The Missouri Department of Conservation hosted a mandatory Chronic Waste Disease sampling last weekend for the opening of firearm deer hunting season. Deer sampling helps researchers track the spread of the disease, contributes to the search for treatment and informs hunters of whether their harvested deer were healthy.
CWD is a prion disease in which pathogenic agents lead to abnormal folding of brain proteins and cause brain damage. It affects deer, elk, reindeer, sika deer and moose. According to the CDC, CWD has been found in North America, Norway and South Korea. Though CWD affects animals, there are no reports of humans being infected after consuming animals with the disease.
Symptoms in deer may take a year before developing; these include drastic weight loss, stumbling and other neurologic symptoms. To date, there are no treatments, but with mandatory samplings being collected and sent off to independent labs, it is MDC’s hope they will gain more knowledge of the disease and a treatment may be developed in the future.
MDC had 39 counties participate in collecting samples, with over 20,600 samples collected during opening weekend. During sampling, MDC staff removed lymph nodes from the harvested deer and sent them to an independent lab for testing. Hunters were provided a coded card that matched the envelope the sample was placed in. They were encouraged to keep their card for proof that they did abide by regulations, and to learn if their deer came back positive. Hunters may also get their results online at mdc.mo.gov/cwd. Results will be available within four weeks.
“Finding CWD as early as possible provides us with the ability to work with landowners and hunters to effectively manage the disease to slow its spread and protect Missouri’s deer population,” stated MDC Cervid Program Supervisor Jason Isabelle in a press release.
MDC asks hunters to always discard deer carcasses properly, and never outside the county in which the deer was harvested. Additional carcass movement restrictions and CWD regulations may be found at mdc.mo.gov/cwd.
MDC staff expressed appreciation to all hunters who participated in the sampling and said by complying with regulations, they play an important part in keeping the spread of CWD at bay. This benefits Missouri’s deer population, hunting culture and economy.