Chronic Wasting Disease -Use of deer urine as hunting lure could spread it

[WhiteFeather]

Something for everyone that uses this as hunting lure to consider it continued use.

http://ydr.inyork.com/ci_13493624?IA...ydr.inyork.com

Game Commission: Use of deer urine as hunting lure could spread CWD
By GARY R. BLOCKUS
The (Allentown) Morning Call

Updated: 10/06/2009 10:08:55 AM EDT


PHILADELPHIA -- Thousands of hunters who took to Pennsylvania's woods and fields for the archery antlered deer season opener last Saturday may have unintentionally poisoned the state's deer herd.

Walt Cottrell sounded the alarm loud and clear on Monday morning during the opening session of the two-day quarterly meetings of the Pennsylvania Game Commission at the Holiday Inn near the Sports Complex.

Cottrell, the Wildlife Veterinarian for the Pennsylvania Game Commission, gave a presentation on Chronic Wasting Disease, a disease that affects members of the Cervidae family, which includes deer and elk.

The always fatal disease of the nervous system causes wasting of the body and decreases lifespan in cervids, and has been found as close to the Pennsylvania border as Hampshire County in West Virginia, which is 25 miles away, and Oneida County in New York, which is 80 miles from the border.

No cases of CWD have been identified in Pennsylvania, but the disease has been found in 15 states and two Canadian provinces. One of the ways it is spread is through deer urine, which archery deer hunters and some firearms deer hunters use as both a lure and masking scent.

"Saskatchewan has already banned urine lures and nine states are considering it," Cottrell told the members of the commission.

Commissioner Thomas E. Boop of Lycoming County, stating that nine out of 10 archery hunters in Pennsylvania use deer urine as a lure, asked if there is a way for manufacturers to certify that urine is CWD free, but Cottrell said there is not.
"I think a lot of hunters haven't thought about this," said Boop, who asked that the commission issue a warning about using deer urine as soon as possible.

PGC president Gregory J. Isabella of Philadelphia, who represents the Southeast Region, said that he is an archery hunter who has used deer urine in the past, but will stop using it immediately.

Cottrell said he would recommend and support an immediate ban on the use of deer urine, as well as the feeding of deer with food that may have been grown in contaminated soil from other states.

Currently, it is unknown how long the CWD prions, the altered proteins that carry the disease, remain active. Oneida County in New York is the only area affected by CWD that has successfully stopped its spread, but that area where the disease was found has been quarantined.

First identified in Colorado in 1967, CWD has been found in Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, South Dakota, Montana, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Utah, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Wyoming and the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Cottrell detailed that CWD is spread through deer saliva and human behavior. While CWD has yet to rear its ugly destruction in Pennsylvania, Cottrell and others at the third annual CWD Symposium in Utah this past summer figure it's only a matter of time before it crosses into Penn's Woods.

The disease is spread from one deer to another through saliva and other bodily fluids, along with food that has grown in CWD-contaminated soil. The proteins that carry CWD are excreted in both feces and urine, and once they reach the soil, according to Cottrell, become 700 times more infectious.

Earlier this year, PGC Executive Director Carl Roe issued an executive order that prohibits hunters from bringing back specifics parts from deer, elk and moose that are harvested in the 15 states and two Canadian provinces that are contaminated.

The prohibition does not include the importation of meat without the backbone, cleaned skull plate with attached antlers, tanned hide and cape if brain or spinal tissue are not present, and finished taxidermy mounts.

As far as is known, CWD is not like Mad Cow disease in that it does not spread through the meat of the animal, and as far as is known, is limited to cervids.

[Rosco the Iroc]

But alot are made from other animals pee like Fox.

[Dredly]

stating that nine out of 10 archery hunters in Pennsylvania use deer urine as a lure, asked if there is a way for manufacturers to certify that urine is CWD free, but Cottrell said there is not.

wanna bet? I'd love to see where they got that bullshit fact from.

I also love how there have been no examples of CWD in PA. I know a LOT of people that would contest that, but the PGC is always a few years behind hunters... how long did it take for them to admit there were Mountain Lions and Bobcat in PA even though there was extensive documented proof?

Saying that CWD is in PA would reduce hunting numbers and cause outrage from hunters and non-hunters alike... Hunters would be pissed because they can't get to where the deer are and the horrible deer management, non-hunters are going to go nuts because the deer are allowed to infect each other and their pretty deer that they feed are going to look like zombies and die a horrible death which the PGC should have protected them from

[R.W.J]

The PGC has never denied the Bobcats or coyotes being present in the state, heck some game news from the 30's talk about the presence of both. The PGC has said there is no evidence of wild Mtn Lions in the state but we do investigate every incident called into us. So far nobody has produced scat, hair or anything else that provides proof.

