Chronic Wasting on rise as state continues to monitor with no action

Over 9 percent whitetails found to have disease

Clearly Wisconsin natural resource managers are losing the fight to chronic wasting disease in the nation’s deer herd.

A report to a newly formed advisory committee shows the ineffectiveness of efforts to battle CWD over the last few years, primarily because there’s been very little by way of actual battle going on, says Marc Schultz with the La Crosse County Conservation Alliance.  

Information gathering? Yes. Action? No.

“You can have all the information in the world, unless you act on it, it doesn’t make any difference,” Schultz said.

CWD has been on the rise among the state’s whitetails since wildlife managers backed off a plan to aggressively thin the herd. In 2015, among deer tested for CWD, over nine percent were found to have the disease.   

The DNR has been essentially waiting and watching the past six years and it’s past time to change habits, thinks Schultz.

“If this disease were threatening agriculture, there would be a massive response,” Schultz said. “Agriculture is a real important part of our economy.”

At the very least, there should be an in-field test so hunters can learn if a deer has CWD after a kill, Schultz believes. A report to a new advisory board on the disease says political and social pressures have played a role in preventing aggressive management.  

Schultz is also worried about an eventual CWD jump from deer to humans.

“That’s the largest risk,” he said. “Were that to happen, the whole deer hunting industry in Wisconsin would be gone. The sport would be gone, which would be even worse.”