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

. More Bad News. ! !

Just now at 10 PM news the AGFC says the no. of CWD cases is UP to 82.

That includes 4 MORE Elk.

They also listed a couple more counties. I've been busy today and haven't been on their site. So I'm not sure which counties are added. Tomorrow I'll try to find this latest report and post it.

Some of these ' I think ' came from road kill but I'm not sure how many came back positive from samples sent for testing.

Again, my biggest concern is the number of Elk.

More tomorrow.

Jerry

Yeah, it's bad, and it's been here for quite a while. It's probably crossed the state borders as well.

I really hope they thin the elk herd. It could easily stand a 50% reduction, and would give a lot of in state hunters a chance at drawing. I'm not afraid to eat a healthy looking elk I butcher myself. I hope I get the chance.

If they decide to do that, it will be G&F personnel that will do the thinning. If you think they are in it for the people that pay their wages, think again. Since there is no cure, they just need to let nature take care of it. They will either die or develop immunity, but it is more fun for the G&F for them to kill the animals. miles

kodiak -

I don't expect them to 'thin' the herd, at least thru public hunting. From what I've "read" from them, they are not 'expecting' to change the season or bag limit "for this year".

We'll see what they do.

Jerry

This is ALL I've found from AGFC this AM.


CWD the topic of statewide public meetings this month

Date 05/06/2016
Description
LITTLE ROCK – Eleven public meetings will be held throughout the state May 24 and May 26 to discuss chronic wasting disease and the regulations being proposed by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission in an effort to manage the disease.

To date, 82 cases of CWD have been found in Arkansas deer and four more in elk. Currently, the disease has been detected in four counties: Newton, Madison, Pope and Boone. The AGFC continues to collect roadkill samples statewide to send off for testing out of state.
--------------------------------

I'll search more later today.

Jerry

I found just a little bit more today: This was in the same release but several pp farther down.


05/06/2016
AGFC

The AGFC also has scheduled a one-hour broadcast on AETN at 8 p.m., May 23, with a panel discussion about CWD. The agency also will be sending CWD information and deer season regulation proposals by email to the state’s licensed hunters.
--------------------------------

This public broadcast 'might' be informative.

I'm interested in the 'regulation proposals' they will post.

Jerry

Here's why I don't think the public with get the chance to reduce the Elk herd in the name of CWD research/reduction.

Earlier this year the G & F took samples (killed) 300 deer & Elk to test for CWD.

I saw,read, heard NOTHING about special hunt permits for either species in the taking of these 300 animals. WHO do ya think had the JOB of hunting those deer/elk?

IF they decide to reduce the Elk herd-- I HOPE, they open it so that the RESIDENT hunters have the 'privilege'.

I'm NOT holding my breath.

Whoever is allowed to 'harvest' these will 'somehow' have to wait for the tests results BEFORE being allowed to eat them.


Jerry

If it was not looking sick when I shot it, and everything looked good while butchering, I would not be afraid to eat the boned meat. I would be careful about my boning technique. miles

Miles

I agree BUT I was talking about the scenario IF we are allowed to hunt/kill Elk per the CWD testing....
I think 'they' would restrict/regulate the consumption till AFTER the test results were in.

Jerry

LOOK What I Noticed--- Posted on P 7




From yesterday:
To date, 82 cases of CWD have been found in Arkansas deer and four more in elk.
--------------------------------
82 cases in WT

+ 4 MORE in elk
..................86 TOTAL cases//// 7 Elk total


Jerry

edited TWICE to edit: getting my 'stuff' together.

NOTHING NEW.

I've been checking AGFC frequently and listening to local TV news and I've seen/heard nothing new. However there is an interesting post per CWD in General Big Game forum. I thot I'd post it here for any interested that haven't read it on that forum.
****************
Re: Chronic Wasting Disease Has Reached Europe [Re: mudhen]
KC Online content
Campfire Guide

Registered: 03/22/01
Posts: 4695
Loc: Colorado Springs, Colorado USA
Actually there is nothing new about Chronic Wasting Disease. It has been around since biblical times. It's just the name and identification that is new. CWD in wild cervids, mad cow disease, Scrapies in sheep and goats,

***and Creutzfelt Yakob disease in humans,***

are all the same disease. Scrapies has been around as long as men have herded sheep and goats. It's only that people are beginning to notice the rare disease in other animals and humans that it has become renown.

