CWD in 119

[mulecrazy]

Well, for any of the other southern alberta mulie hunters, expect a bigger gong show this coming fall. I have it from a very reliable source that 1 case of CWD was found in 119 not far from the eagle butte road. Hopefully our people in power realize the failure of past culls and leave them alone. Anyone who has hunted their for the last 10 years can already see the results from their rediculous increase in tag numbers.

[Bulletproof]

i saw that too... Why would someone submit a head from there if it wasnt one of the mandatory areas? Now the bios in Medicine hat have all the ammo they need to keep the tag numbers through the roof!

[220swifty]

It really has gotten sickening seeing the trophy quality in almost all our typical mulie zones getting hammered.

[Springer]

I would like to see CWD tests done in all WMU's of A.B so we can see how widespread it could possibly be. As far as the cull, well if you dont put up a game proof fence all around the province, remove every single Deer then start over its a waste of time. As long as one single animal carries it and is able to pass it on the inevitable will happen.

Whats the possibilities that CWD has been here for many years and we have only started testing for it after the Game farming of Deer and Elk when it was discovered. Is it possible Mother nature has been taking care of the sick ones all along and the coyotes,wolves,cougars ravens etc has been helping her along. Now the educated ones are going to fix the problem by culling the numbers wherever they find it and make it all better.

my 2cents.

[JustinC]

I dont care if the found 10. lower the tags through out the whole province and bring back the great mule deer hunting that we had before the cwd hunts and all the tag hikes started. cwd is always going to be hear now so deal with it. not completly destroy our herds worse then they already have.

[crawfy]

I only have one question to any one that can answer this how is this cull going to resolve anything when our neighbors to the east are doing nothing about CWD on their side and this disease keeps coming in from Saskachewan?

[walking buffalo]

For everyone's knowledge, AFGA's 2009 resolution is to INSIST SRD RE-INSTATE the deer cull when there is a positive case of CWD.

wildlife resolution number W-11-2009

Link to AFGA 2009 resolutions

http://www.afga.org/documents.html?fileID=492

[walking buffalo]

Thanks for the link Podman.

[shedcrazy]

In case anyone wants facts...There has not been a herd reduction or "cull" for two winters. There has been thousands of deer tested outside the mandatory area and fish and wildlife will test any head from anywhere in the province. If you believe it is everywhere then prove it by taking in the heads. If you read the data you can quite clearly see how it got to Canada and progressed from there or you can listen to coffee talk (the same guys can tell you about the cougar release program that F/W has as well). It is probably too late to control CWD in Alberta due to decisions from our past SRD minister. I guess our grand kids can hunt deer that don't live past 5 yrs old because most hunters are only in it for now and themselves.

[Mhunter51]

Saskatchewan IS doing something to try and controll CWD. They are doing the same thing that Alberta is doing and that is raising the number of liscences in the affected zones and testing heads from ALL affected areas. What makes some think or assume that all infected deer come from Sask is about as stupid as culling all deer in the area where one or two are found. I believe that CWD has been here for a long time before it was recognised, but has been boosted along by game farms and years of high population surges. To insinuate that Sask is doing nothing is just slinging mud and that is a crock of s*** and know nothing of what they say. Just a very vain attempt at starting two very fine neighbours throwing crap.

[aceudell]

I believe CWD has always been here. When you test for more of something you are likely going to find it.

[Springer]

Well Shane that is some info i did not have. If i shoot any Deer from now on in the West country or closer to home i will be sure to take it for testing then.
However that is not something i have read in the regs but should be included if thats the case.
I know you are more directly involved in your line of work so thanks for the facts and any others on this topic.

[shedcrazy]

Don't get me wrong as I have grown up, raising my kids and hunt CWD areas and have concerns. But I also decided to get updated facts, attend open houses and sit on advisory teams to get the facts and be part of the process. I also hate seeing the short term hunting quality decrease but liked the idea that we tried. In the end it was political reasons not scientific that ended the CWD program in AB. I guess like many things I hope we were wrong but I also hope that my grand kids don't have to travel across the province to hunt somewhere where deer live longer than 4 yrs.

