Chronic Wasting Disease

CWD - Chronic Wasting Disease - is slowing making it's way across Pennsylvania - so far it has not been found around the area where I hunt but it is just a question of time - I read that this disease has several strains and could possibly affect other animals besides deer, elk and moose - people are advised not to eat deer that have the disease because it is not known if people can get it - this disease is related to mad cow disease which people can get - it puts holes in your brain and you eventually die - the trouble is that this disease takes a long time to manifest itself so you could be eating a sick deer and not know it -

Pa game commission have a procedure where you can drop off your harvested deer at a designated drop off site and it will get tested for the disease - the only trouble is that you go through lot of work to butcher and pack the deer in the freezer only to find it tests positive - so this option has it's problems -

If a deer in my area is ever tested with the disease I will most likely quite hunting - it's not worth the chance - it would be a shame because I enjoy hunting - talked to a neighbor the other day - he told me that he counted 74 deer in surrounding fields one night - every hunter can get a doe license this year and apply for more if quota is not met -

There was a study done in the UK at the time of the original Mad Cow outbreak, it was determined cattle were getting the disease as a result of being fed butchered skeletal remains of other cattle. The govt stopped this practice which appeared to have had an impact on reducing the disease. The study went on to show that people who had consumed the brains of cattle with the Mad Cow disease contracted it, this was not the case for consuming standard butcher's cuts of meat.

Over time the original Mad Cow disease has been joined in discussion and replaced with chronic wasting disease (CWD) which in my readings seems to be two different strains due to the transmission and method of contracting each. It would appear from my readings that CWD does not cross the animal barrier. The joining of these two diseases seems to be they are both a type of encephalitis, a strain of which can exhibit similar behaviour in humans.

I plan on eating deer meat this year, but I will be keeping an eye on the situation and that will change if CWD is found in my area just as a precaution.

Hmmm, maybe that's what he ate.

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Originally Posted by Fisherman

Hmmm, maybe that's what he ate.

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^^^:) The wife and I had venison burgers last weekend..burrpp.


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