CWD Information, including Head Submission Guidelines

[Rob Miskosky]

The following link provides info on CWD for hunters in Alberta - includes disease updates, maps, and guidelines for submitting heads.

http://srd.alberta.ca/FishWildlife/F...ngDisease.aspx

[Rob Miskosky]

Below is a link to the results of the 2010 fall CWD surveillance program and below that a map showing where CWD positives have been found to date. The disease is heading westward at an alarming rate.

http://srd.alberta.ca/FishWildlife/W...s/Default.aspx

[Speckle55]

Yep i agree westward here it comes its in 2 river drainages will be in Camrose shortly.. gheee we should have continued RAT PATROL at border.. sorry to say but reality

[densa44]

Are you not suppose to eat these deer? How long does it take to find out if the deer is CWD?
What do you do with the remains if it is CWD? Can you shoot another one?
Is there any outward sign that the deer is not healthy?
Does the disease occur equally in bucks and does?

Thanks. I wish it wasn't moving west.

[densa44]

What is being done about this? How come so many mule deer? What are the risks if the deer has been consumed?

Has this always been the case or is it something new. In the "old days" could a hunter identify an infected deer at autopsy?

Thanks

[gonefishin]

Originally Posted by densa44

Are you not suppose to eat these deer? How long does it take to find out if the deer is CWD?
What do you do with the remains if it is CWD? Can you shoot another one?
Is there any outward sign that the deer is not healthy?
Does the disease occur equally in bucks and does?

Thanks. I wish it wasn't moving west.

You can eat the deer. They say that the disease is not transferrable to humans (all my deer and elk have been negative for CWD). It can take weeks to months to get the results back as SRD has a lot of testing to do (the longest I've had to wait is about 3 or 4 months)... as for the remains, there usually aren't much as I don't let my deer hang or sit in the freezer for that long. You can shoot another one if you have a tag for one. And, from the CWD Alliance:

The most obvious and consistent clinical sign is weight loss over time. CWD affected animals continue to eat but amounts of feed consumed are reduced, leading to gradual loss of body condition. Excessive drinking and urination are common in the terminal stages.

Behavioral changes also occur in the majority of cases, including decreased interactions with other animals, listlessness, lowering of the head, blank facial expression and repetitive walking in set patterns. In elk, behavioral changes may also include hyper-excitability and nervousness. Excessive salivation, drooling and grinding of the teeth also are observed.

[/QUOTE]

As for the questions in your second post... type in CWD in the search window here, on google or any other outdoors forum in western Canada/ US and have your reading glasses handy.

[walking buffalo]

The link provides some updated information of Chronic Wasting Disease.


Management of CWD in Canada:
Past Practices, Current Conditions, Current Science, Future Risks and Options
February 9-10, 2011, Edmonton

http://www.ccwhc.ca/publications/CWD...d_20110516.pdf


Saskatchewan has already recorded CWD in THREE more cervid farms in 2011.
FIVE Sask game farms have been recorded as CWD positive in just the last six months. The problem is just getting worse.

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/.../cwdmdce.shtml

[Bolete]

Originally Posted by gonefishin

You can eat the deer. They say that the disease is not transferrable to humans

It would be foolish to consume any product with CDW. The WHO specifically states that NO product infected with a prion should be consumed. The suseptibility of humans to this disease is not yet known. The problem is that the latency period (the period between infection and when symptoms manifest) is typically measured in decades. In a lab setting, they (IIRC the University of Wyoming/Colorado?) have shown it is theoretically possible for
this prion to infect human tissue. You may ask, "what does that mean for hunters?" Well, no one really knows at this time, and as such, caution should be advised.

[bowness]

I just harvested a doe muley in 152 and must submit the head. I know I will NOT be waiting 3-4 months to eat a roast. What about all the other deer you harvest in adjacent wmu's? I just read that young deer can migrate 100 km's searching for new areas to inhabit. Any deer out East could be infected.

[nemo]

The regs said 5100 animals tested .4% positive in 2010. It does say that there is no scientific proof of it infecting humans, and WHO states it shouldn't enter the food chain.
I've also read that when butchering you should refrain from allowing spinal fluids from contaminating meat. It apparently isolates itself to the brain and spinal cord.
I haven't had an animal that was positive yet, but it has always been to the butchers and eatin before test results returned. They can't be too concerned; wouldn't there be lots of cross contamination through the wild game processors?

[Bolete]

Originally Posted by nemo

The regs said 5100 animals tested .4% positive in 2010. It does say that there is no scientific proof of it infecting humans, and WHO states it shouldn't enter the food chain.
I've also read that when butchering you should refrain from allowing spinal fluids from contaminating meat. It apparently isolates itself to the brain and spinal cord.
I haven't had an animal that was positive yet, but it has always been to the butchers and eatin before test results returned. They can't be too concerned; wouldn't there be lots of cross contamination through the wild game processors?

You would think so. A big problem is how to clean your equipment if contaminated. The university of Wyoming recommends soaking your knive in a 50% bleach solution for 4 hours, and even the effectiveness of that is unclear. Cleaning a grinder or saw would be even more problematic. Heat does not kill a prion. Surgical equipment that comes in contact with Cruetzfeld-Jakob's (human prion disease) generally needs to be discarded as an autoclave may not effectively clean it.

[Leather burner]

Dropped off a head in the freezer, as per the instructions. Frozen, head skinned, top of skull plate removed with antlers, most of brain and all of jaws/ throat still present.

Message came back "unsuitable for testing".

Any idea if they only test a certain %, or ??? If I did something wrong with the submission that made it untestable, I'd like to know for next time. A little more info would help make me feel the effort was worth my time. It was a mandatory testing zone.