So for everyone that is so sure it was always here I have a few questions: If it was a disease that has been here for a long time then why are areas that have had it for 30-40 yrs have a higher percentage of positive deer then? Some counties in the states (compareable to our WMUs) have up to 40% while we have less than 1%. In these areas the age structure has also changed (no more old bucks)....Why has Alberta not seen this change in age structure?
For me there is no evidence that it has been in Alberta for an extened period. The CWD program is basicily just a monitoring program now and only time will tell how it will spread. But I am sure we will see it spread along the watersheds like we have already.

Why not do an AO study if everyone thinks it is everywhere and lets pick a western WMU and get every hunter to turn in their deer heads from that WMU.

Anyways my thoughts.

S

[JustinC]

Originally Posted by shedcrazy

Don't get me wrong as I have grown up, raising my kids and hunt CWD areas and have concerns. But I also decided to get updated facts, attend open houses and sit on advisory teams to get the facts and be part of the process. I also hate seeing the short term hunting quality decrease but liked the idea that we tried. In the end it was political reasons not scientific that ended the CWD program in AB. I guess like many things I hope we were wrong but I also hope that my grand kids don't have to travel across the province to hunt somewhere where deer live longer than 4 yrs.

So for everyone that is so sure it was always here I have a few questions: If it was a disease that has been here for a long time then why are areas that have had it for 30-40 yrs have a higher percentage of positive deer then? Some counties in the states (compareable to our WMUs) have up to 40% while we have less than 1%. In these areas the age structure has also changed (no more old bucks)....Why has Alberta not seen this change in age structure?
For me there is no evidence that it has been in Alberta for an extened period. The CWD program is basicily just a monitoring program now and only time will tell how it will spread. But I am sure we will see it spread along the watersheds like we have already.

Why not do an AO study if everyone thinks it is everywhere and lets pick a western WMU and get every hunter to turn in their deer heads from that WMU.

Anyways my thoughts.

S

That would never happen. Way to may people against it.Also the SRD does not have the money or the resources to do that.

[Springer]

All good information Shane. Myself included think that most guys that never filled their tags can Blame it on CWD and low numbers .
Our first trip out to the CWD zone we never saw a lot of Deer period.Come December we saw more and Some Great bucks,4 would be 190 plus,Those Nocturnal buggers.
I am all for picking a western WMU but if the information was there in the Regs or wherever to encourage guys to submit the heads in the rest of Alberta lets do it then.
I like doing the European mount on all Deer we kill that don't get mounted . I did not want to give that up so I was shown a way to do it by a Local Taxidermist of "He Whom we do not speak here" and the Brain can still be submitted with the bottom half of the Skull.
I also want the hunting heritage for my Grandkids and i want to do my part for Conservation so whatever I can do to help i will. I just want to be well educated on CWD to help . Has there been any miracle cures for it to date??

[Lantzd]

I only have one question to any one that can answer this how is this cull going to resolve anything when our neighbors to the east are doing nothing about CWD on their side and this disease keeps coming in from Saskachewan?

Do a little more research and you will see sask is doing something about it, definately alot better than the alberta way!!!!!!

If i shoot any Deer from now on in the West country or closer to home i will be sure to take it for testing then.

lets pick a western WMU and get every hunter to turn in their deer heads from that WMU.

WHY??? so you can give the alberta srd another reason to kill everything off for no reason.... your grandchildren will reallllly hate you then when they have NO DEER whatsoever to shoot!!!!!!!

The deer cull is goin to happen again with all the heads being submitted they will find three or four more cases and decide to go blasting away again . So why submitt a head from another WMU that its not required since the meat has no effect whatsoever on the human body?? The cull is not the answer. CWD is everywere, its in the states, its in sask ,its here, and pretty sure its everywere else if they looked a little harder. Its like a un-curable disease in humans,,,, do well kill all of them??? no we are stuck to deal with it like all the other issues in the world today...

READ THE ATTACHED EMAIL I GOT SENT TO ME JUST TO SEE HOW GOOD THE LAST CULL IN ALBERTA WORKED OUT, AND HOW THE SRD FOLLOWED THEIR PROCEDURES AND GUIDELINES---- I FOR ONE DEFINATELY DONT WANT TO SEE THIS HAPPEN AGAIN

This is why everyone in alberta i know does NOT submit their heads,,,,

Mandatory head submission of all hunter killed deer was implemented in 2007 by the Alberta Government to monitor the spread of C.W.D. (Chronic Wasting Disease). A positive case was found in a deer shot 10 miles north of the town of Provost. Due to this one positive case, the government has resumed the cull of deer herds around the Provost area. To date, of 5170 heads submitted throughout the province of Alberta in the 2007 hunting season, 7 have tested positive. This works out to 0.135% of all deer submitted throughout the hunting season.

