Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting C W D -- Arkansas' First Case

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If you can't take Jerry to the Mtn--Take the Mtn to JerrY



There are 2 more confirmed cases South in Newton Co. that I could not include in this shot!

With a smart phone or Ipad you can enlarge and move around for a better look.

Jerry

MORE BAD NEWS! ! !

AGFC released today that 23 more cases of CWD have been confirmed. This bring the total to 79.

**So Far** only 3 of these are elk. The remaining are all WT deer. Also all of these new 23 cases came from Newton Co. & Boone Co.

They are still waiting on results from the others sent for testing. Also as of this release no other cases have been reported outside of this general area. At least that is a 'little' good news or less bad news.

Jerry

This is beginning to sound more like somebody turned some pet deer loose at one time or another, than it coming in with the elk. I don't expect we will ever know, but I would sure like to know, how it all got started. miles

Maybe a buzzard ate some in missouri and puked in arkansas who knows, but it isn't going to get any better.

Yes, I would like to know how/where it started, MAINLY so IF 'someone' or 'a privately owned deer herd owner' could be held accountable. That would not change things.

The last I checked, Ark game laws allowed an individual to legally keep 6 deer w/o a permit. If a larger herd is privately owned there are some regulations. ***That is the last I knew--it MAY have changed.***

I agree that we are NOT likely to find out.

The BEST thing to me SO FAR is that the Elk herd is not badly infected. I hope it stays that way.

Jerry

edit: fingers did not type what I was thinking.

Keeping deer has changed a lot. You can not start to keep deer but have to be Grandfathered in. Also Bucks and does have to be kept separated so they do not breed. That means that when what you have die, there will be no more pet deer. miles

I have no problem with that.

Do you know when/@ when they changed that?

Jerry

I did find that regulation in last yrs. (2015-2016) Hunting Guidebook. Also details and regulations requiring permits are at afgc Search--Captive Wildlife.

July 1, 2012 is when the new law went into effect. Any deer already in captivity prior to that date may be kept BUT as Miles stated they must be segregated by sex OR bucks must be neutered to prevent breeding.

There are way too many regulations to post here and there are many other species listed also regulated.

Thanks Miles for the update.

Jerry

I have been checking AGFC at least once/day and sometimes twice and SO FAR there have been no new releases. They said they were expecting more test results at the end of THIS week.

I also listen to the local TV stations, sometimes they get info before it's on the site.

The current no. of confirmed cases is 79. There are A LOT more samples they are waiting for the results.

Just keeping updated.

Jerry

AGFC released this yesterday 4-19-16 ?
I was on the site twice, AM & PM yesterday and didn't find this???

NOT SUCH BAD NEWS

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News Details

All News Items

First phase of CWD sampling reveals 23 percent prevalence rate in focal area

Date 04/19/2016
Description
JASPER – The first phase of chronic wasting disease sampling by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission revealed a 23 percent prevalence rate in Newton and Boone counties. Of 266 randomly collected wild deer, 62 were found to have the fatal disease.
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Including the sampled area, the AGFC has received results of 82 animals with the disease. A total of 648 wild animals (619 white-tailed deer and 29 elk) have been sampled since laboratory results confirmed the disease Feb. 23, 2016. 79 deer and three elk were found to be positive.
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82 animals confirmed w/CWD
619 WT--tested
29 Elk -tested

79 WT diseased
***ONLY Three Elk***diseased! ! ! YIIP...PEEE ..

They also said, All the animals diseased are in Newton & Boone Counties.

I know all testing is not over but this is a fair amount better than I anticipated.


Jerry

Well there is MORE !!

Tonight L R -TV station reported 2 more cases of CWD but these are OUT of the targeted study area. 1 case confirmed in Madison Co. that is W from Newton Co, IIRC , and 1 case in Pope Co. that is S of the area.

Both of these are WT deer >> so NO other Elk have been found/confirmed SO FAR.

