The elk management practices that congregated elk (and deer) around feeding areas likely contributed to the problem. CWD was spreading in NW Arkansas for many, many years before the first detection. Friends who live in the area just now seeing sick deer in the field, which usually only happens with the disease has been prevalent for a long time.
The first detection of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Arkansas was in February 2016, and involved an Elk, whose harvest required mandatory testing. Soon after, a second case was a white-tailed deer found sick in the wild and euthanized. At that time, little testing was being done. Soon after, Arkansas began voluntary testing.
My non-science opinion is that it's been around for many years all over the country.
The origins in the 60s are fairly well founded, and was a species (sheep) to species (cervid) jump. Original expansion throughout the US and Canada was through moving, buying and selling captive deer and elk. The disease also spread outside North America through this process as well.
I understand CWD testing was mandatory for elk for several years as part of the elk permit requirements. After one tested positive, that result triggered additional testing, including adding voluntary testing for hunters.
Anyone know anyone that hunts there? I listened to the same podcast and don’t doubt them I suppose. I just know 15 years ago till now southwest wisc was the hotspot. Firsthand know, it’s still doing just fine. Seems odd that they are doing fine and all the nw ark is losing all their deer to it.
I have been told second hand but by a fairly knowledgeable and reliable source that an area of Richland County WI is lacking in adult deer. The theory told to me was CWD but could just as easily be hunting pressure or isolated EHD as anything else. Every listing I see for sale in Richland County has some nice mature buck photos on it, so who knows.
I know someone who hunts there - on public land - and he said it is tough to see a deer now. That is probably more due to the relaxed hunting regs than deer cwd deaths. Private land owners with sunstantial holdings still have a lot of deer - but it is not an area where there are many 1000 acre tracks under one ownership. Most ground, public and 300 acre and smaller private, are experiencing a decline - at least from personal observation
Well my county is Kentucky is ravaged if that is the metric!
That’s definitely seems like a pressure thing than a disease thing to me. Scale of property shouldn’t matter in cwd
It is a combination of both. The larger landowners I know around me average harvest is a deer per 500 acres. The larger landowners see the biggest benefit n passing deer and they pass the most. If your deer density drops from a deer per five acres to a deer per six acres you just lost 20% of your deer but you still have a lot. There are a good many deer dying there. Pretty much everyone in the cwd tier 1 zone I have talked to with private property sees sick deer every year.
I can throw a deer carcass out in the afternoon and by noon the next day, the only thing left is a flat spot in the grass. I wouldnt doubt by the time a deer gets visibly sick, the coyotes have already caught and killed it.