The section of land where the deer was harvested in the Provost area has been deemed a “hot zone” and as such, the government plans to eliminate every single deer within a 10km radius around the initial site. In addition to the total elimination of deer within this zone, the Alberta government plans to reduce the deer population to 1 deer per square kilometer in the deer wintering zone. The deer wintering zone is a heavily wooded area stretching from the hamlet of Metiskow northeast to the village of Chauvin. This move will reduce the deer herd in W.M.U. 234 from an estimated 10 000 head down to 1600 animals.

The Process of the Cull:

A helicopter is used to locate, chase, kill, and then transport the deer back to the processing area. The pilot of the helicopter will hover over the bush until the deer taking cover within become nervous and run to a different area. Once the deer enter a clearing and the pilot has spotted the deer the chase begins. The pilot overcomes the deer and drops the helicopter to about 10’ off the ground at which point the gunner begins shooting. The gunner uses a semiautomatic .223, (smaller than the minimum legal gun for hunting purposes) to shoot the animals. Once a deer has been wounded the gunner switches to another and continues to shoot. (Wounded deer are not killed until all deer in the clearing have been shot). Once the shooting is finished, the transportation of carcasses begins. The helicopter will hover a foot or so off of the ground and the gunner will hop out and attach a cable around the deer’s head. Once the deer has been secured the gunner will hop back into the chopper to pick up the next deer. At no time during this process does the pilot land the chopper. On average 5 deer are attached to the chopper per trip and transported to the waiting trucks. Once the deer reach the trucks the processing of the meat is supposed to take place.

The processing of the meat involves the skinning of the animal (removal of the hide), gutting the deer, removal of the head for testing, and hanging the meat in storage until the results of the tests are back. Landowners and hunters around the area were led to believe that this process would be followed and that the meat would not be wasted.

A resident of the Chauvin area flew over one of the areas where a cull was being conducted and noticed the pit that you can see at the bottom of the email. When questioned about the pit, the response of the game wardens was that the pit contained animals that could not be processed fast enough and animals that were shot in a manner that was deemed unsafe for human consumption. Deer were deemed unsafe for human consumption by the wardens when the deer were shot multiple times or when the deer were shot in the guts. The wardens were also of the impression that any animal that was not processed within a 4 hour time frame from the time of death was also unfit for human consumption. Animals that were thought to show signs of sickness were also placed into the pit.

The rifle season around the Provost area occurs throughout the month of November with some extension based on the type of tag issued. Hunters that were issued C.W.D. tags had until the 20th of December whereas landowners had until the 15th of January to fill tags. Deer that are harvested in this time will appear healthier than deer harvested later in the year due to the fact that the deer have not had to struggle through the winter months. The winter experienced around the Provost area was harsher than previous years due to a heavy snowfall early in the year and a weeklong cold snap of -40 weather occurring in mid February which would result in the apparent “sickness” of many of the animals. A rifle season throughout November also allows hunters the opportunity to harvest doe (female deer) before the breeding season is in full swing. Once a doe has been bred the resulting strain of carrying a fawn will also contribute to the appearance of the animal.

As a hunter I know the difficulties with placing a “clean” hit on a running animal. When you are shooting deer on the run from a moving chopper the odds of hitting the deer’s vital area (heart or lungs) decrease immensely and as a result more animals are gut shot or shot in areas that will ruin meat and require additional shots to end the suffering of the animal. As a hunter I also know the length of time it takes to properly field dress an animal, remove the meat for consumption, and the penalties for wasting the meat. Hunters that are found shooting game and allowing the meat to purposely spoil may loose their hunting privileges for a period of time or face criminal charges depending on the severity of the incident (hunters are also responsible for the cleaning of their game should they accidentally gut-shoot the animal).

