I have researched, written, blogged about and produced TV shows concerning Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), the biggest potential thread to deer herds and deer hunting to come down the pike in the last 50 years, maybe ever.
I still find myself confused and scratching my head as CWD is documented in new areas, and as wildlife agencies come out with new info and regulations for dealing with the disease in the short and long term.
I can only imagine how confused you, the average hunter who works hard and raises a family and doesn’t have time to research stuff like this, might be.
That’s why I was so glad to see a tweet from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) saying they will host 6 CWD workshops this summer in West Tennessee counties where the disease has been documented.
The first workshop will be in McNairy County July 7. Five more will be held in various locations through late August.
Experts from the TWRA and University of Tennessee will be on hand to answer all your questions, such as:
What exactly is CWD?
How can it impact my hunting?
I hunt the next county over from where CWD has been found, should I be worried?
Can I carry a buck home I shot in another county, or another state?
Can I eat the meat from a buck I shot in a CWD area?
Is deer meat possibly contaminated—can it hurt my family?
Should I have my deer tested for CWD? How and where do I do that?
You can read all you want about CWD (you should) and its potential risks and impacts, but there’s nothing like getting answers first-hand from experts and biologists on the ground like you’ll be able to do at these workshops.
I applaud Tennessee deer managers for having the vision and spending the money to do this, and I ask all state wildlife agencies to do the same in regions where CWD has been found.
Hunters and wildlife agencies working together is the best way to combat CWD!
