft of the bill included wild hogs in the bait privilege license, but it was removed in an amendment to focus the legislation on whitetail deer. Violating the law could result in a class C misdemeanor. More than 22 states currently allow deer baiting in some form, including five of Tennessee's neighbors: Arkansas, Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina. 'A lot of other states allow hunting over bait anyway, like Texas and several other states, so that's my reason for supporting it,' state senator Joey Hensley, a primary sponsor of the bill, told Fox Chattanooga. 'I just don't think that people should be penalized because they're hunting over bait, especially on their property. That's what this bill does, but it requires people to get a license that would generate additional revenue.' The new baiting license requirement has drawn some backlash from hunters across the state. Some critics argue that the requirement is government overreach and that landowners shouldn't have to pay for privileges exercised on their own property. 'If baiting deer on your own land is going to be legal, why should landowners and hunters have to pay extra for that right?' Tennessee resident John Baker told Outdoor Hub. Read Next: Deer and Elk Hunters in Washington State Can No Longer Hunt Over Bait Other critics of the bill are concerned that baiting could speed the spread of CWD by concentrating deer in certain areas. Chronic wasting disease was first discovered in the Volunteer State in 2018 and has since been found in whitetails in 18 counties. TWRA is expected to release specific regulations ahead of the 2025 deer season.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong brings a hunter's mindset to the governor's office
May 23—When it comes to hunting, North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong leaves no doubt about his passion for the pursuit. "My wife would use the word 'addiction,' " Armstrong said. "And my favorite thing to hunt is ... 'What season is next?' " A first-term governor who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2019 until last year, Armstrong stopped by the Grand Forks Herald office Thursday, May 15. While the purpose of the visit was to talk about the recently wrapped-up session of the Legislature, the governor also discussed hunting, fishing and some of the challenges and opportunities the outdoors faces in North Dakota. "I always say we're not the best at anything, but we're the best at everything," Armstrong said, referring to North Dakota's abundance of outdoors opportunities. "There's still not a lot of places that you can go shoot a limit of pheasant, grouse, partridge, mallards, geese, whitetail, mule deer — all of the above. You can do it 100 miles from the governor's residence." One of the most publicized outdoors-related bills during the legislative session was SB 2137, which prohibits the Game and Fish Department from restricting the practice of baiting for big game hunting on private land in hunting units with confirmed cases of chronic wasting disease. Game and Fish historically has banned baiting for deer on private land in hunting units within 25 miles of a confirmed positive CWD case. The highly contagious brain disease is fatal to deer, elk and moose, and minimizing the chances of bringing animals into close contact has been a standard practice wildlife managers use to mitigate the risk. The "baiting bill," as it was commonly called, passed the House by a 56-34 vote, and Armstrong signed it Thursday, April 17. Baiting remains illegal for hunting on public land. "I think one of the things North Dakota always has to be conscious of is we don't have a lot of public land," Armstrong said. "I always viewed (baiting) as a private property right." Considering only about 9% of North Dakota land is public land, support from private landowners is crucial to the future of hunting and access in the state, he said. That's why he signed the bill. All the "habitat in the world" doesn't mean much without access to private land, Armstrong said. The legislation sunsets in 2029. "We don't have outdoor heritage if we don't have buy-in from landowners because we don't have a lot of federal land, we don't have a lot of state land," Armstrong said. "We'll monitor and watch it. If we start seeing a spike (in CWD), we'll have to sit down and look at it. Game and Fish tested 1,456 animals for CWD during the 2024 sampling season, and 17 tested positive — 15 taken by hunters and two "clinical deer" that were confirmed through diagnostic examination. That brings the total of positive cases to 122 since 2009, when CWD was first detected in North Dakota. In December, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department hosted a Habitat and Hunting Access Summit in Bismarck. Armstrong, just days into his first term as governor, spoke at the summit. Gone are the days when North Dakota had more than 3 million acres of land enrolled in the federal Conservation Reserve Program. As CRP contracts expire, wildlife habitat is less abundant, and wildlife populations — especially white-tailed deer — are struggling and less resilient to severe winters and diseases such as the EHD (epizootic hemorrhagic disease) outbreak that decimated deer numbers in some areas in 2021. North Dakota today has less than 1 million acres of land enrolled in CRP, and 85% of the acreage enrolled during the peak in 2007 could be gone by 2026 if contracts continue to expire at their current rate, Game and Fish biologist Doug Leier reported this week in his weekly "North Dakota Outdoors" column. The