Every hunting season, we hear the same message – that chronic wasting disease is out there, it’s a problem for Wisconsin’s deer population, and hunters need to be aware. But there’s more urgency this year from the Wisconsin DNR because CWD continues to spread among wild deer in counties that haven’t had a problem before.
Jasmine Batten, wildlife health section supervisor for the Wisconsin DNR, says CWD cases have been in or within 10 miles of 62 Wisconsin counties. Four of those counties were new this year: Langlade, Waupaca, Winnebago and Buffalo.
CWD is a contagious, fatal neurological disease that affects the nervous system of deer, elk, moose and caribou. The disease can have an incubation period of over a year, which means infected deer can appear healthy for months before showing signs of illness. When signs are visible, the common signs are drastic weight loss, drooped head and ears, loss of coordination, excessive salivation and reduced fear of humans.
Batten says the DNR is trying to make it more convenient for hunters to help out with more testing locations and carcass disposals. But she says the first line of defense against CWD is to get more hunters out there harvesting more deer.
Wisconsin DNR has a multi-pronged approach to tracking and preventing CWD: CWD testing, proper carcass disposal and following baiting and feed regulations. Testing your deer is important for another reason, too — so that you don’t consumer venison from an infected deer.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the World Health Organization all recommend against eating meat from deer that test positive for CWD. Infected deer typically appear healthy for many months after contracting the disease, so DHS encourages testing for the disease regardless of the physical condition of the harvested deer.
To date, there have been no reported cases of CWD infection in humans.
How To Test Your Deer
The DNR offers different options for hunters to test their deer for CWD. These choices are free and accessible to every hunter in the state. Hunters may choose from the following four options:
- Self-service kiosks open 24/7: Kiosks contain supplies for hunters to drop off their deer’s head with five inches of neck attached for testing. This is a great option for antlerless deer or any deer that has already been skull-capped or caped out by a taxidermist.
- In-person with cooperating partners: Meat processors and other businesses can collect the deer head for sampling later or remove the lymph nodes at the time of drop-off. This is a good option for hunters who intend to mount their deer. If your taxidermist is not a cooperator, ask for the caped-out head back so you can drop it off at a kiosk.
- At-home via lymph node sampling: Hunters unable to stop by a kiosk or cooperator within a day or two of harvest may pick up a kit ahead of time. Hunters can extract the retropharyngeal lymph nodes using the provided instructions and return the lymph nodes to the DNR or a kiosk for testing.
- By appointment with local DNR staff: This is a good option for hunters who want to have a European mount done. Hunters can contact their local wildlife management staff to schedule an in-person appointment.
Find the nearest accommodating location: https://wi-dnr.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/c7093298e3be4550b83c69a360a20df3