Hunters in northern Wisconsin being asked to help with deer health surveillance
SPOONER, Wis. – Successful hunters this season will find state wildlife biologists in 17 northern Wisconsin counties collecting adult deer heads as part of the state’s continuing effort to monitor for chronic wasting disease in the state’s deer population. State officials are seeking to gather a sample of 500 deer heads from each county as part of the disease surveillance.
Hunters will be asked at selected deer registration stations to allow biologists to take a tissue sample or the entire deer head for testing. Mike Zeckmeister, Department of Natural Resources Northern Region wildlife supervisor, says periodic disease surveillance is necessary to maintain a healthy deer herd.
“While our primary health monitoring is for CWD and Bovine TB,” Zeckmeister says, “we will be looking for any health concerns and issues in our deer herd.”
It has been six years since the state has comprehensively tested the health of the deer herd in these northern 18 counties. Because wildlife biologists in the north have been collecting road kill deer and hunters have been having bow and early antlerless season deer tested, Burnett County has met its quota. Zeckmeister said other counties are close to meeting the 500 limit and when they do, sample collection will end in that county
“We appreciate the hunters who have participated in this health check so far,” he said, “and we are confident that will with the help of successful opening weekend hunters we can complete this project.”
The DNR needs deer samples from Polk, Barron, Washburn, Douglas, Bayfield, Ashland, Iron, Rusk, Taylor, Sawyer, Price, Lincoln, Langlade, Oneida, Vilas, Forest, and Florence counties.
Hunters can find the nearest collection point by contacting any of the following DNR service centers: Antigo – (715) 627-4317; Ashland- (715) 685-2900; Cumberland- (715) 822-3590; Florence -(715) 528-4400; Hayward- (715) 634-2688; Ladysmith -(715) 532-3911; Park Falls -(715) 762-3204; Rhinelander- (715) 365-8900; Spooner- (715) 635-2101; Superior -(715) 392-7988; Woodruff- (715) 356-5211.
Chronic wasting disease is a fatal nervous system disease known to naturally infect white-tailed deer, mule deer, moose and elk. It belongs to the family of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) or prion diseases. Though it shares features with other prion diseases, like mad cow disease in cattle and scrapie in sheep, it is a distinct disease known to only affect members of the deer family.
CWD was discovered in deer in southern Wisconsin in 2002 from a deer that was sampled in fall. Wildlife officials say the disease represents a significant threat to the state's white-tailed deer population and the culture of deer hunting in the state. CWD has been discovered in wild deer or elk herds in 15 states and two Canadian provinces.
Bovine Tuberculosis is a contagious respiratory disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium bovis. Bovine TB can infect most warm blooded animals, including humans. The federal government has done nationwide testing of cattle herds to control bovine TB, but it still occurs in cattle, penned exotic livestock such as elk, and wild deer. TB has been diagnosed in captive elk herds in several states including Wisconsin. Michigan and Minnesota have both found TB in their free-ranging white-tailed deer.
From an agricultural perspective, the discovery of TB in the dairy state would result in the dairy and beef industry losing its TB free status. This would cost producers an estimated $1.9 million in annual testing costs alone.
FOR MORE INFORMATION on chronic wasting disease contact Dr. Bill Delanis, DVM, DNR wildlife health veterinarian. 608-266-3143.
FOR MORE INFORMATION on CWD sampling in northern Wisconsin contact Jim Bishop, DNR Northern Region public affairs manager (715) 635-4242 or wildlife supervisor Chuck McCullough, Antigo - (715) 623-4190 ext. 3131
