The ripple effects of a recent positive test for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in a free-ranging whitetail deer in northern Juniata County is changing regulations in Snyder County as the Pennsylvania Game Commission attempts to slow the spread of the disease.<\/p>\n
\u201cA landowner in Greenwood Township of Juniata County reported a deer acting strange on his property. it was lethargic and laying against his building,\u201d said Bert Einodshofer, a spokesman for the Southcentral region of the game commission. \u201cA warden was dispatched, the animal was euthanized and tested and came up positive for chronic wasting. It was concerning because it was so far away from other positive tests in the state, and the deer was in the clinical stages and likely sick on the land for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n
In response to that \u2014 and another positive test in Perry County found in a roadkill deer \u2014 the game commission extended its Deer Management Area into southern Snyder County, including everything below Route 522. The designation is based on geography of the positive test.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe usually target a five-mile radius from the sample based on deer dispersal, in which young deer can travel upwards of five miles as they mature,\u201d said Einodshofer. \u201cWe use major roadways and other borders to help people get a better idea of where the restrictions start.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among those changes, he said, no one is allowed to feed deer within a DMA.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know some people like to stick out a salt block and see the deer hang out close enough to see, but that is not allowed in this area anymore,\u201d he said. \u201cThe goal is to minimize the potential spread of CWD, and we don\u2019t want deer congregating together any more than necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n
For those who hunt in the DMA region, deer parts associated with CWD can not be transported into non-DMA areas. These portions include the head and spine, Einodshofer said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a lot of home butchers and processors in the central part of the state that may take leftover deer parts and dump them on their land somewhere, but that isn\u2019t allowed anymore,\u201d he said. \u201cWe recommend double-bagging the head and spine and taking them to a land fill. Also, use of natural deer urine as an attractant during hunting is prohibited within a DMA.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chronic Wasting Disease is a prion disorder that affects the brain of an infected deer species, which can include elk, causing a slow degradation and eventual death. There is no cure, and testing cannot be done on a live animal.<\/p>\n
\u201cEarly onset symptoms include loss of the deer\u2019s wild state. They lose their mental faculties, which is why we find a higher number of them hit alongside the road,\u201d Einodshofer said. \u201cAs the disease progresses, the ears begin to droop, the deer starts salivating more and the body and neurological system breaks down as it becomes more and more weak and emaciated.\u201d<\/p>\n
Einodshofer added that there has been no scientific connection between chronic wasting in deer and any human contraction of the disorder, but the game commission still strongly recommends that people don\u2019t eat the meat of any animals that test positive for the condition.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should take extra precaution until the animal is tested. If you hunt in a group with others, I\u2019d wait to grind up the meat and combine it with others in the group until you know all the harvested deer are clear of chronic wasting,\u201d Einodshofer said, adding that the game commission is looking into allotting extra antlerless deer permits in the DMA region as a way to help slow the spread of the potential condition.<\/p>\n
The situation is concerning for area hunters as they learn about the restrictions and weigh whether or not they\u2019ll continue hunting deer that may have some connection to CWD.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, I\u2019m not sure if the commission\u2019s plans will do what they think \u2014 there is no real state-owned public land in this region. It is mostly posted private land,\u201d said Dale Maneval, who hunts his family farm outside of Mount Pleasant Mills. \u201cI\u2019m not real acquainted with the disease itself, but from what I\u2019ve heard, there is no real way to control it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maneval plans to research the topic and watch how the game commission handles the situation between now and hunting season before changing his hunting strategies.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m likely going to hunt the way I usually do, but it is probably going to change what I do with the meat,\u201d he said. \u201cIf they come out and say they don\u2019t want you eating the meat, it goes against what I have been taught that you don’t just kill an animal without planning to use the meat.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the game commission only recommends not eating the meat of animals that test positive for chronic wasting, Maneval admits being leery of the agency\u2019s ability to efficiently test all harvested deer conclusively.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s say that 5,000 deer are killed on opening day this year in Snyder and Juniata counties \u2014 there is no testing that can handle all of that,\u201d he said. \u201cUltimately, I\u2019ll probably still eat the meat of deer I kill locally, but I\u2019ll likely change how I do up a deer as a safety precaution.\u201d<\/p>\n
Troy Bowersox, who hunts family land in the northern part of the county, is definitely concerned about the disease hitting closer to home.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m definitely not looking forward to this issue being in our area,\u201d he said. \u201cI need to research it more, but if it is bad, I\u2019ll probably stop hunting here.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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