CWD Deer

[kl9]

Question(s) for those of you that live in known CWD infected areas.
1. Do you get your deer tested?
2. Do you have any hesitation eating venison from these areas?

I know this is a topic of debate and I have no intention of stirring up an argument I just wanted to see where people stand on the issue.

 

[sandbur]

I kept elk meat in my freezer for one year and then discarded it without eating any of it after our area broke with CWD. The elk appeared just a bit skinny, but was not showing signs of the disease.

We were not aware of the positive case in our area until we had the meat processed.

I just could not feed that meat to my kids.

 

[bueller]

I do some hunting in the CWD area of NW IL. The DNR offers testing for free and we always let them do their thing. If we ever get a positive result I would lean strongly towards discarding all the meat, even though we would've already paid about $150 to have it processed and made into sausage.

In the area of WI that I hunt, inside but on the fringe of the CWD area, the DNR doesn't always offer testing and we don't seek out a test. However if they are testing in the area that year we follow what I mentioned above.

 

[kl9]

Thanks for the responses. I ask because I took a few deer this year in Crawford County WI which isn't a known CWD zone but where we hunt is close to the Richland county border which has pretty significant CWD if I'm not mistaken... I didn't get the deer tested but two are being processed currently and now I'm a little hesitant

 

[Jeff23]

I hunt approximately 20 miles from the area of the nearest CWD positive deer, and I don't give it a second thought. I will die of a lightning strike before anything resulting from a CWD positive deer. I don't have any (free-range deer) tested- it's not free and we give them enough money as it is.

 

[gunther89]

I hunt in Sauk County which is in the CWD zone and I never get my deer tested. Every deer I have shot has tons of fat on it and not one deer looks or acted sick. To think this disease just showed up back in early 2000's is a joke. I guarantee CWD has been around longer than that.

 

[sandbur]

I hunt in Sauk County which is in the CWD zone and I never get my deer tested. Every deer I have shot has tons of fat on it and not one deer looks or acted sick. To think this disease just showed up back in early 2000's is a joke. I guarantee CWD has been around longer than that.

You are correct. It was in Colorado in the '60's. Questionable if it was in Wis., but a mute point now.

 

[Four Seasons]

Thanks for the responses. I ask because I took a few deer this year in Crawford County WI which isn't a known CWD zone but where we hunt is close to the Richland county border which has pretty significant CWD if I'm not mistaken... I didn't get the deer tested but two are being processed currently and now I'm a little hesitant

Do you live in WI?

 

[kl9]

Do you live in WI?

Yes

 

[kl9]

Do I need to worry about processing locations? By that I mean if I have a deer and take it to a meat locker to be processed and my deer doesn't have CWD how do i know I'm getting the venison specific from my deer for specialty things like sausage...

 

[Four Seasons]

When I lived there I talked with a number of guys about eating the meat without testing. One guy always said he'd knowingly eat a CWD positive deer. I kept waiting for a positive test so I could cook him up a plate of backstrap and watch him eat it.

Its easy to talk smart...but when push comes to shove I bet most folks would decline on knowingly eating a positive testing animal.

Maybe but have you ever had your lamb tested for Scrapies, If you eat it that is. Same Prion and you never hear a word about it coming from any Ag business,USDA or Dept of Ag. Strange Huh? Sheep spread it all across their landscape that they live in but its only a big eal for Whitetails. LOL Politics my friend. At its finest. If Canada puts this law through that says they will not accept any grains or hay into their country, from any american states that have had any kind of CWD anywhere you will see the headlines light up saying how wrong they were about CWD and there is no threat to anything...You know, Kinda like Mad Cow.

 

[Four Seasons]

Do I need to worry about processing locations? By that I mean if I have a deer and take it to a meat locker to be processed and my deer doesn't have CWD how do i know I'm getting the venison specific from my deer for specialty things like sausage...

You are 100% spot on. Alot of places make huge batches with many,many different deer added to the mix and then split by hunter request. You would never know really.

 

[sandbur]

Mad Cow was a definite threat in Britain. It was not a hoax.

 

[sandbur]

Do I need to worry about processing locations? By that I mean if I have a deer and take it to a meat locker to be processed and my deer doesn't have CWD how do i know I'm getting the venison specific from my deer for specialty things like sausage...

Process your own deer. I want to eat quality venison and not what somebody else has neglected.

 

[gunther89]

We had a neighbor who shot a doe and it tested positive for CWD. The only issue was he was amish and actually ended up moving and the DNR couldn't get ahold of him until about 2-3 months later and by the time they told him, he said he and his family had already eaten all the meat from that doe. That was about 5 years ago and to my knowledge he and his family are alive and well.

 

[gunther89]

I doubt I would, just saying that I know of at least 1 family that has eaten a CWD positive deer. If I ever shoot a deer that doesn't appear to be healthy or is acting strange when I shoot it, I will get it tested.

 

[Four Seasons]

Tell that to the poor SOB's that died from Mad Cow....you were on point in your statement until you threw that out :eek:

On the processing issue...I processed my own whenever possible. When I couldn't do that (early season bow, too warm and no time) I took them to a guy who processed them individually in his garage. In an hour he'd have my deer ready to go in the freezer and no worries about cross contamination. No bone saws used...all done with boning knives.

No thats not what i was saying. lol I guess it can be read a couple of different ways. I was using the point that CWD would be changed from a threat to being no threat at all if Canada or other countries stop importing from CWD positive states and the mad cow statement was only used as a reference.
Even a dumb farmer knows what mad cow was all about!

 

[Four Seasons]

So you'd eat up a known CWD+ tenderloin sandwich gunther?

There were over 100 people served a positive whitetail up here about 10 years ago at a fundraiser game feed. People were notified that were there and ate it. There has never been any news of any kind of health problems from those folks.

 

[wiscwhip]

There were over 100 people served a positive whitetail up here about 10 years ago at a fundraiser game feed. People were notified that were there and ate it. There has never been any news of any kind of health problems from those folks.

Still, it seems a bit like rolling dice, and I have never been a very lucky man. If mad cow can cross over, I'm not taking any chances with CWD either, at least not knowingly.

 

[Four Seasons]

Yes, I'm aware of that case. I'm also aware that millions of people smoke cigarettes and don't die from lung cancer.....yet many other millions do.

Just saying...I would never knowningly consume a CWD+ deer. I think if scientists could come up with an affordable, 80%+ reliable field test for CWD it would allay many hunters' concerns.

Funny you should say that because there is a test. It was rated at over 80% correct and the state of Missouri says its good enough for them to use when they are bringing in these so called CWD free Elk into the state. The funny part is, is that, that same state along with every other says that test is not correct enough for farmers to use and their animals have to be DEAD to be tested???? Funny dont ya think??? Politics again my friend.