After following the helicopter around and witnessing the amount of deer harvested on the 28, there is no possible way that the deer could be processed in the 4 hour time period allowed by the government leading to the disposal of mass quantities of meat that any hunter would face charges for. The placement and subsequent burial of deer in pits also constitutes a great offence (farmers who bury dead cattle can face up to 10 years in prison) as one of the theories surrounding C.W.D. is that the disease originated with and is present in the soil. The placement of deer carcasses into pits simply results in the retention of the disease should one of those deer be a carrier of C.W.D. Mass burial sites like the one pictured may also result in the leaching of harmful substances into ground water sources contaminating the water supply for many areas around the site. This issue is especially important when considering the proximity of the pit in relation to a provincial park. The pit is located 1 mile north of Dilberry Lake, a provincial park where many families from the Provost and surrounding area take their kids for the summer. In addition, the soil composition of the area is sandy which will greatly contribute to the leaching of blood and bodily fluids considering the quantity of the deer present in the pits.

Saskatchewan and many states within the U.S.A. have tried to stop the spread of C.W.D. in the same manner that the Alberta government is currently undertaking. After many attempts these areas realized that this disease could not be stopped in this manner and have since sought alternate methods for control.

As set out in the 2007 Alberta Guide to Hunting Regulations that all hunters must follow:
GENERAL:

It is unlawful to:
2. harass, injure, or kill any wildlife with a vehicle, aircraft, or boat.
3. hunt any wildlife with or from an aircraft, or communicate, for the purpose of hunting, the signs or whereabouts of wildlife seen during a flight on an aircraft.
6. allow the edible meat of any game bird or big game animal, except cougar or bear, to be wasted, destroyed, spoiled, or abandoned.
7. have a loaded firearm (live ammunition in breech, chamber, or magazine) in or on, or discharge a weapon from
-a boat unless the boat is propelled by muscular power or is at anchor and the person is hunting, or
-any kind of aircraft or vehicle whether it is moving or stationary.
BIG GAME:

It is unlawful to
1. set out, use, or employ any of the following items for the purpose of hunting big game:
-ammunition of less than .23 caliber,
-an auto-loading firearm that has the capacity to hold more than 5 cartridges in the magazine,
-bait, except as permitted for the hunting of black bears
13. hunt big game within 6 hours of having disembarked from an aircraft, except for a jet or turbo-propelled aircraft.

If a hunter breaks any of the above regulations they may be persecuted to the maximum extent of the law, yet the Alberta Fish and Wildlife division is breaking all of these regulations on a daily basis during the process of the cull.

Recently positive cases of C.W.D. have been found in various areas along the W.M.U. zones bordering the province of Saskatchewan with a case as far north as Clandonald (North of Vermillion). There is talk of extending the area of the cull from W.M.U. 234 to W.M.U. 200 starting after the next hunting season. Unfortunately it is too late to save the quality of hunting that many hunters have enjoyed for countless years through W.M.U. 234, but other areas may yet be saved. I ask that you please forward this email to the contacts in your list so that the awareness of the atrocities being performed by the Alberta Fish and Wildlife Department will grow. Even if you are not a hunter, or do not know any hunters keep the email in circulation. With enough support on this issue we can stop the needless slaughter of countless deer in other areas surrounding the Saskatchewan border.

To voice your concern over the deer cull occurring in W.M.U. 234 simply call 310-0000 and ask to be transferred to Ted Morton’s office. Ted Morton can also be reached by email at foothills.rockyview@assembly.ab.ca

Thank you for your consideration in this matter,

[shedcrazy]

The sky is falling...the sky is falling... Lantzd, that email/letter is outdated and full of errors and it is not worth responding to..enjoy your little world. This is geting old..believe what you want..hell believe there is no deer in 234, 232, 236 , 200 and the base. Believe whatever you want because your going to anyways..Why listen to facts and data... I can tell you we flew parts of this area last week and we had great deer numbers and good age structure, I can tell you they haven't culled in two winters, I can tell you the cull wasn't the same thing as hunting (Hey, we better report the RCMP that flew past me on the road as he was speeding), I can tell you that a few states are using the AB model for their CWD programs and so on but you won't listen. Passing on this kind of crap gives all hunters a bad name...

