Chronic Wasting Disease's growing footprint

In December 2020, Ohio confirmed its first wild deer infected with chronic wasting disease in Wyandot County. It was a mature buck that was taken to a local taxidermist and was tested as part of routine CWD surveillance. In January 2021, the state's second infected deer was killed at Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area. That autumn, eight hunter-harvested deer tested positive during the 2021-22 deer season in southern Wyandot and northern Marion counties and one additional positive deer was removed through targeted shooting in March 2022. Unfortunately, the news hasn't gotten a lot better — but it's far better than what's been happening in Wisconsin. More about that in a minute. First, let's review CWD. The disease was discovered in the 1960s in the western U.S. and has now been detected in cervid populations in 29 states, three Canadian provinces, and in captive facilities in 18 states and three provinces. CWD is a neurological disease effecting the brain and central nervous system of an infected animal. It's caused by naturally occurring proteins; called prions, that become mutated, creating holes in the brain tissue. It can take more than two years for CWD to physically manifest, a situation that has caused many biologists to refer to it as the "quiet disease." A more accurate moniker would be "quiet killer" – after all, it's 100% fatal. In that interim between infection and observable symptoms, the deer will tend to do what deer do — eat, sleep, drink and herd-up with other deer. They're also contagious. The disease is closely associated with "Mad Cow" disease which first hit European livestock during the mid-1980s. That name was picked up in comedian's punchlines but let me assure you that neither Mad Cow nor CWD are laughing matters. During that period, 178 people in the U.K. were believed to have eaten infected beef and developed Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease — and died. While CWD has not been identified in any human infection, the Center for Disease Control offers recommendation when handling harvested deer within known infected deer populations and advises against eating venison from whitetails testing positive. There's been plenty of information written about the risks and wildlife management issues involving CWD. One well known private whitetail biologist has a history with disagreeing with state biologists on the seriousness of the CWD and its impact. Often taking an adversarial role, James Kroll (www.drdeer.com), a.k.a. "Dr. Deer," isn't shy when it comes to talking about his views about CWD and state agencies' responses. During a presentation in Pennsylvania, Mark Nale, reporting for the "The Daily Herold" newspaper, quoted Dr. Deer, "I scare a lot of people in state agencies…To my chagrin, I have learned how poorly read most agency people are. They talk to each other a lot and they are as bad as the public in perpetuating false information." Many state biologists take issue with Mr. Kroll's opinions. "Kroll's views regarding CWD in wild deer populations are sometimes criticized because of his business ties to deer farming and private hunting ranches," mentioned Nale in his reporting. During that presentation, once again as reported by Nale, Kroll added "that if Pennsylvania followed all of the current advice regarding CWD — targeted removal, mass culling, reducing the age structure, etc. — it would be the end of deer hunting as we know it. And we will still have CWD." Johnson's Sportsmen for the Future organization, the event organizer that invited Kroll to speak, is steadfast against mass culling or targeted removal of large numbers of deer. Kroll's presentation certainly supported the group's position. He told them what they wanted to hear and that methodology has endeared him to many deer hunters, less so to other deer scientists. His reported credentials are there, though. He is a professor emeritus at the Institute of Whitetail Deer and Management (www.whitetailinstitute.com) and was hired by Wisconsin in 2011 to examine their growing CWD issue. The report he provided to Wisconsin DNR was reviewed by Daniele Schmidt, writing for Deer and Deer Hunting. "(Kroll) was retained by Gov. Scott Walker's administration to serve as a 'deer czar,' offering his opinions on the state's deer management program and management practices. Kroll, who (was) being paid up to $125,000 for less than a year's worth of service … enlisted well-known wildlife biologists … to assist in his review." Summarizing his view of the report in one sentence, Schmidt stated, "My first reaction is to quote a line from a popular Billy Joel song: "Is that all you get for your money?" (www.deeranddeerhunting.com/content/articles/deer-news/dr-deer-james-kroll-deer-report-disappoints). So, what's going on with Wisconsin's CWD issues? After having invested and reviewing Kroll's information and needing more (a lot more), the state undertook a long-running $5 million study into how CWD affects deer populations. Now complete, the study found that once CWD infects 29% or more of an area's female deer, the herd starts declining as more deer die each year than reproduction replaces. "CWD mortality has largely replaced antlerless harvest as the primary driver of the deer population's trajectory in the CWD endemic area (west of Madison)," Jasmine Batten, supervisor of the WDNR's