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/nervou...ng_disease.html
"CWD is a member of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) family of diseases, or prion diseases, that includes bovine spongiform encephalopathy; scrapie of sheep and goats; transmissible mink encephalopathy; and kuru, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), and variant CJD of people."

It's often associated with cannibalism. Creutzfeldt Yakob disease was first identified in the 19th century in native cannibals living in the south Pacific and east Indies. The cause of mad cow disease was identified as stemming from placing the remains of dead cattle in cattle feed.

It also seems to be more prevalent in herds of animals living in confined spaces. This leads researchers to believe that cannibalism is not the only means of transmission.

KC


The following short quote comes from The Wildlife Society News Bulletin:

IN this longer report Matthew Dunfee said,

"Because there's no known management technique to eradicate CWD, the name of the game is not to eradicate CWD, it is to manage it."

Mr. Dunfee goes on to talk about CWD in Arkansas.


Jerry

This press release occurred yesterday. I'm trying to copy/paste only the pertinent parts of CWD.


Date 05/19/2016
Description
LITTLE ROCK – The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission approved general hunting regulations concerning small game, furbearers, migratory birds and turkeys for the 2016-17 hunting season at today’s meeting. They also heard the first proposals from wildlife management staff on a set of special proposals concerning deer hunting and management of chronic wasting disease in Arkansas.
---------------------------------------------------

Prohibit the feeding of wildlife statewide, with exceptions for bird feeders and other types of feeding that do not concentrate deer.

Allow deer and elk hunting with the use of bait Oct. 1-Dec. 31, statewide.

Prohibit the use of scents and lures that contain natural cervid urine, effective January 1, 2017.

Prohibit the rehabilitation of deer statewide.

Establish a CWD management zone in counties with known positives and those close to known positives.
Establish a private land CWD management program in the CWD management zone to allow **landowners** to take additional deer off their property to reduce deer density and slow the spread of the disease.

Prohibit the transport of certain portions of cervid carcasses outside the CWD management zone. This will allow only deboned meat, cleaned skull plates, hides, teeth and taxidermy products to be transported out of the CWD management zone.

Allow button bucks to be checked as antlerless deer in deer zones and WMAs within the CWD management zone.

>*Remove the three-point rule and increase the bag limit from four to five deer and the antlerless bag limit to three with firearms in deer zones 1 and 2.


Liberalize deer season on Bearcat Hollow, Buffalo National River, Gene Rush, Ozark National Forest, Piney Creeks, Sweden Creek Natural Area and White Rock WMAs.

Establish a core elk management zone of Boone, Carroll, Madison, Newton and Searcy counties,

and ---allow hunters to harvest any elk found outside these counties during deer season.---


-*-*Require all elk harvested to be submitted for CWD testing.
Increase the private land antlerless elk quota in the core elk management zone from 24 to 40.

Create a non-commercial hunting enclosure permit for high-fenced facilities, and require those facilities to submit CWD samples for all deer that die within the respective facility, allow annual inspections, and maintain accurate deer harvest records. There would also be a moratorium on the issuance of new permits after July 1, 2017.


>*>*>*All CWD-related proposals will be voted on in June, and Commissioners stressed that altering these proposals is still likely. ! ! !



Regulations concerning CWD management will be presented at public meetings throughout the state May 24 and 26, as well as a special live call-in show airing at 8 p.m., May 23 on AETN.

Meetings on May 24 and 26 also will be streamed live on the AGFC’s YouTube channel.



“One thing we know is we will not be successful without the support of deer hunters and the general public, said Steve Cook, chairman of the regulations committee. “If we fail to develop and implement an effective control program, we risk the future of deer hunting along with all of the social and economic benefits wild deer and elk provide to the people.”
--------------

There are a LOT of proposals of interest here and have NOT been enacted into game laws YET.


Jerry

There are 2 things in this latest press release I find interesting.

To allow ANY Elk outside of the 5 counties to be killed by licensed hunters During Deer season. I had not expected that possibility.

Also to increase the 'harvest' from 24 to 40 antlerless elk IN the private land Elk management area. That's new based upon AGFC saying they didn't anticipate an increase in the bag limit.