[6.5 shooter]

SHAME....on our provincial gov. and srd..... makes ya want ta cry....

as for the numbers of deer in 119 they are already low and this will just kill a fine hunting area.....SHAME

[lone wolf]

Originally Posted by mulecrazy

Well, for any of the other southern alberta mulie hunters, expect a bigger gong show this coming fall. I have it from a very reliable source that 1 case of CWD was found in 119 not far from the eagle butte road. Hopefully our people in power realize the failure of past culls and leave them alone. Anyone who has hunted their for the last 10 years can already see the results from their rediculous increase in tag numbers.

Also have the same report, again from a very reliable source. 7 new cases so far from last season. Another is very close to the (zone) border between WMUs 151 & 152. Scary thought - what happens when it gets into the Suffield block ? If it isn't there already

[Rob Miskosky]

Shed is correct. The information that Lantzd is providing is so wrought with garbage it isn't funny. If CWD becomes endemic in Alberta we're all going to wish they had kept the cull going. Ending the cull for political reasons was a poor decision then, and still is now.

[ishootbambi]

anyone who thinks killing deer to save deer is off their nut!!!!!!! shed is more right than you think. lantzd, where did you ever get the number 40%? the highest percentage of infection of cwd in a WILD deer population that i have ever seen published is at 5% from colorado. there has been higher recorded rates on game farms, but lets leave that can of worms for another thread. alberta biologists here have threatened that computer modelling has shown that if left unchecked, cwd will kill EVERY deer in the province. that is a direct quote from margo pybus who is the lady in charge of the culling crap that went on. if that is true, then how can colorado have a deer left in the state? cwd was first identified in the wild there in 1972. very little is known about the disease, but one thing that seems to be true is that deer density affects how quickly it is spread. that was the reasoning behind the cull. so, that being true, and colorado having deer density in the neighbourhood of 5 times what alberta's deer density is, then the 5% rate in colorado, and that is one area, not the entire state, would make sense to alberta's less than 1%. it is pretty clear then that the 15 year deer elimination idea is ridiculous when colorado has had this disease in their herd for 37 years, but still has 5 times the deer density of alberta. i sat in on the talks when the bios were talking to landowners in empress and the crap they were spewing was incredible. everything they told the landowners was speculation and guesswork and to me seemed nothing more than fearmongering. heck, they even told the crowd that the state of wyoming has virtually no deer left anywhere. i suggest if you want to get some info on this subject, dont bother talking to the government guys here in alberta. get on the internet and find info from colorado. they have dealt with this for a long time and you will find facts from biologists who have seen in real time what this disease is all about rather than computer modelling which is nothing more than electronic guesswork.

[ishootbambi]

oh, and an interesting note is that i personally know a biologist from southern alberta who was involved in the culling. he told me firsthand of what he saw and shed pretty much has it right. and wouldnt you know it....the mother of all ironies.....he is the guy who killed the cwd positive in 119.

[MDG]

Speaking of facts. The fact is , ASRD has completely mis-managed our mule deer population! This failed CWD "experiment" is a joke and it disgusts me. How do we have proper age structure when most of our mule deer are 3 years of age or less?? These so-called biologists seem to just want to kill everything and completely destroy the genetics in our mule deer.
I'm sorry ,but the culling has not ended. They have been using hunters to do the culling. These license increases have been totally insane! Now , they find a positive deer in 119 and it was killed by a biologist? Ha! Pretty ironic to say the least. Well, I guess they'll go in there this fall and try to kill everything. Here's some news, that zone has already been destroyed. Hardly anything left after the last 2 seasons. If you find a deer 4 years of age or older there, you've really done something. I really wonder about creating all of these void areas along the border just welcoming SK deer to spill in.

[Gulo gulo]

Originally Posted by Rob Miskosky

Shed is correct. The information that Lantzd is providing is so wrought with garbage it isn't funny. If CWD becomes endemic in Alberta we're all going to wish they had kept the cull going. Ending the cull for political reasons was a poor decision then, and still is now.

Rob,
I have read allot of the data on CWD coming up from the states, although not all of it I'm sure. From the information that I have read, it has never been stopped from entering a state or an area of a state. They are at 100% failure in this regard. Has this changed? Has anybody been able to stop the spread?


Shedcrazy
Where is it at 40%? The info I have read has the infection rate at about 1-3%. I would hate to think that it could be as high as 40% and kill all our old deer.

