Update on CWD Issue

E

Ezelkyhunter

10 pointer
Nov 28, 2013
1,522
predator1 said:
It’s like Covid. It’s communicable, and deer are social like us humans. It’s coming, and probably already here. Just hasn’t been found.
Click to expand...

I tend to agree. I can’t Imagine it’s not here already. Hopeful it doesn’t just destroy the herd etc.
 
WaterDog88

WaterDog88

12 pointer
Jul 28, 2008
2,279
Kentucky
I'd say they will find it this year with the expansion of drop stations throughout the state.

I know they say it's not transmissible to humans but for me personally if you said there was only one cow in a field of cows with mad cow disease I wouldn't want to eat any of them. Same goes for deer
 
Feedman

Feedman

Cyber-Hunter
May 28, 2003
18,832
In the basement
I wonder if they will next propose to lower the population of deer in the area. More tags, longer seasons for bow, firearm, ML, crossbow, etc.
 
6

6 point 92

6 pointer
Nov 13, 2012
142
hunting has always been a big part of my life, deer hunting is where it started for me in the early 90s. CWD scares me to death and what it could potentially do to our deer population. I hunt over bait some, and some places i would rather hunt trails natural food sources etc... My biggest fear stemming from a bait ban is low success rates and an overall decline in hunters. The average 9-5 guy who works mon-fri has weekends, the guys pushing 50 hrs per week plus have even less time. Some will be bow/crossbow hunters, but what about the ones who strictly gun hunt? This will definitely lower the success rate for them. I believe a bait ban could potentially do more harm than good in the future. But who knows. A bait ban is the first step at trying to stop the spread. I think there will also be a negative economic impact. A lot of feed was bought from small businesses. I hope a bait ban is the right choice.
 
B

bdbrown66

8 pointer
Oct 18, 2013
854
6 point 92 said:
hunting has always been a big part of my life, deer hunting is where it started for me in the early 90s. CWD scares me to death and what it could potentially do to our deer population. I hunt over bait some, and some places i would rather hunt trails natural food sources etc... My biggest fear stemming from a bait ban is low success rates and an overall decline in hunters. The average 9-5 guy who works mon-fri has weekends, the guys pushing 50 hrs per week plus have even less time. Some will be bow/crossbow hunters, but what about the ones who strictly gun hunt? This will definitely lower the success rate for them. I believe a bait ban could potentially do more harm than good in the future. But who knows. A bait ban is the first step at trying to stop the spread. I think there will also be a negative economic impact. A lot of feed was bought from small businesses. I hope a bait ban is the right choice.
Click to expand...
Long before CWD was a thing, I grew up hunting in Ohio. Baiting of any kind was illegal, but plenty of deer get killed every year, including some absolute monsters. Yes, you might have to think of a better strategy than sitting on top of a big corn pile, but you can certainly be successful. I kill multiple deer every year, without baiting.
 
riverboss

riverboss

12 pointer
Jan 26, 2009
8,660
northern ky
The rut has more to do with gun hunting success, it will hurt archery the most.
Small business that count on corn sales will go belly up in alot of places, I've killed a heck of alot of deer without corn but use it alittle to hold does depending on where I hunt.
Alot of people will just stop deer hunting because they don't know how to hunt without it.
But I bet the turkey population increases.
 
B

Brown Dogs Matter

12 pointer
Jun 7, 2004
2,409
Louisville, KY.
I'm no longer a KY resident, but the TN county in question is about three miles from me by road - less if I'm a deer jumping fences and creeks. Since we depend on deer for the bulk of our ground red meat, the existence of CWD so close is concerning. The only good news is that the infected deer was evidently found on the west side of Henry County, since Weakley County was included in the new regs for TN. That's a little further away from me, but still too close.

As far as baiting goes - it's not allowed in TN. And, we have a significantly longer gun season than KY. I live in Unit L, which has five WEEKS of modern firearm for regular season. There's also a five day antlerless gun season immediately after regular season closes. And "antlerless" has a very different meaning here in TN. Instead of visible polished antlers being the definition for an antlered deer, TN says the deer has to have at least one antler that is three inches long. Anything else is considered antlerless.

Bag limits are crazy, too. I can take two bucks a year, plus unlimited does. In what amounts to six weeks of firearm season. I really don't understand how TN has any deer left at all, to be honest. And in Unit CWD, which is almost all the counties west of me, the rules are even more liberal. I don't recall exactly, but they can use modern firearms for the velvet hunt (last weekend in August) and I think they get a bonus buck for every three does killed and tested for CWD. Might be off a bit on that, but I don't hunt that unit.

In related news, TN is hiring for the deer program coordinator right now.
 
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