Iowa DNR hosts local meetings to discuss continued efforts following most recent positive CWD tests


The map above indicates the region in Allamakee County around the Harpers Ferry area that is receiving increased attention following the positive CWD testing of two more wild deer harvested during the 2015 shotgun deer hunting season in that particular area. The region outlined in red shows the area that the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is referring to as the Surveillance Focus Zone, and the area outlined by the bolder black lines is referred to as the Surveillance Focus Collection Area where DNR officials are urging area residents to report any roadkill deer for testing or deer they may feel are looking sickly or acting strangely. The light blue triangle on the map shows where the deer which first tested positive was harvested in 2013, the three red triangles indicate where the three animals were harvested that tested positive from the 2014 season, and the two yellow triangles mark where the latest two CWD-positive deer were killed during the most recent, 2015 hunting season. Submitted image.

by Kelli Boylen
freelance writer

Don’t feed deer, don’t bait deer, dispose of carcasses by burying or taking to a landfill, and call in sick and roadkill deer for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to test, says Dr. Dale Garner, Chief of the Wildlife Bureau for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
That is the official advice from the DNR about what can be done for now to help stop the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD), a message shared with hunters and area residents in attendance at a Tuesday, March 1 meeting in Harpers Ferry.
Two deer shot during the most recent, 2015 deer season tested positive for CWD, bringing the total of CWD-positive deer killed in Allamakee County to six. The most recent to test positive were shot two to three miles southwest of Harpers Ferry in the Yellow River State Forest Paint Rock Unit, close to Highway 364 near the Nobles Island boat landing.
Four deer had tested positive previously in Allamakee County. The first was shot during the 2013 gun deer season just south of Harpers Ferry. Of the 309 deer tested (approximately 60 percent of the deer harvested from that area) in the 2014 gun season, an additional three deer tested positive. One was harvested from near the horse campground area in Yellow River State Forest, another harvested in the area of Whippoorwill and Collins Roads, and the other was shot near the end of Cahallan Road off of Old Junction Road.
Approximately 57,000 wild deer in Iowa have been tested since 2002. The only samples to test positive in wild deer are the six that have come from Allamakee County. There are no easy answers on how to proceed; the Iowa DNR is seeking input from hunters and landowners.
CWD is not caused by a virus, bacteria or fungus, but rather a prion (an infectious misshapen protein). It is similar to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (commonly called Mad Cow Disease) and can be found in whitetails, moose, elk and mule deer. There is no vaccination for CWD and there is no treatment. It is always fatal to the infected deer.
Symptoms of infected deer include dementia, lack of coordination, abnormal behavior and excessive salivation. Infected deer are often emaciated and sometimes have a hunched appearance as their rear quarters are drawn forward. Deer show clinical signs of the illness within 16 to 36 months of exposure and can spread prions through saliva (which is why they are urging the public to not feed or bait deer), urine and feces prior to showing symptoms.
In some cases in other states, fawns as young as three months have tested positive, so it is believed that CWD can be passed through the placenta. Garner said Iowa has been focusing on testing older deer because it gives them a better idea of how prevalent the disease is with the DNR’s limited funding.
Much of the funding for testing and extra personnel needed to collect samples during the gun deer season was provided by a USDA grant total of $49,000. The Iowa DNR is funded by license fees and that money is split between wildlife, law enforcement and fisheries. When DNR money is funneled for CWD testing it can take away from other services, Garner explained.
Each CWD test costs about $25. Hunters are welcome to send samples in for testing and pay for it themselves if they wish, Garner said.
It is not known for certain how long the prions can live in the soil, but research thus far shows it remains for at least three to five years, perhaps longer. It is now believed that the prions become more potent in clay soils. Prions are extremely difficult to destroy - an incinerator with the ability to maintain a temperature of 900 degrees Fahrenheit for four hours is the only proven option as of now.
Terry Haindfield, DNR Wildlife Biologist, says it, of course, would be great if hunters would not leave gut piles in the woods or field, but understands that is not very practical. They do ask, however, that carcasses not be left for scavengers. It was recently learned that the CWD prions can live in the guts of both crows and coyotes potentially for several days and be found in their scat. The crows and coyotes do not contract the illness, but their excrement leaves contamination which can be picked up by other deer.
All the data collected is important in determining what may be the best course of action for slowing the spread of the disease, Garner said, summarizing with, “We know that the solution is not to do nothing.” It is generally said that once the CWD infection rate reaches about 40 percent, the deer population will decline.
For now, they hope to continue to sample more than 400 deer annually from the target area, mainly working with hunters. Both Haindfield and Garner reiterated how thankful they are for the cooperation they receive from hunters. They are both open to ideas on how to make it more convenient for hunters when DNR personnel come to gather samples of the deer’s’ tissue for testing.
Garner and Haindfield said that the public’s help will still be needed to monitor for new cases. The DNR is asking for the public to report all sick deer they may see. They stressed to call the DNR first and shoot later. Sick deer are not likely to wander far off, and even if a deer is sick it’s not permissible to kill it out of season without permission.
Also, all roadkill deer in the area defined by the following roads (and outlined in the map graphic accompanying this article) should be called in: Pleasant Ridge Road near Marquette headed west to Holly Avenue to Scott Hollow to Dry Hollow to Highway 76 to Waterville Road to Elon Road to Lafayette Ridge, Highway 364 (Harpers Ferry blacktop), south on Highway 76 to Marquette.
DNR officials are already working with the local sheriff’s department, but if a deer is not dragged into the ditch it’s a good idea to report it.
Garner admitted knowing how to proceed is complicated. He believes in Wisconsin their reaction to CWD was too little too late, the disease was much more rampant than what has been found in Iowa thus far. Last year a special hunt to collect scientific data collected about 100 deer, and no new cases were found; some were glad the testing was stepped up, while others were upset additional deer were killed.
The DNR will continue to work with local locker plants and taxidermist as well. Testing at both of those locations is done with the hunter’s voluntary permission. Many locker plants now make storage space available so that the deer is not fully processed until the CWD tests come back, usually around three weeks.
There is no scientific evidence of a case of CWD causing health issues for humans, but both the World Health Organization and the Center for Disease Control advise against eating deer or elk that have tested positive. Meat donated to the HUSH (Help Us Stop Hunger) program is treated in the same manner of not being distributed for consumption unless the test is negative.
Garner noted that the test for CWD is not considered a food safety test, but rather the results are “positive” or “not detected.”