What Hunters Can Do to Limit the Spread of CWD
Hunters are on the front lines when it comes to managing the spread of CWD. Since hunting is a critical tool for wildlife management, taking proactive steps can help limit the spread of the disease and protect the future of deer populations.
1. **Follow State Regulations**
Many states have implemented specific regulations aimed at curbing the spread of CWD. Hunters should familiarize themselves with local laws, which may include mandatory CWD testing, carcass transport restrictions, and limits on the use of deer attractants (such as bait or urine-based lures, which may facilitate the spread of CWD).
2. **Submit Deer for CWD Testing**
In areas where CWD is present, hunters are encouraged or required to submit harvested deer for testing. This helps wildlife agencies monitor the spread of the disease and understand its prevalence. Testing can also provide peace of mind, as it allows hunters to avoid consuming potentially infected meat.
3. **Proper Carcass Disposal**
Infected deer can spread CWD through carcass remains, especially the brain, spinal cord, and lymph nodes. Hunters should avoid transporting high-risk parts across state lines and should dispose of carcasses in approved landfills or burial sites. Some states also offer designated collection bins for CWD-positive remains.
4. **Avoid Moving Live Deer or Carcasses Across Regions**
Moving deer (alive or as carcasses) from one area to another increases the risk of introducing CWD to new populations. Hunters should refrain from transporting deer over long distances, especially from known CWD-positive areas.
5. **Use CWD-Safe Practices When Field Dressing**
When field dressing a deer in an area where CWD has been detected, hunters should take precautions to minimize contact with potentially infected tissues. Wearing gloves and avoiding cutting through the spinal column or brain can help reduce the risk of exposure. Be sure to disinfect knives and tools after use.
6. **Support CWD Research and Education**
Hunters can also contribute to broader efforts to combat CWD by supporting research initiatives and participating in educational programs. Many state wildlife agencies and conservation groups offer resources to help hunters stay informed about the latest developments in CWD management.
Chronic Wasting Disease
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is an emerging wildlife concern affecting deer populations across North America. As a fatal neurological disease, CWD poses a significant threat to deer, elk, moose, and reindeer. With the potential to devastate wildlife, it’s crucial that hunters, as stewards of the outdoors, play an active role in helping limit the spread of this disease.
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is an emerging wildlife concern affecting deer populations across North America. As a fatal neurological disease, CWD poses a significant threat to deer, elk, moose, and reindeer. With the potential to devastate wildlife, it’s crucial that hunters, as stewards of the outdoors, play an active role in helping limit the spread of this disease.
What is Chronic Wasting Disease?
CWD belongs to a group of illnesses known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), which also includes diseases like mad cow disease in cattle and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans. It is caused by abnormal proteins called prions, which accumulate in the brain, spinal cord, and other tissues of infected animals, leading to severe neurological degeneration.
The disease spreads through contact with infected animals or their bodily fluids (saliva, urine, feces), as well as contaminated environments (soil and plants). CWD can incubate for months or years without visible signs, making it difficult to track its spread. Once symptoms begin to manifest, deer will show signs such as weight loss, lack of coordination, excessive salivation, and abnormal behavior. The disease is always fatal.
The Spread of CWD
CWD was first identified in captive deer in Colorado in the 1960s, but it has since spread to free-ranging deer and elk in at least 30 U.S. states and several Canadian provinces. The geographic range of CWD continues to expand, as the disease spreads both naturally among deer and inadvertently through human activities, such as the transport of infected carcasses or contaminated equipment.
How to field dress a deer.
Here are the detailed instructions on how to field dress a deer.
The key to safe and efficient field dressing is a sharp, sturdy knife. Use a knife with at blade at least four inches long, a guard, and a large handle. A small knife can turn sideways in your hand when it hits bone. A butcher’s skinning knife is ideal.
Prop the deer on its back—head uphill, if possible—by placing two large rocks or logs under the shoulders and two under the hips. If the deer is a buck, and the state does not require that sex organs remain naturally attached as evidence of sex, remove the sex organs with a sharp knife. Starting between the hind legs, make a short cut all the way down to the pelvic bone.
It’s best to slit the skin and peel it back before cutting through the muscle layer. This keeps hair away from the meat and makes it easier to see as you work. Make a shallow slit that runs all the way to the chest, unless you plan to have the head mounted. In that case, cut only to the breastbone, or just behind the forelegs. With a doe, cut to one side of the udder. Peel back the skin and fur.
After making the slit, turn the knife blade upward and, starting at the pelvic cut, cut through the muscle layer along the same line, using the fingers of your free hand on either side of the blade tip while pulling the muscle layer up and away from the organs to ensure that the stomach and intestines aren’t punctured. If cutting up to the chest, cut through the cartilage of the breastbone with your knife or a saw to allow you to spread the ribs for easier cleaning.
Next, cut a hole around the anus, pull it to the inside . Then quickly remove the windpipe, because it can taint the meat.
Cut the windpipe and esophagus in two as far up the neck as possible. Put aside the knife, grab the windpipe with both hands and pull down hard. The entrails will pull free down to the midsection.
If the entrails don’t pull easily, cut the connective tissue holding them next to the backbone. If organs have been ruptured by a bullet, keep the juices away from the meat as much as possible.
Remove the stones from under the deer and roll the carcass onto its side. Slice through the diaphragm—a thin layer of tissue that holds the entrails to the ribs—freeing the intestines.
Turn the deer over and do the same on the other side. Using both hands, firmly grip the entrails and pull down hard. All the entrails should come out of the deer.
Finish cleaning out the deer and remove any excess tissue, including the windpipe. Use water only if exposed flesh has been spoiled by stomach contents. Prop the carcass open with sticks to promote cooling.
If a tree is available, hang the deer up by the head or antlers for about 20 minutes. If you plan to have the head mounted, hang the deer by its hind legs using a gambrel to spread the hind legs. Hanging the deer allows any remaining blood to drain out of the body cavity. If no tree is nearby, leave the deer resting on a slant to drain.
The importance of Field Dressing.
Not field dressing can cost you money.
The typical White Tail Deer will fit in one standard medium box. Proper shot placement is the #1 thing you can do to ensure a high meat yield. The perfect meat yield on a mature buck is 40%. One or two shot shoulders, a gut-shot, and poor/ delayed field dressing can reduce this yield DRASTICALLY. (Its called "field dressing" for a reason!)