I spent a day last week in Harrisburg learning about Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), which began in Wyoming back in the 1960s and is spreading across the country in "cervids," antlered animals including whitetails, mule deer, elk, moose and caribou. It was a long, but worthwhile day.
A few years ago I wrote an article about CWD and EHD for The Deer Hunters' Almanac (from Deer & Deer Hunting magazine). So I had a basic understanding of the disease, its cause, and the way it spreads. It has advanced since then, both in captive herds and in wild herds, and those whose task is managing it are being tested to the limit. In Pennsylvania it's the responsibility of the PA Game Commission and the PA Department of Agriculture, and both agencies are cooperating to fight the disease. It's nice to see two governmental agencies working so well together.
Right now, no way of controlling the disease has been found, and even where infected deer are euthanized, it's possible for healthy deer to become infected from the soil.
As an outdoor writer, I was invited to this event in hopes that I'd communicate some of what I learned, so today's column is a start. My next column will also cover this issue. CLICK HERE to read " News about CWD—Mostly Bad, Some Good" in the Jamestown Gazette.
CLICK HERE to read more from my blog, MISSION: HUNTER, at www.EverydayHunter.com.