DNR plans swift actions to tackle Chronic Wasting Disease

Between 700 and 800 local hunters turned out for the DNR’s special meeting in Preston on December 15 to address their Chronic Wasting Disease response plan. The DNR had only expected about 400 people at the meeting, so by the time the meeting began, extra chairs had been brought into the gym as there was standing room only.

“We hope to be on the front end of this infection. Our goal is to eliminate the disease,” began Dr. Michelle Carstensen. She explained that the DNR’s plan is to limit deer to deer contact through a recreational feeding ban in Fillmore, Mower, Olmsted, Houston, and Winona counties and a special hunt that will go from December 31 to January 15. Mandatory testing for Chronic Wasting Disease and a carcass export restriction will be imposed.

“The goal is to sample 900 adult deer that are over 1.5 years of age to provide us with 99% confidence that the disease prevalence is not greater than 0.5%,” Dr. Carstensen added. “We’re not attempting to eradicate the deer. That’s not practical, feasible, or necessary.”

Chronic Wasting Disease is a Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies/TSE or Prion Disease that is not caused by virus, fungus, or bacteria. It cannot be transmitted to humans or cattle. It is a neurological disease that causes dementia, uncoordination, abnormal behavior, and loss of body condition. There is no treatment or vaccine, and the disease is always fatal. It is spread though saliva, urine, and feces, and the infection can remain in the environment for an unknown length of time. The incubation period is 1.5-3 years, thus the testing of deer over 1.5 years of age.

CWD was first discovered in Minnesota at a domestic elk farm in Aitkin in 2002. Since then, 12,823 samples have been taken in Southeast Minnesota to monitor for the disease. Surveillance was increased this year in response to a larger number of infections on Allamakee County, Iowa, and several bordering Wisconsin counties.
The testing found two positive deer between Lanesboro and Preston. Both were bucks and were shot approximately a mile apart by different hunters at different times. Neither appeared to be sick, which meant that the exposure was recent.

The special hunt will be allowed on the newly formed CWD Zone 603 which covers much of Fillmore County. If more positives are found during the testing, the zone will expand.

Hunters are asked to respect private property and get permission from landowners before hunting. Harvested deer, including fawns, must be presented at one of the five registration stations within 24 hours of being shot. Every deer over a year and a half old will be tested for CWD and will have to remain within the zone until a negative test result has come back. A refrigerated trailer will be available in Preston to hold carcasses for hunters who are without a location to keep them in the zone. Testing will take up to four business days.

The registration stations will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day during the special hunt and will be located at Magnum Sports in Chatfield, Oak Meadow Meats in Harmony, Lanesboro Fisheries Office in Lanesboro, the Preston Forestry Office in Preston, and Goodies and Gas in Wykoff.

The special hunt is open to residents in the zone as well as non-residents, and the antler point restriction regulation will be removed during that time. Hunters will be allowed to harvest male and female deer with no bag limit. They must have a hunting license and disease management permits will be available for $2.50, which covers the cost of issuing the permit.

If the goal of 900 deer are not sampled during the special hunt, the DNR will utilize USDA sharpshooting contracts to complete the harvest. All of the harvested deer that test negative will then be donated for human consumption to avoid waste.

The presentation from the DNR stated that, “The potential to eliminate CWD from Southeast Minnesota requires aggressive and swift actions. This goal is not attainable without the cooperation of hunters and landowners. If CWD becomes established here, it will remain a significant health threat to the deer herd locally and statewide. Only through working together can we hope to successfully fight CWD and maintain a health and productive deer herd for future generations.”

Written questions from the audience were answered by the DNR at the conclusion of the presentation.

When asked why the DNR has not done more to stop the spread of CWD across state lines, Dr. Lou Cornicelli answered that while they do ban carcasses from being moved across state lines, there is only so much that can be done to enforce that regulation.

Another audience member asked why the DNR was planning a special hunt, as only 0.0007% of the deer in the zone tested positive for CWD, a question that was met with applause from the audience. Dr. Cornicelli replied that the DNR was being aggressive with their methods to prevent the spread of CWD, as the percentage of infected deer increases annually across the county and spread to a larger geographical area.

“I get that no one here is real happy with this,” he continued. “We’re not either, but we have this situation in front of us, and the responsible thing to do is to deal with it.”

The next question accepted asked why the DNR isn’t being more proactive to stop the spread of CWD.

“I’m getting two different questions. Why aren’t we being proactive enough and why are we being so proactive,” Dr. Cornicelli pointed out. “You have to pick one. We cannot stop the yearly migration of adult males.”

The DNR staff were available to answer questions informally after the meeting. Information can be found and questions asked on the DNR website, www.dnr.minnesota.gov/cwd. The presentation from the meeting is posted on the website as well.