[Speckle55]

Leather Burner phone 310-0000 then ask for Margo Pybus and explain what happened and ask her... she is our head of diseases in animals in Alberta SRD

Food for Thought
David

[Leather burner]

Thanks David.

[fzo]

nice. thank you for that

[bergman]

Can you let us know what you find out? I hunt in 230, have to submit for the first time this year. It would be nice to know what to do!

[Speckle55]

Bergman just do what Rob's first post said on this post and what it say's in the Hunting Reg's you will be ok .. i had do that at Camp Wainwright .. they the CO's just took the head at the back of the neck where the spine connects and broke it and cut it off then took the horns off with a meat saw leaving all the brain material and gave me a piece of the skull plate and horns.. like i do when i take just the horns for a plaque mount..

In the end don,t eat any of the animals harvested until you get the ok from SRD as to how it tested..

for those who want more info go to this site which has the lastest info ..

David
http://www.cwd-info.org/

[Smoolodag]

Hello

I just submitted my animation to the 11SecondClub, this is my first time trying out this competition. When I tested the animation after it submitted, there was no sound on the file. The file I uploaded, however, did have sound. So Im wondering if it is normal for there to be no sound right after you upload your submission? Thanks for the help

[Speckle55]

here is the latest CWD with the Moose

David

http://srd.alberta.ca/FishWildlife/W...Mar15-2013.pdf

[Chase 22]

Thanks for the link.

[hal53]

Originally Posted by Chase 22

Thanks for the link.

only 14 more to go, and some more time on here eh Bud?

[bruceba]

At least 85 positives for CWD from the fall of 2014. So my question is where were the carcasses from these 85 positives discarded?

[DT.]

3 mule does in 4 yrs tested positive for CWD. Each seemingly very healthy when harvested. Surrendered meat of each when results returned. I do own butchering, but still worry about some CWD positive deer that may have slipped thru butcher shops in past years.
I really wish there was way to curb/stop this disease.

[Speckle55]

here is a up to date link

http://esrd.alberta.ca/fish-wildlife...g-disease.aspx

David

[bruceba]

http://vancouversun.com/news/local-n...or-bc-wildlife

[rangiferi]

Originally Posted by densa44

Are you not suppose to eat these deer? How long does it take to find out if the deer is CWD?
What do you do with the remains if it is CWD? Can you shoot another one?
Is there any outward sign that the deer is not healthy?
Does the disease occur equally in bucks and does?

Thanks. I wish it wasn't moving west.

The CDC and WHO recommend not eating prion tainted meat, however there is no evidence of CWD infecting humans. It is considered a cervid specific disease. The CWD test takes 4-6 weeks; however, this is dependent on volume received at the lab (if you submit late in the season it may take longer). If you harvest a CWD positive deer you will be contacted directly by the Alberta Wildlife Disease Unit. Then you will be provided with information regarding your test result and the choice of keeping the meat or surrendering it and receiving a new tag for that area the following season. All CWD positive meat that is surrendered is either incinerated at the F&W facility in Edmonton or disposed of using deep pit burial.

Many of the CWD positive cases that are taken by hunters are not clinical, meaning they don't look sick and many look very healthy. In Alberta. CWD is significantly more prevalent in Mule deer, and in that species it is skewed toward bucks.

For more information please go to http://mywildalberta.com/Hunting/Saf...ngDisease.aspx

[Alarmedtadpole]

Originally Posted by rangiferi

The CDC and WHO recommend not eating prion tainted meat, however there is no evidence of CWD infecting humans. It is considered a cervid specific disease. The CWD test takes 4-6 weeks; however, this is dependent on volume received at the lab (if you submit late in the season it may take longer). If you harvest a CWD positive deer you will be contacted directly by the Alberta Wildlife Disease Unit. Then you will be provided with information regarding your test result and the choice of keeping the meat or surrendering it and receiving a new tag for that area the following season. All CWD positive meat that is surrendered is either incinerated at the F&W facility in Edmonton or disposed of using deep pit burial.

Many of the CWD positive cases that are taken by hunters are not clinical, meaning they don't look sick and many look very healthy. In Alberta. CWD is significantly more prevalent in Mule deer, and in that species it is skewed toward bucks.

For more information please go to http://mywildalberta.com/Hunting/Saf...ngDisease.aspx

This is great information, thanks. How do I submit my deer head for testing?

I have to ask, how do you know so much about this program? I haven't seen too much about it.

[rangiferi]

Originally Posted by Alarmedtadpole

This is great information, thanks. How do I submit my deer head for testing?

I have to ask, how do you know so much about this program? I haven't seen too much about it.

Fish and Wildlife have placed orange freezers at specific locations around the province where you can drop off your deer, moose or elk head(s) for CWD testing. The locations of these freezers can be found here:

http://aep.alberta.ca/fish-wildlife/...nsMap-2016.pdf

Heads are collected from these freezers every couple of days by Fish and Wildlife Staff who then submit them directly to the CWD testing laboratory in Edmonton.

Hunters can also submit their deer, moose or elk head(s) at any local fish and wildlife office.

I currently work for the Alberta Wildlife Disease Unit. Our website is an excellent source for information regarding CWD in Alberta.

http://mywildalberta.com/Hunting/Saf...ngDisease.aspx

[Speckle55]

just a update ..its been found in Reindeer in Europe

.as if our Cariboo didn't have enough trouble

http://cwd-info.org/the-first-detect...cwd-in-europe/

Keeping you informed

David

[Speckle55]

This show map including up to Dec 20 2016 and its going up the river valleys ..please note special interest areas

http://aep.alberta.ca/fish-wildlife/...16-DEC2016.pdf

keeping you informed

David