[birdhunter99]

It still amazes me how many people shoot their mouth off without checking their facts. A simple search on google can get you scientific information on any topic. Maybe do a search for CWD prevalance rates. However I guess if you want to believe certain things and continue to spout off, why would you want to read the facts?

Below is a synopsis of work done in Colorado assessing the prevalence and effects of CWD in the deer herd there. Overall rate of infection is 29%. Bucks in this area have prevalance rates of 40%. I cannot believe people continue to whine about trophy quality of deer, when our herds are going to be decimated by a 100% fatal disease. So we should just sit back and let it happen. We won't have any deer to hunt, let alone big deer. Read the information below carefully.


TITLE: Chronic Wasting Disease Study Results

PRESENTERS: Open Space and Mountain Parks Michael D. Patton, Director Heather M. Swanson, Wildlife Ecologist Colorado Division of Wildlife Michael W. Miller, Senior Wildlife Veterinarian

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal prion disease occurring in mule deer inhabiting Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) properties. Beginning in 2005, OSMP and the Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) undertook a 3 year research project to examine CWD on OSMP and private property in the Table Mesa area to increase the understanding ofCWD and possibly CWD management. During the course of the study, 131 mule deer were captured and collared and 115 adult deer were monitored. Each deer was tested for CWD status once per year using either tonsil or rectal mucosa biopsy (both techniques developed for testing live animals). In addition, a mark-resight census was performed (visual counts of collared and un-collared deer within the study area are analyzed using a population census model to estimate overall population size) annually to estimate the population of mule deer residing in the study area.

OSMP and CDOW staff participants found CWD prevalence within the study area (south Boulder between Baseline, Eldorado Springs Drive, Broadway and the Flatirons mountain front) to be surprisingly high - overall approximately 29 percent of the deer sampled were infected. Staff also found that average survival time for infected deer was significantly lower than for uninfected deer. Cause of death varied somewhat between years, but the most common mortality causes were mountain lion predation, clinical CWD and vehicle collisions. Mark-resight inventory estimations of the deer population within the study area showed a decrease in local deer numbers over estimates derived from census efforts in the late 1980s. The high prevalence, low survivorship, and decreasing population numbers suggest that CWD is having a measurable effect on the mule deer herd living in south Boulder. High prevalence makes previously discussed management actions such as test*and-cull control unlikely to be feasible.

[ishootbambi]

ok birdhunter...just googled it. specifically i googled "cwd in colorado" as it is agreed that they have the longest history with this. after reading through the first pagfe of results what i can see is anew hot spot from the latest study spanning 3 years. It is ESTIMATED that in a very small area of norhtern colorado that prevalence MAY be as high as 14.3 %. the ACTUAL numbers on the disease however from the very same study show that in 1 management area, the infection rate found was 10.4%. that is the new highest wild infection rate that i know of based on tested animals and not a GUESS. a quick scroll through the rest of colorado however shows one other management area with a rate of 5.4% and the rest being well under 4% and the vast majority under 2%. i have not found the research you have quoted, but ihavent stopped looking. anyone feel free to google search "cwd in colorado" and you can read it for yourself. i have also been looking for deer density numbers in those areas but have not found it yet. i suspect there will be a direct correlation.

[Gulo gulo]

Thanks birdhunter, I will see if I can get a hold of that paper.

[shedcrazy]

First lets have a mature discussion about this...no need for insulting pms. I am only trying to provide some info...this is not my program, I am not a CWD expert (or even close but I have tried to read up on it) nor have I stated my opinion on it nor do I work for SRD.

Colorado is a perfect example...Here is the database http://wildlife.state.co.us/NR/rdonl...port_06082.pdf

There are several zones with over 10% prev (upper limit) for EACH SPECIES......many of these areas seem to also have few samples so there is a wide difference in upper and lower limits...I wonder why????? . As stated there are several studies that have a higher prev rate although I might be mistaken and it only being in the antlered deer. It is well above a few percent.

Also here is the main focus in Colorado for their CWD program:

The Division of Wildlife’s disease management efforts are focused on:
Preventing the spread of chronic wasting disease beyond historically infected areas.
Reducing chronic wasting disease prevalence within infected areas by removing deer and elk from diseased herds.
Enforcing illegal feeding regulations and transport laws restricting the movement of deer, elk and moose from infected areas or into the state.
Continuing research in conjunction with other agencies and states to further knowledge to manage affected deer, elk and moose herds.