These things have not been adopted YET but it also indicates they are NOT considering a large reduction of the Elk population.


Jerry

There has been nothing new released this week from AGFC on the subject of CWD. However I was able to participate in a survey from AGFC on the Proposals listed above, released 5-19-16.

They asked a ? or 2 on each proposal and invited comments for EACH one. I answered from MY perspective and opinions SO I'm sure the majority will have different opinions. I don't know whether they will give any consideration or not but I took advantage of the opportunity.


First I suggested that 'feeding' not baiting be allowed December thru February to help deer/Elk during Winter. I reminded them of our ICE/SNOW Dec 99-Jan 2000.

Their opposition to rehabilitation focused on relocation of rehabbed animals to different counties. I suggested those animals be returned to their home counties.

I opposed the CWD management areas for PRIVATE landowners. I said I felt that would 'encourage' land owners to 'claim' ownership of said deer/elk.

I opposed noticeably the legalization of 'button' bucks to be checked as 'antlerless' deer. I feel that would ONLY encourage MORE fawns, especially, buck fawns being killed.

This survey specified Elk killed out of the 5 counties named during deer season be 'antlerless' instead of ANY elk as listed in the proposal. I questioned WHY bulls could NOT be killed also.

I vigorously opposed ANY high fence hunting enclosure whether commercial or NOT!!


Those were the more important issues that I 'remember'. It may have been a waste of time effort but it made me FEEL better.

Jerry

Here's the latest from AGFC on CWD proposals. The following proposals will be voted on 6/24/16.

The following is fairly long and I've edited it to pertinent info on CWD. I just learned of these newest - modified- proposals and haven't had time to scrutinize the list.



AGFC modifies proposals for CWD management

Date 06/16/2016
Description
EL DORADO –The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission heard modified proposals to help slow the spread of chronic wasting disease in Arkansas at its June meeting today at the El Dorado Chamber of Commerce.

“Almost all of the questions and concerns we have received focus on the elimination of supplemental feeding on a statewide basis,” said AGFC Chief of Staff Jeff Crow. “We have modified that proposal to only apply to the 10 counties in our proposed CWD management zone.”

The following modified proposals will be voted on during a June 24 special meeting of the Commission:

(>>>>10 counties in a CWD Mangesment Zone<<<<)
· Establish a CWD management zone consisting of Boone, Carroll, Johnson, Logan, Madison, Marion, Newton, Pope, Searcy and Yell counties.
· Prohibit feeding within the CWD management zone, except:
o Baiting will be allowed Oct. 1-Dec. 31 for hunting.
o Food plots will be allowed.
o Incidental feeding of wildlife during active livestock operations will be allowed.
o Backyard bird feeding will be allowed.
o Grain scattered or distributed from normal agricultural practices will be allowed.
o Feeding of wildlife by hand (e.g. ducks at the pond) will be allowed.
o Bait for AGFC-approved management, research and control of wildlife will be allowed.
· Issue extra deer tags to landowners within the CWD management zone, to help decrease deer density. Hunters using these tags will be required to submit samples of harvested deer for CWD testing.
· Deer and elk killed within the CWD management zone must remain within that zone, except:
o Deboned meat
o Cleaned skull plates
o Hides
o Teeth
o Taxidermy products
· Prohibit scents and lures containing natural deer urine statewide.
· Prohibit rehabilitation of deer statewide.
· Liberalize season structure on public and private land where CWD is present by lifting antler restrictions and increasing bag limits.

(>>>>STILL 5 Counties in a 'core' elk managemnt area<<<<)

· Establish a core elk management area consisting of Boone, Carroll, Madison, Newton and Searcy counties.
o Hunters outside of the core elk management zone may take <<<any elk >>>they see while deer hunting with a limit of one elk, either sex.
o Increase the quota on private land elk hunting within the core elk management zone.
· All elk harvested statewide must be submitted for CWD testing.
· Create a non-commercial hunting enclosure permit for all high-fence deer facilities.
o Require CWD samples from all deer that die in these facilities.
o Require annual inspections in these facilities.
o Require facilities to maintain accurate harvest records.
o No new permits will be issued after July 1, 2017.
The Commission is expected to make an official vote on these regulations during a special meeting June 24. The Commission will continue to accept public comments on proposed regulations via online survey at www.agfc.com.