Tomorrow I'll get back on the AGFC site to see if there are any more details.

Jerry

What!!! You think it's going to get better???????????????

Did I even IMPLY that?

Well it took me a while to find this release.

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Phase 2 sampling reveals CWD positive deer in Madison and Pope counties

Date 04/25/2016
Description
LITTLE ROCK – The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has received confirmation that two additional deer have tested positive for chronic wasting disease in Arkansas. A deer in Madison County and another deer in Pope County were positive for the fatal disease. Both deer were road kills that were reported by the public.

The Madison County deer was a 2½-year-old doe found near Kingston and 2.9 miles west of the CWD focal area. The Pope County deer was a 2½-year-old buck found 44.4 miles south of the focal area near London.

The two positive samples came from a batch of 131 deer sent to the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Madison.

The first phase of chronic wasting disease sampling by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission revealed a 23 percent prevalence rate in Newton and Boone counties. Of 266 randomly collected wild deer, 62 were found to have the fatal disease.
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These 2 new cases came from Road Kill in 2 different counties than Newton & Boone. By their description they came from a long distance apart.

My perspective comes from the FACT we have tons more WT deer than Elk-------

SO FAR - only 3 Elk have tested positive--That's GOOD news. It could and may get worse...

I'm HOPING is doesn't turn into an epi/pan-demic problem.


Jerry

I fear with people in the past moving whole dead deer all around the state and then dumping the carcasses anywhere and everywhere, and the the lax rules on keeping tame deer, it is all over the State. I hope that I am wrong. miles

You can find it anywhere, all you have to do is just go start looking and testing

Yes we all hope it's not widespread. It is possible since we have had so many road killed deer and they weren't being tested. Since the first cases have been diagnosed AGFC has begun testing R K deer and these last 2 are positive.

I don't remember what yr w/o going thru my records but a few yrs back I killed a GAUNT buck which had shed its antlers and was infectious (there was green ooze coming out). In this case the deer had been SHOT earlier in the year, maybe during season ?.

Other than that I have not ever seen a deer that looked sick/weakened or that acted weird. Also I don't pick up road kill -- UNLESS I have killed them.

I just got off the AGFC site and nothing new has been posted per CWD since Monday. That could change at any time.

Jerry

The 'fit' is starting to hit the 'shan'!!

I couldn't find ANYthing about this on AGFC site BUT on our local ABC news station in L R, they interviewed an officer from AGFC and a local feed producer.

The AGFC is 'considering' banning BAITING of deer Statewide.

Now get this: In all these yrs AND in the last 2015-2016 Hunting Regulation handbook--there is NOTHING pertaining to 'baiting' deer. In yrs. past AGFC has stated "you can not 'bait' deer-meaning you could feed them but deer didn't respond to 'baiting'.

I've read that more than ONCE.

Nothing has been decided YET but they are talking about BANNING ,feeding/baiting deer because of CWD.

I USED TO use corn feeders but NEVER had a stand OVER one. I had them in areas where I hunted but never hunted a bait station. It will NOT affect me but I am/do NOT use feeders where I'm hunting.

It's the principle of the matter. They said,(past) you can't bait deer--NOW they're talking about banning baiting.
all relating to CWD! !

Jerry

In my limited experience baiting is a waste of time for sitting over the bait, except for late season bow hunting. I have 1 feeder where I use rice bran that is a trough with a top to keep it dry, and a game camera. Very seldom do you see a deer in the day time. I keep feed in it year round and a salt lick near that. Others might have different views but that is what I see. I do not have a stand over the feeder. Where natural feed is scarce, baiting might work. I do not know. I do expect the AG&F to change a lot of rules, mostly just to make things seem like they are doing something. I think the only thing is to let it run its course. Deer will gather under their favorite Oak tree just like a bait pile, so nothing will be changed with baiting rules. miles

miles -
I agree about "make it look like they are doing something".

The INconsistency about "baiting" and "can not" bait was too obvious.

Jerry