summit was the first step in what promises to be a slow, challenging process to address access and the loss of habitat. Whatever direction any potential solutions ultimately take, farmers and ranchers must be on board, Armstrong says. There are no easy answers. "If you don't start with the ag groups and the actual farmers and ranchers about what works for them ... what works for sportsmen and what works for the guy making a living off that land every day of the week aren't always the same thing," Armstrong said. "I think the low-hanging fruit, me personally — youth deer, youth pheasant, youth duck — I think you have to be a pretty (difficult) guy to say no to a 14-year-old kid who wants to shoot his first whitetail doe or her first pheasant or first duck. I think there are opportunities to do this." Game and Fish recently announced it will offer 42,300 licenses for this fall's deer gun season — a near 50-year low — down from more than 100,000 for several years during the peak of CRP. In some ways, North Dakota is losing its "deer camp culture," Armstrong says. CWD and baiting isn't the issue, he says, it's EHD and two bad winters. "We have way too many people chasing inches instead of chasing experience," he said, referring to the size of a buck's rack. "I can tell you, looking back on all of my favorite deer hunts, I don't care how big the deer was. I don't look back 20 years ago and have a more fond experience because it was a 156-inch deer vs. a 142-inch deer." Trapshooting has become one of the fastest-growing high school sports in North Dakota and nationwide, but "less and less" of the kids shooting trap are actually hunting, Armstrong says, a trend that presents both a challenge and an opportunity. "How we can figure out how to (get kids hunting) also happens to be a pretty good workforce recruitment and retention tool," Armstrong said. "If you're 17 years old and love to hunt and fish, the chances of you staying in North Dakota at 35 are higher than if you don't" hunt and fish. While Armstrong says he's not an avid angler, the quality of fishing available in North Dakota is another piece of "low-hanging fruit," in terms of outdoors opportunities. "For as much criticism as Game and Fish gets — and a lot of it isn't deserved — we spend a lot of time talking about Devils Lake, Sakakawea and the Missouri River, but there are tons of the little fisheries out there that are (anglers') secret spots," he said. As for hunting, Armstrong says he looks forward to spending more time in the field as governor than he did as North Dakota's representative in Congress. Regardless, he says, it won't be enough. "No hunter on his deathbed ever said, 'Man, I really wish I would have hunted less,' " Armstrong said.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
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. Muzzleloader antler-less deer hunting permit applications open 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. Music talent agent among dead after jet crashes into San Diego neighborhood '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. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
WDFW: Stop feeding wildlife to prevent ‘zombie deer disease'
This story was originally published on You've been warned, Washingtonians: Feeding deer, elk, moose, and other cervids is no longer permitted in the state. According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), a law took effect on May 17 that prohibits certain wildlife feeding in order to help keep Washington's wildlife healthy. 'People often think they are helping wildlife by feeding them, or simply hoping that providing food will give them a better opportunity to observe their wild neighbors,' WDFW stated. 'Unfortunately, feeding wildlife can cause more harm than good, especially with new wildlife diseases being found in Washington.' These new wildlife diseases include chronic wasting, colloquially known as zombie deer disease. Caused by misfolded proteins, called prions, in the brain and central nervous system, this disease affects deer, elk, bison, antelope, caribou, and moose. Similar to mad cow disease or Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, symptoms include drastic weight loss, stumbling or lack of coordination, drooling, listlessness, excessive thirst or peeing, drooping ears, and lack of fear of people. Chronic wasting disease was first detected in Washington in 2024, and has been a significant concern for WDFW ever since. 'Of particular concern is chronic wasting disease, an always-fatal disease of deer, elk, moose, and related species (cervids) that was detected in Washington for the first time in 2024,' WDFW said. 'There is no cure for CWD, and it has the potential to greatly impact Washington's cervid populations.' Feeding stations can spread the disease quickly, as it is easier for the animals to transmit it when surrounded by many other animals gathered in an area to be fed. Even salt licks and fruit piles can be risky. The new law also makes it illegal to feed any Washington wildlife if it leads to cervids congregating and swarming an area—even if someone wasn't intentionally trying to feed them. If bird feeders or other items attract deer, elk, or moose, they must be removed. WDFW encourages people to build natural habitats instead. 'The best way is by promoting year-round native habitat at your home or in your communities,' WDFW stated. 'WDFW's Habitat at Home program provides tips for supporting wildlife where you live, work, and play.' You can report sick animals online through the WDFW's website.
