KEN PERROTTE: Chronic debilitating disease plagues white-tailed deer population | Sports

Thirty-eight deer have been recorded since the discovery of MDC in Virginia in 2009. Sixteen of these were recorded last year.

Many hunters in Virginia are aware of the haemorrhagic disease, both bluetongue and epizootic variant. Our deer in the area have been suffering from hemorrhagic disease several times in recent years.

Deer with haemorrhagic disease often die a few weeks after exposure. Intensely febrile deer are often found near water. But the disease is not always fatal; deer survive. And, research shows that details can develop some immunity to this virus.

Then there is the MDC, which is always fatal. Although hemorrhagic disease is transmitted only by midges (midges), CWD can spread deer and deer can remain infectious for up to two years before presenting symptoms.

In Virginia, there is a "CWD containment zone" where sampling requirements, limits and seasons of liberalized bags and restrictions on movement of the carcass are in place. This region includes all the counties of Frederick, Clarke, Shenandoah and Warren. Virginia has also launched a statewide MDC surveillance program in cooperation with nearly 60 taxidermists,

Lindsay Thomas Jr., director of communications for the Quality Deer Management Association, said containment areas are important. The goal is to isolate the disease. The goal is not to allow pathogenic prions, which are essentially malformed proteins that eventually erode the brain of the deer, to make their way to new regions.

Why is it critical? These prions are insidious, able to survive after being frozen or cooked (unless incinerated at extremely hot temperatures). Research shows that prions can survive in soils for years and even be absorbed by plants that deer eat later.

Although there is no known transmission of MDC to humans, related diseases, such as "mad cow", can tip the species. Recent research has also shown that a monkey species genetically similar to humans could be infected with CWD.

Virginia hunters killing deer in the containment zone on the first two Saturdays of the general firearms season must bring them to a MDC checkpoint for taking a tissue sample. Hunters who kill deer on other days of the season and wish to have the animal tested may drop their heads at any of the five VDGIF refrigerator drop-off points. The test results are available 3-4 weeks after collection.

Kirchgessner said hunters in the containment zone should have all deer tested throughout the season. "Hunters can drop the deer's head and 4 inches of neck and we will submit it to free tests. Refrigerators are checked every week, "she said.

She noted that the DGIF has neither the staff nor the budget to carry out mandatory tests throughout the season. "Although some agencies take this route, their deer season is much shorter, their numbers and budget are greater," said Kirchgessner.

Thomas noted that only 8% of counties with deer across the country are affected by the MDC. "Hunters must play a key role in deer safety in these 92% of counties," said Thomas. This involves scrupulously adhering to regulations on the movement of carcasses, which often include restrictions such as removal of boned and wrapped meat, finished products of taxidermy, perfectly clean skins or capes, woods and skull plates without tissue or brain matter.

The disease can explode exponentially. Thomas shared data from Wisconsin showing that more than 32,000 deer tails were killed by hunters during the 2016-2017 season in Dane, Iowa, Richland and Sauk counties, the region where the incidence of the MDC is the highest. Hunters from 49 states have killed deer in this season. Wisconsin only tested 7% of these deer. Seventeen percent were positive for MDC. This means that more than 29,000 cervids in this outbreak have not been tested, which also means that another thousand of these deer could have been positive. How many of these deer and infected parts of the body were found in other parts of the country?

Research shows that mature males are the largest carriers of CWD, infected at a rate three to four times that of deer and fawns. Mature males spread CWD during the rut, wandering far, creating licking branches, having nose-to-nose contact, fighting and more. Small areas designed to attract deer, such as mineral licks or feeding stations, can also facilitate the spread of the disease.

Thomas said, "The QDMA thinks it does not matter if hunters in areas of mass destruction wish to continue protecting yearling males in order to maintain their interest and engagement in hunting through QDM, but we urge them to increase harvest pressure on all males over 3.5 years of age. "

Thomas said it was important to report sick deer, especially when they were outside of a known area of ​​the CWD. He said that he had heard about hunters advising their friends and hunting clubs to do the exact opposite, claiming that a sick deer case report would prompt the national agency to Wildlife to start eradicating deer.

It is true that thinning and aggressive sampling to assess the magnitude of the problem are likely when discovering CWD, but not reporting deer sick is "False and irresponsible," Thomas said. "If you find it early enough, you may be able to stop it; once settled in a herd, it becomes very difficult, "he added.

"Hunters need to be aware of MDC. Share information and alerts with your friends and hunting companions. Trust me, you do not want that in your area, "said Thomas.For specific regulations in Virginia and chilled collection points, see dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/diseases/cwd. Check out the new DGIF flyers and brochures on Ken Perrotte's blog, outdoorsrambler.com.