North MS Deer-CWD

[deltadukman]

Ok, lets spice this place up now. Seeing as the South Delta had an outbreak of CWD and the MDWFP killed off several hundred deer in the area(pre-flood) all the while working a deal with Anderson Tulley for the new Phil Bryant WMA, one has to wonder if there is a plan in the works in North MS for another pay for play WMA is in the works now. Thoughts? The dept is mighty mum when questioned as to how killing several hundred extra deer "for testing" is helping with a disease that they have no way to cure in wild animals, is beneficial.

[Wildfowler]

I’ve got nothing to add to this discussion but I just read the Phil Bryant WMA page on the website and right there on the front page it says Mahanah and Phil Bryant WMA waterfowl draw hunts suspended and they opened the whole dang place except the water fowl sanctuary to hunting so I guess it went back to a free-for-all?

That was nice of them. I always thought it would be interesting to go over there when it was flooded and see if you could find some thing that nobody else knew about.

How long ago was that put in effect? Did anybody do any good over there?

[peewee]

Interesting, I didn't know they opened it up.

[stang67]

If MS has some N MS conspiracy going on then TN is saying “hold my beer and watch this.” They are absolutely eaten up with CWD just across the line.

Timing of the first CWD victim was what necessitated the sampling efforts. MDWFP needed to find out how widespread the disease was in that area, and deer season basically closed immediately after that first CWD-positive deer was killed.

[RedEyed Duck]

If I’m not mistaken TWRA is having all hunters test all deer killed before eating. I heard they couldn’t handle the testing in a timely manner and some folks were waiting 6 weeks or more to find out if the deer had cwd or not.

[deltadukman]

My question is this: What does killing mass numbers of deer, even post normal hunting season, accomplish? Sure, it may tell you how widespread it is. If it is wide spread, then is there a cure for it? What and where do we go from there? If its not as widespread as thought, like in the south delta where it was like one and "maybe" and few more, then what, you've killed hundreds over what is normally killed that were not CWD positive. I just don't get the mass killings all for "sampling data" to see how widespread it may or may not be. I am not a biologist, don't claim to be, and don't know all there is about CWD. Does it kill or harm humans? Is there a way to cure it? Do all deer infected with CWD die of the disease or can it be dormant? That's like saying we as humans need to kill a few hundred people in the US "just to see" if the coronavirus has infected anyone. Sorry, rant over. I just don't see the benefits outweighing the slaughter. I also don't trust the powers that be on our harvest numbers and limits. Deer numbers seem to be way down in a lot of places....maybe I just hunt crappy places

[stang67]

It seemed like a perfectly logical next-move to me.

[Seymore]

What I don't get is what killing a bunch of deer will do to stop the disease. I understand needing a larger sampling and over a wider area. However, my understanding is this thing is a prion. A mutated protein that mutates other proteins. This thing hangs around for like 10 freaking years in the soil so every durn deer in the area could be wiped out and then the problem still remains. My thoughts are that a cheap field test needs to be available to hunters so that they can check their own deer even if it is just a preliminary test. I take all my deer heads to the drop of station. I process the deer as I always have done and then sit back and wait for the official test to come back before eating any of it. I haven't gotten a positive test yet but if I do I'm not real sure how I'm supposed to dispose of it. Throw it in trash, burn it, what. I guess I'll call Jackson and ask what I'm supposed to do. I understand that it hasn't transferred to humans, yet.

[stang67]

MSU Deer Lab posted a new podcast on the topic today. I’d recommend it.

Disposal to a landfill is acceptable, although meat isn’t considered to be tissue that contains the infectious component.

Simple field test. Sounds easy enough. A man comes up with one of those and he’d be a millionaire before the month is up. I’m sure there are folks aplenty working on that.

What I don’t get is why everyone opposes management tactics just because there’s no way to STOP it. That’s not the objective. The point is to buy time by limiting spread, until there IS a way to stop it.

[teul2]

How could you possibly stop it? Ask all the deer to line up for vaccinations? Crop dust the whole state (you'd have to include suburban areas) to get all deer?

[Seymore]

When I was in grade school in Clinton back in the 70s I think I remember where the entire state was being sprayed for fire ants. I'd watch the crop dusters out the window at Northside School while sitting in class. Environmentalist pitched a fit even back then over the spraying. Imagine the Hell they'd bring over spraying to eradicate CWD. It would be tied up in court for years.

[SB]

We need to have a gathering to formulate a CWD management plan for the state to take as their own to fix this problem.

Old Venice Pizza still open? Ha! I wish it was.

This group never got their panties in a wad over slaughtering snow geese. What is it about a deer that makes you touchy feely? You hit one with your truck, have them eat your garden up or rub your fruit trees to death, you’ll want to put a bounty on them.

Glad to see this place back up!

[Wildfowler]

SB. What about your new back porch as the meeting point?

[jacksbuddy]

Apparently SB didn't see my earlier post regarding the strolling goose problem on 463 during rush hour: And the extremely irate Ole Miss Soccer Grandma on her way to the beauty parlor to get her hair dyed blue again, that I had to deal with.

Jus' so you know, we WILL be opening up the Colony Crossing WMA for early goose draw hunts next season.

[Wildfowler]

I’m definitely in on the colony Crossing WMA goose bonanza.