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

Last PM a TV station in Little Rock, Ar news report said " " take this for what it may/may not be worth.!!

The AGFC reported the FIRST case of CWD in an Elk in the State. The Elk was killed last Oct, N of Jasper Ar. I didn't catch IF they said or not, what symptoms the Elk was showing.

Their plan is to kill @ 300 animals - species not listed - in a 5 mi. Radius and run test for CWD. IF all of those 300 are Elk, it will have some affect on the Elk population.

However, if those 300 are from Elk & WT, it won't have nearly as much affect on both species. They are going to test the corpses & soil content for the disease.

Being the first report it is MUCH to early to know anything about the future of these animals and hunting in Arkansas.

Regardless - it's a BLACK CLOUD looming.

Jerry


edit--to remove an unwanted emoticon (accidental)

The thing about all of this is, it's not IF your state will get it is WHEN will it get there. The game depts go ape $hit crazy and start killing animals like there is no tomorrow and it does nothing.

Report - Confirmed:

I've been on the AGFC web and the TV report IS true. I didn't find anything on AGFC that contradicted the news report.

I did however see that the 300 # includes Wt & Elk. That makes me feel much better---IF IF it's half/half.

Jerry

Just curious, did the case have any association with a captive herd? It seems like the cases I hear about around us all seem to have a link to a deer farm.

noKnees -

A captive herd was NOT mentioned. The Elk was killed in Oct. during a legal hunt.

I haven't 'heard' of any captive 'herd' in Ark. I do know the locals have complained of Elk damage to fences and property. A captive Elk herd would require "SOME KIND" of fence. NOT impossible but expensive.

For the near future I'm going to try to stay on top of this story and will keep this updated - IF POSSIBLE!


Jerry

One of the contributing factors reported in western states was the 'domestic' elk on ranches and game farms were regulated by the agriculture departments and there was little or no communication/coordination with fish and game departments.
Evidently a lot of untested transport and sale occurred followed by some escapes from some of these ranches.

BTW - I am speaking of elk - haven't really followed the deer CWD progression.

Alamosa -

I understood your reference to Elk.

I don't know but it's my understanding that Elk and Deer are equally susceptible to CWD. Also from my understanding for the diseases to transmit between Elk & Deer, they would have to be sharing the same habitat.

I would have said , CO- Habitat, but that would conjure more than I intended. <G>

Jerry

All the first cases of CWD in wild deer up here had game ranches as the source of infection. Despite being warned by numerous biologists of what to expect based on facts from the US our provincial government fools moved ahead. We now have a rather large and expanding area with potential for CWD in wild deer. As stated above our fish cops went on a massive deer cull withoit reding the spread off the disease.


Jerry; I hope this doesn't screw up your cervid ppulations too bad.

All the best GRF

Thank you very much.

So far---there has been only 1 diagnosed case.

Time will tell.

Jerry

More BAD news. Last week the AGFC announced one MORE case of CWD in Ark. This is also in the same general area. This one is a 2 1/2 yr old Doe deer that was found dead.

The first case was in an Elk 'legally' killed during one of the Elk seasons. IMO it was unlikely this elk was part of a 'captive herd'>> UNLESS it had escaped.

No details were given about the doe that found dead. We only know its sex and age AND was in the same general area where the Elk was killed.

AGFC began harvesting (killing) the 300 elk/deer combined last Monday, 3/14/16

That's the latest update so it "SEEMS" it has/is spreading. I hope that the AGFC is able to confine CWD and STOP its spreading.

Jerry

I figure lots of new laws coming. Most likely a ban on baiting, along with rules about disposing of bones. I can't think of others but I am sure the G&F will. miles

miles -

AGFC intelligence>>>>Military intelligence ?

Remind you of anything?


Jerry

Very familiar with both. miles

As usual another f&g dept going ape $hit crazy it is funny how they want to blame everything else i.e. captive herds, head or spine parts brought in . They never think of all the stuff the restock after dragging them half way across the country sure easy to blame everybody else These agencies are ran by desk humpin idiots

A lot of the elk here were brought in from Colorado. Maybe from where they have CWD there. We had no elk until they were re-introduced. They were native here at one time, long ago. They also brought back the beaver, muskrat, and probably coyotes, but not sure of them. They may have just expanded with the deer herd. At one time there was only 2 herds of native deer left in the state. One in Stone county and the other in the lower White River. Lot of deer brought in from who knows where back then. Then they had to stock Alligator to try to control the beaver, muskrat and nutria. They seldom do things in our best interest, although they claim to. Their goal is to try to make things like they though it was, back around 1700, but forget that land use and number of people are way different. miles

Very doubtful it came from the elk and was hidden this long without being detected. The elk are several generations removed from transfer and are generally 'well observed' so it would show up before now. The prion is almost impossible to kill and can live through the digestive tract of a buzzard and crow. Think about that for a minute. A buzzard (which travels over a large area) can carry the prion around with it and excrete it in a previously CWD free zone. Then the prion can sit there essentially forever before being consumed. Even forest fires don't kill is. Also, it can be carried in waterways. Dying animals seek out and frequently die in waterways. It is not a matter if if, but when for CWD infection in a previously uninflected area.

That is the reason I stated earlier that it isnt a matter of IF we get it it is WHEN will states get it. You could eredicate every deer in a given area and it will do nothing to stop the spread. And states reintroducing stuff is all about MONEY plain and simple , looking at more stuff to hunt and selling more tags.

mo -

I understand and 'partly' agree about the money thing.

I say partly because there are those individuals IN the AGFC and many many of us residents that are glad and happy to have Elk living in the State in our lifetimes instead of the distant past.

I have the pamphlet from the very FIRST Elk Hunt in Ark and it gives some details about the restocking. When I have time today I'll quote some of the stats.


Jerry

Wait until some junk scientist decides that AR had gray wolves in 1700.

We did have Red wolves, just a matter of color. I have seen several dead Elk close to the Buffalo River that was decaying, head still intact, so I figure that they had not been tested. I have not spent much time up there and I have seen several, so how many have died that were not tested is anybody's guess. Deer too. miles