Help prevent the spread of CWD

As hunters ready their gear and make final plans for getting out and harvesting animals for the freezer and/or the wall, it’s important to remember to include Chronic Wasting Disease mitigation into those plans.

A disease that affects animals in the Cervidae family such as deer, elk and moose, CWD affects the animal’s brain and nervous system.

CWD is always fatal and it kills the animal by creating holes in its brain. For this reason, CWD is sometimes referred to as the “zombie deer disease.” Symptoms of affected animals include drooping ears, walking in circles, stumbling, drooling, no fear of people and severe weight loss.

The single best way to keep CWD from spreading is to not bring infected animals into the area. That means that any hunter travelling to a CWD positive state to hunt deer, elk or moose needs to take extra precautions when returning home to Idaho after a successful hunt.

Heads and spinal columns of animals harvested in any state that has CWD cannot be brought into Idaho. However, cleaned and dried skulls and skull caps can be brought over. This means that skulls (and antlers) must be taxidermied or dried in the originating state before they can be brought to Idaho. The good news is that meat that has been cut and wrapped, deboned, or quartered can be brought in without a problem.

So far, CWD has not been found in Idaho despite massive testing efforts by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, but it has been found next door in Libby, Montana.

Other states with confirmed cases of CWD include: Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin. In addition, the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan have identified cases.

Successful hunters who got their game in Idaho can have their animals tested for CWD by taking either the lymph nodes or the entire head from the animal and dropping them off at a IDFG regional office or a designated collection place such as Far North Outfitters.

Another easy way to have your animal tested is to stop at one of the mandatory check stations staffed by Fish and Game employees. The nearest check station to Boundary County is located north of Sandpoint at the intersection of Upper Pack River Road and U.S. 95 and is usually staffed the last two weekends of October.

Many people wonder if they can eat the meat of an animal that has tested positive for CWD. To date, there have been no cases of a human contracting CWD. However, the Center for Disease Control advises people on their website iIf your animal tests positive for CWD, do not eat meat from that animal.” (cdc.gov/prions/cwd/prevention.html)

Another easy way to spread CWD is by feeding wild animals. Since the disease is transmitted by saliva, urine and feces, it is highly probable that an infected animal will spread the disease to its neighbors at the feed site. If one infected deer eats from a pile of corn or licks a salt block, it can pass the deadly prions to the next deer coming to feed. It might be nice to see wildlife around but it does them more harm than good when we try to supplement their food.

If CWD rears its ugly head in Idaho it will change hunting here forever, and not for the better. Our deer and elk herds will shrink, and our declining moose population may not recover. That would mean less hunting opportunity and likely stricter regulations.

CWD is a serious disease for our beloved wildlife, but if we’re smart about how we handle our harvests we can ensure that our wildlife heritage here in Idaho can be passed onto future generations. We don’t have to let the threat of disease ruin our hunts. We just need to make it a priority to preserve our herds.

Nate Gattey is a Senior Conservation Officer with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Panhandle Region.