by Sedrick Bolton lllWed, December 27th 2023
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FILE IMAGE: Experts warn Iowa deer hunters to be wary of chronic wasting disease as end of season draws near
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Chronic wasting disease is hitting Iowa’s deer population this year, with only a couple weeks left in the hunting season.
CWD is now spreading in deer populations across more than half the nation, and the CDC says once it’s established in an area, the risk can remain for a long time in the environment.
“There’s so much hunting in these positive counties from people who are out of counties, so people you know coming from Des Moines are coming from Cedar Rapids that are hunting in these positive counties and likely bringing back their harvest,” State Wildlife Veterinarian Rachel Ruden said.
The DNR says CWD has been confirmed in more than a dozen Iowa counties, starting in northeast Iowa, and later spreading to south central Iowa in recent years.
“This is a unique disease, because it’s not just a living deer that can spread it, it’s also parts and pieces that have that misfolded prion protein in them,” Ruden said.
Fortunately, experts say they don’t think people can catch this disease.
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“So far, there’s no evidence that it’s transmissible to people, that anyone has actually contracted this disease,” Ruden said.
Right now, the CDC says CWD doesn’t appear to infect cattle or other domesticated animals naturally, but it can be fatal members of the deer family including elk and moose, and there are no treatments or vaccines.
While people shouldn’t be too alarmed by the disease, experts encourage hunters to stay vigilant, test your deer for CWD if you plan to eat it. If it tests positive for CWD, you’re advised to throw it out just to be safe.
“There’s long incubation periods with this disease and we really advocate for informed consumption decisions and knowing where you’re harvesting, knowing if you have a likelihood of harvesting a positive deer, and knowing what your testing options are,” Ruden said.
The holiday season for out-of-state hunters is open through next Tuesday.
Late muzzleloaders and archers can still hunt through January 10th with a license.
Here’s a look at the Iowa counties that have had reported cases of CWD:
- Allamakee
- Appanoose
- Clayton
- Decatur
- Dubuque
- Fayette
- Fremont
- Greene
- Grundy
- Jackson
- Jasper
- Lucas
- Marshall
- Wayne
- Winneshiek
- Woodbury
The CDC recommends when hunting in areas with CWD, hunters should take the prevention steps, including having deer, moose and elk tested for CWD, and not eating meat from animals that have CWD.
Additional hunting tips include:
- Do not shoot, handle or eat meat from deer and elk that look sick or are acting strangely or are found dead (road-kill).
- Check state wildlife and public health guidance to see whether testing of animals is recommended or required. Recommendations vary by state, but information about testing is available from many state wildlife agencies.
- Strongly consider having the deer or elk tested for CWD before you eat the meat when hunting in areas with CWD.
- If your animal tests positive for CWD, do not eat meat from that animal.
- If you have your deer or elk commercially processed, consider asking that your animal be processed individually to avoid mixing meat from multiple animals.
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When field-dressing a deer:
- Wear latex or rubber gloves when dressing the animal or handling the meat.
- Minimize how much you handle the organs of the animal, particularly the brain or spinal cord tissues.
- Do not use household knives or other kitchen utensils for field dressing.