Also from the international conf on CWD here is the end part of the Colorado conclusion :
Based on data and observations presently available, it is apparent
that the Division will need to continue to make short-term decisions on CWD management without the benefit of clear understanding about either the likely effectiveness of planned management actions or the likely consequences of deliberate inaction. Nonetheless, it appears
prudent to continue trying to control the distribution and occurrence of CWD in Colorado.

It's seems Alberta is doing now what Colorado is doing basicilly trying to control density in high CWD areas (since most want to follow Colorado's example when complaining about the AB program) and monitor. I assume the reason Alberta's program was different at the start was it was new here as Colorado did nothing for almost 15 yrs. Hard to compare the two. At the last international conf several states stated they are considering doing the same Alberta program that is so frowned on in Alberta.

[birdhunter99]

ishootbambi,

Check out the maps at this link: http://wildlife.state.co.us/Hunting/BigGame/CWD/

Large portions of the state are above 5% prevalence for Mule Deer, White-tailed deer, and Elk. The disease has also been detected in Moose in many managment units. The maps are all there. Check them out. The study I posted earlier was done near Boulder, NW of Denver in the high prevalence area.

Based on reading I have done, once the disease is above 5% it will drive a population decline. I assume that is why they are expressing their data as < or > 5%. So whatever the actual exact prevalence rates are (we will never know) it really does not matter if it is >5%. What matters is this disease will spread widely, infect all the species we like to hunt, taint the meat we like to eat and feed to our loved ones, and decrease populations across the board as prevalence rates go up.

But I guess we should spend our time whining about the trophy quality of our deer herds, that is more productive.

[Gulo gulo]

Originally Posted by shedcrazy

First lets have a mature discussion about this...no need for insulting pms. I am only trying to provide some info...this is not my program, I am not a CWD expert (or even close but I have tried to read up on it) nor have I stated my opinion on it nor do I work for SRD.

Colorado is a perfect example...Here is the database http://wildlife.state.co.us/NR/rdonl...port_06082.pdf

There are several zones with over 10% prev (upper limit) for EACH SPECIES......many of these areas seem to also have few samples so there is a wide difference in upper and lower limits...I wonder why????? . As stated there are several studies that have a higher prev rate although I might be mistaken and it only being in the antlered deer. It is well above a few percent.

Also here is the main focus in Colorado for their CWD program:

The Division of Wildlife’s disease management efforts are focused on:
Preventing the spread of chronic wasting disease beyond historically infected areas.
Reducing chronic wasting disease prevalence within infected areas by removing deer and elk from diseased herds.
Enforcing illegal feeding regulations and transport laws restricting the movement of deer, elk and moose from infected areas or into the state.
Continuing research in conjunction with other agencies and states to further knowledge to manage affected deer, elk and moose herds.

Also from the international conf on CWD here is the end part of the Colorado conclusion :
Based on data and observations presently available, it is apparent
that the Division will need to continue to make short-term decisions on CWD management without the benefit of clear understanding about either the likely effectiveness of planned management actions or the likely consequences of deliberate inaction. Nonetheless, it appears
prudent to continue trying to control the distribution and occurrence of CWD in Colorado.

It's seems Alberta is doing now what Colorado is doing basicilly trying to control density in high CWD areas (since most want to follow Colorado's example when complaining about the AB program) and monitor. I assume the reason Alberta's program was different at the start was it was new here as Colorado did nothing for almost 15 yrs. Hard to compare the two. At the last international conf several states stated they are considering doing the same Alberta program that is so frowned on in Alberta.

Shedcrazy

Thanks for your response.
I did not realize that infections rates were as high as 10% in many areas. It boggles my mind that the Gov is considering to allow hunt farms in this province. I cannot understand this. It seems to me that two additional CWD controls would be to ban all game farming in Canada and to stop the legal baiting practices that Sask currently has. If we had done that in the first place we would not be here today(stating the obvious I know). I like a lot of sportsman feel very frustrated with CWD. Who can we blame, who is accountable? Maybe all costs associated with CWD should come out of the Department of Agricultures budget, maybe then they would not be so keen to have hunt farms here in Alberta.