CWD Archives - Page 4 of 4

6 05, 2020

New Deer Scouting Scent: Active-Cam From Wildlife Research Center

Clay Hanback2020-06-10T09:14:50-04:00May 6th, 2020|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, CWD, Deer Hunting, whitetail deer|Comments Off on New Deer Scouting Scent: Active-Cam From Wildlife Research Center

A couple of years ago my home state of Virginia banned the use of estrus doe and other attractant scents that contain natural deer urine. This even though many experts believe the risk of spreading Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in a herd with urine-based scents is virtually zero. Last year, on top of that, Virginia restricted the use of minerals to attract deer, which has thrown a major monkey wrench in my scouting strategy. But laws are laws, so this summer and fall I’m going to try something different. Rather than refreshing the licks (some a decade old) on the farms I hunt with minerals, I’ll be using Active-Cam™ Scouting Scent from Wildlife Research Center. It’s a non-urine-based curiosity scent [...]

Should You Feed Deer In The Winter?

Clay Hanback2020-06-10T09:14:51-04:00February 5th, 2020|BigDeer, CWD, Deer Hunting, Deer Science, whitetail deer|Comments Off on Should You Feed Deer In The Winter?

Yes, natural food is scarce and whitetail deer are hungry and scavenging every bite they can find right now in late winter. NO, you should not feed them. No corn, no apples, no hay, nothing. “Congregation of deer is a way in which Chronic Wasting Disease is spread through nose to nose contact,” explains Ryan Brown, director of Virginia Game and Inland Fisheries. “We encourage the public not to feed deer, because the deer don’t need it in Virginia to survive, and number two, attracting deer to a particular feeding location simply ups the odds that the disease will be spread within the herd.” CWD can be spread by disease prions that live in the soil for years. “The prions [...]

CWD News: Hunters Can Use Bleach To Decontaminate Knives

Clay Hanback2020-06-10T09:14:52-04:00October 22nd, 2019|Big Deer TV, BigDeer, CWD, Deer Hunting, Deer Science, whitetail deer|Comments Off on CWD News: Hunters Can Use Bleach To Decontaminate Knives

Finally, some good news on the nasty topic of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). According to a new study by National Institutes of Health, a 5-minute soak in a 40% solution of household bleach decontaminated stainless steel wires coated with CWD prions. The scientists used the wires to model knives and saws that hunters and meat processors use when handling deer and elk, the meat of which could be infected with CWD prions. The researchers dissected CWD-infected brains from whitetails and mule deer. They tested various bleach concentrations and soak times to determine the most effective combination to eliminate CWD prions. While the study found that a 40% solution of household bleach can purify stainless steel, it failed to find an [...]