wildlife health section relayed to her staff. According to Wisconsin's research, a healthy buck's annual survival chances are 69%, while a CWD-infected buck has only a 17% chance of being alive a year later. In Wisconsin, of the 10 CWD infected counties, nine are now above a 10% infection rate in the deer population with six having a 21%-33% rate of occurrence; four are above the threshold that reduces deer populations. This comprehensive study is probably the most extensive in the U.S. and is a model that a lot of biologists are reading carefully. Infection rates like this, unchecked, will not burn out of the area until it takes its fatal toll by reducing the number of deer to a point where fewer come into contact to spread the disease. That's not a healthy scenario for a disease that delivers a death sentence. You can find information about the study at www.patrickdurkinoutdoors.com/post/wisconsin-dnr-cwd-sinking-deer-herds-in-disease-endemic-areas. Fortunately, Ohio is not even close to those infection rates in the Disease Surveillance Area (DSA). The Division of Wildlife has tested 33,543 wild deer since 2017. A total of 74 deer have been reported as infected statewide. During the 2024-25 reporting period, 24 of the 5,720 tested animals from the DSA tested positive – well under 1% of those tested. That's a good thing and culling is not currently deemed a necessary management tool. Unfortunately, CWD's footprint is getting larger. The Ohio Wildlife Council is reviewing the possibility of including Hancock County's Delaware and Madison Townships in the DSA for the 2025-26 season. This is due to infected deer identified near Forest, in Hardin County. What would that mean? If approved, areas within the DSA would start bow season two weeks earlier, and an additional early gun season would take place on Oct. 11-13. Deer taken in DSA areas would need to be checked for CWD — which can take two-three weeks for results. If a deer is reported as positive, hunters are cautioned to consider the Center for Disease Control's opinion of not eating that venison and disposing of it properly. A new free deer permit can be issued by the division. If the deer is a buck, you may keep the rack, and you will receive a replacement either sex tag. That means an infected buck does not count against your annual harvest limitation of one buck per year. ODNR's goal is to keep the infection rate as low as possible; to reduce deer densities and therefore prevalence of the disease. For current information about Ohio's DSA rules and status of CWD in Ohio, visit www.wildohio.gov. In the left column, hit the "Wildlife Diseases" tab then "Chronic Wasting Disease." That page, under "For More Information" you will find the Interactive CWD Dashboard. You can comment on the proposed change to the DSA as well as all wildlife rule proposals from now until March 26. Visit www.wildohio.gov. "Part of the problem with communicating the urgency of CWD is that its science is dense and complicated." — Andrew McKean Step outside • Tomorrow: Primitive Blackpowder Muzzle Loader Shoot, round ball only, 1 p.m. Black Swamp Muzzle Loaders Club, 8831 Township Road 19, McComb. Email: roadkill4u@hotmail.com. • Tomorrow: Trap Shoot, 1 p.m. Mount Blanchard Gun Club, 21655 Delaware Township 186. • March 8: Blanchard Valley Friends of NRA Banquet, 5:30 p.m. Old Mill Stream Center, Hancock County Fairgrounds. For information and tickets: https://eventtracker.friendsofnra.org/EventDocs/61313_Findlay.pdf. • March 14–16: Open Season Sportsman's Expo Ohio, Bricker Building, Ohio State Fairgrounds. Tickets or information: www.openseasonsportsmansexpo.com/ohio/. • March 15-16: Ohio Decoy Collectors and Carvers Association is the largest collecting and carving event in the Midwest. Sponsored by the ODCCA and the Great Lakes Decoy Association. Holiday Inn Cleveland South, 6001 Rockside Road, Independence, OH. Visit: www.odcca.net. • March 16: 50-Bird Trap Shoot, practice opens 11:30 a.m., program begins 12:30 p.m. UCOA, 6943 Marion Township 243, Findlay. Public welcome. Contact: Sandy Thomas, sandthm@aol.com. • March 19: Ohio's 41st Annual Wildlife Diversity Conference, Ohio Union — the largest single-day wildlife diversity conference in the country, 1739 North High Street, Columbus, 43210 (OSU campus). Pre-registration is recommended: $35.00 if paid before February 28, after that date or on site will be $50.00. The registration fee includes all handout materials. Information and registration, visit www.wildohio.gov. • March 22: Hancock County Pheasants Forever Annual Banquet, 5:30 p.m. The Old Mill Stream Centre at the Hancock County Fairgrounds, 1017 E. Sandusky St. in Findlay. Advance tickets are $80 for a single and $125 for a couple. Covers dinner, membership to Pheasants Forever, and subscription to Pheasants Forever magazine. For information: mark_plesec@goodyear.com. For tickets: https://events.pheasantsforever.org/events/1ef67300-2370-4da3-91cb-119b323d7071. • March 22: Seneca County Pheasants Forever Annual Banquet, Meadowbrook Park Ballroom, 5430 W Tiffin St., Bascom. For information: aroby@pheasantsforever.org. For tickets: https://events.pheasantsforever.org/events/5eca7d77-725f-402e-8313-984be40c0655. Jim Abrams is a retired wildlife officer supervisor for the state Division of Wildlife in Findlay. He can be reached at P.O. Box 413, Mount Blanchard, OH 45867-0413 or via email at jimsfieldnotes@aol.com.