Chronic Wasting Disease in deer is a growing concern in Missouri

It isn’t the present that worries Missouri deer biologists. It’s the future.

As Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), a fatal and contagious disease that can spread slowly among a deer herd, is discovered in more whitetails in the state, that concern continues to grow.

No, the situation isn’t at the crisis stage for now, deer biologist Jason Sumners told the Missouri Conservation Commission in a meeting Friday. But it could one day develop into that state if aggressive action isn’t taken, Sumners said.

“This is a slow, methodically progressing disease,” Sumners said. “It won’t change the deer population overnight. But if you don’t get on top of it early, it can have big effects over the course of time.”

Sumners uses Wisconsin as an example. In 2002, less than 10 percent of harvested deer in the core area where CWD was discovered tested positive for the disease. Last year, testing showed that almost 40 percent of adult male deer that were tested had CWD.

“That’s why you have to take action before it gets out of control,” Sumners said. “There are three things we know for sure about CWD: It kills deer, it will spread and will increase in prevalence with time.

“Unfortunately, we think this will be the story for the next couple of decades.”

The Department of Conservation and Sumners are concerned about the increasing number of harvested deer in Missouri that have tested positive for CWD. In the 2014-2015 season, there were nine deer taken in Macon County and six in Adair County, both in the core area, that were afflicted with the disease. Particularly troubling, though, was the discovery of CWD in one deer taken in Cole County, far from that hot zone.

Wildlife officials doubt that the deer in Cole County got the disease from contact with whitetails in the northeast part of the state. Still, it indicates that CWD could be affecting other parts of the state.

Since 2012, 26 free-ranging deer have tested positive for the disease in Missouri. Most have come from the northeast part of the state, where the disease was also found in a captive-deer operation.

In its meeting Friday, the Conservation Commission approved further steps proposed by staff wildlife biologist to limit the spread of the disease.

▪ A regulation was passed to remove the antler-point restrictions on bucks (requiring hunters to shoot only male deer that had at least four points on one side of their racks) in 14 additional counties: Boone, Callaway, Cole, Cooper, Knox, Miller, Moniteau, Morgan, Osage, Putnam, Schuyler, Scotland, Shelby and Ste. Genevieve.

The reasoning? Young bucks are most apt to travel and potentially transmit the disease. By increasing the harvest of those deer, it would be one more preventative step.

▪ A regulation also was passed to raise the number of firearms antlerless permits hunters may buy from one to two in most of those counties.

▪ Another resolution allows for the continuation of allowing landowners in the CWD area to receive management seals, which allows them and guests to harvest additional deer during the hunting season. They will be provided additional seals in allotments of five if requested.

This story was originally published May 29, 2015 at 6:05 PM with the headline "Chronic Wasting Disease in deer is a growing concern in Missouri."