In other business, the Commission:

· Elected Fred Brown of Corning commission chairman and Steve Cook of Malvern commission vice-chairman, effective July 1, 2016;
_____________________

Jerry

This afternoon I checked AGFC for any news on CWD. There was NO new release at all. Tonight at 10 PM, Little Rock TV 7 reported that AGFC passed 12 of the proposals but didn't list them.

Tomorrow I'll check to see IF they have published the details. It's aggravating to me that there will be nothing on their web site and the news media will report developments before AGFC posts them on the site.

We'll see what I can find in the AM.


Jerry

Sure Enuff the new details of their meeting and proposals were on the site, 'dated' 6/24/16


AGFC passes special regulations to slow disease

Date 06/24/2016
Description
LITTLE ROCK – Commissioners voted unanimously today during special meeting to approve a Chronic Wasting Disease Management Zone made up of Boone, Carroll, Johnson, Logan, Madison, Marion, Newton, Pope, Searcy and Yell counties.

CWD has been found in--- five of these counties--- since first being discovered in Arkansas in late February. The AGFC has circulated proposals to slow the spread of the disease for the last month through 11 public meetings throughout the state, a live call-in show on AETN and an electronic survey at agfc.com.

Feeding wildlife will be prohibited within the 10-county CWD management zone. However, baiting for the purpose of hunting will be allowed September 1 through December 31, when more than 95 percent of Arkansas’s deer harvest takes place.

“We opened the time frame up slightly to include September because we have three urban hunts within the CWD management zone which open in September,” said Brad Carner, AGFC chief of wildlife management. “Baiting is a useful tool to increase the harvest in these areas where we need to reduce deer density.”

Food plots are not included in the feeding prohibition, nor are backyard bird-feeding stations, hand-feeding of wildlife or normal agricultural or livestock practices.

The AGFC will issue--- extra deer tags--- to landowners near known CWD-positive cases to help reduce deer density.

“Landowners do not have to harvest additional deer, but samples from all deer harvested through these CWD management tags will be required.” Carner said.

Transportation of deer and elk harvested within the CWD management zone also will be restricted. Only deboned meat, cleaned skulls, antlers, teeth, hides and taxidermy products may be removed from the CWD management zone.

“Hunters will be allowed to transport the whole deer or elk within the 10-county zone to take them home or to a processor, but will not be allowed to leave the zone with anything but the approved portions of the animal,” Carner said.

Hunting limits will be increased within deer zones where CWD has been found. An additional doe will be allowed during modern gun season--- and the three-point rule will be removed in those zones (deer zones 1 and 2)--- to help increase harvest. Button bucks in those zones will be counted as antlerless deer to promote harvest.

Scents and lures using natural deer and elk urine will be prohibited statewide.

The rehabilitation of deer will be prohibited statewide. Recent research has indicated that at least 75 percent of rehabilitated fawns die within 100 days of release. With only 100 or so fawns rehabilitated per year, such low survival was not enough to warrant the risk of spreading CWD throughout the state.

“With CWD being present in yearlings we’ve sampled, it’s possible that a fawn infected with CWD may go to a rehabber and be reintroduced to a new area and spread the disease,” Carner said. “It’s also possible that the fawn may contaminate the facility and any deer rehabbed there later could get the disease.”

Hunters outside of Boone, Carroll, Madison, Newton and Searcy counties--- may now harvest any elk they see during regular deer hunting season with a limit of one, either sex.--- This is to contain the elk to the current range and prevent them from spreading CWD to any new areas. All hunters who kill elk will be required to submit a sample for CWD testing as well.

A proposal to create a non-commercial hunting enclosure permit for high-fence deer facilities was tabled.
*********************************************

All in all - CWD has ONLY been found in 5 counties (so far). Since they've been sampling road killed deer in a much larger area, I think this is good news.

The only thing I am not happy about is button bucks IN the CWD zone will be counted as 'antlerless' deer. At least that is NOT statewide.

Jerry

I hope we don't get it in Texas. powdr

Yeah but we all know that there will be hunters that will not follow along, and bone out their meat before hauling it to another part of the State, and then throw the bones on the side of the road somewhere or off of a bridge. It is just a matter of time now before it spreads. People will see to it, regardless of how much it is explained to them. miles

you can bet you already got it just haven't found it yet!!