[Dredly]

The PGC has never denied the Bobcats or coyotes being present in the state, heck some game news from the 30's talk about the presence of both. The PGC has said there is no evidence of wild Mtn Lions in the state but we do investigate every incident called into us. So far nobody has produced scat, hair or anything else that provides proof.

so what about CWD... you support that there has never been an instance of it in PA?

[AxiTech]

The PGC has never denied the Bobcats or coyotes being present in the state, heck some game news from the 30's talk about the presence of both. The PGC has said there is no evidence of wild Mtn Lions in the state but we do investigate every incident called into us. So far nobody has produced scat, hair or anything else that provides proof.

My Dad's cousin has a picture of a mountain lion in his backyard, in Kennerdell, PA. Thje picture was taken Easter morning in '81. Clear as a bell, there it was. Game Warden stated it looks like a dog. For some reason, I don't tend to trust folks who work for or represent .gov entities. No offense meant, but just because I might be paranoid doesn't necessarily rule out the fact that , they are out to get us.
As for CWD, I haven't seen it, but I have seen the 'maps' of where they admit it 'is'. I don't see how it CAN'T be here seeing as how it has us basically surrounded. Sorry, but I think PGC is in "ass covering" mode on this one.

[R.W.J]

so what about CWD... you support that there has never been an instance of it in PA?

I know that all the regional office garages are converted into CWD sample labs every year. Biologist that go to deer processors bring heads back to be tested for CWD. and every Elk harvested gets tested. to date we havent had a positive result, but it is a samle sample size in comparison to the statwide deer herd.

There has been CWD found in NY and in WV so the likelyhood that it is here in some form would be logically sound. However it hasnt been turned up thru testing here yet.

Also I almost forgot, every deer that appears sick that we dispatch also gets tested.

[Plinker]

As for CWD, I haven't seen it, but I have seen the 'maps' of where they admit it 'is'. I don't see how it CAN'T be here seeing as how it has us basically surrounded. Sorry, but I think PGC is in "ass covering" mode on this one.

True that. I practically walked up to a couple of bedded deer while hunting a few years ago in Pike county. They did get up and slowly bound off when I got within 40 yds. of them. I walked over to where they were laying and both beds were full of foamy looking drool. I happened to have my camera and I took pics. Researching, I found that these deer had many symptoms associated with CWD. I sent pics to PGC, to the outdoor writers of the local newspapers, PA Outdoors(WNEP TV).I carried the pics around in my truck with me for 3 years.Everytime iI ran into PGC personel, I would ask their opinion. Everybody was mum. The best response was from DCNR people I found in a diner one day."What county did you find these deer!" he said sternly. "Pike", I said." Oh as long as it wasn't Monroe." he said. "That's not our district. Besides, we're in the timber business. The less deer, the better."
CWD in Pennsylvania? I think it's here.

Plinker

[R.W.J]

What Are the Symptoms of CWD?

Cases of CWD occur most commonly in adult animals, but also in yearlings. The disease is progressive and always fatal.

The most obvious and consistent clinical sign is weight loss over time. CWD affected animals continue to eat but amounts of feed consumed are reduced, leading to gradual loss of body condition. Excessive drinking and urination are common in the terminal stages.

Behavioral changes also occur in the majority of cases, including decreased interactions with other animals, listlessness, lowering of the head, blank facial expression and repetitive walking in set patterns. In elk, behavioral changes may also include hyper-excitability and nervousness. Excessive salivation, drooling and grinding of the teeth also are observed.

Clinical signs of CWD alone are not conclusive. There are other maladies that have symptoms that mimic those of CWD. Currently, the only conclusive diagnosis involves an examination of the brain, tonsils or lymph nodes performed after death.


http://www.cwd-info.org/index.php/fu...cd0bb2b8f4dcc6

[Dredly]

What Are the Symptoms of CWD?

Cases of CWD occur most commonly in adult animals, but also in yearlings. The disease is progressive and always fatal.

The most obvious and consistent clinical sign is weight loss over time. CWD affected animals continue to eat but amounts of feed consumed are reduced, leading to gradual loss of body condition. Excessive drinking and urination are common in the terminal stages.

Behavioral changes also occur in the majority of cases, including decreased interactions with other animals, listlessness, lowering of the head, blank facial expression and repetitive walking in set patterns. In elk, behavioral changes may also include hyper-excitability and nervousness. Excessive salivation, drooling and grinding of the teeth also are observed.

Clinical signs of CWD alone are not conclusive. There are other maladies that have symptoms that mimic those of CWD. Currently, the only conclusive diagnosis involves an examination of the brain, tonsils or lymph nodes performed after death.


http://www.cwd-info.org/index.php/fu...cd0bb2b8f4dcc6

I know that CWD (in theory) can't be passed to humans but what happens if you eat the meat? Most deer are very listless and have blank expressions on their faces after I shoot them