CWD Chronic Wasting Disease Concerns TWRC in Tennessee

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TWRA SEEKS INPUT ON CWD STRATEGIC PLAN

By Steve McCadams

A 30-day public comment period is now open for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s new five-year chronic wasting disease (CWD) strategic plan. The CWD Response and Management plan will serve as a guiding document for TWRA staff and ensure the best science is applied in efforts to control the disease.

The new plan includes five main overarching goals:

1. Prevent the introduction or spread of CWD to new areas.

2. Surveillance and monitoring to improve early detection of the disease and better track the number and location of cases.

3. Activate management and responses to minimize the impacts of CWD where the disease has been detected and proactively respond to any new cases.

4. More research to optimize all of TWRA’s CWD programs.

5. Outreach and Communications to ensure the public and our hunters have the information they need about CWD.

Hunters have an important role in helping manage CWD. The complete plan can be found on the Public Notice section of the TWRA website. Comments may be submitted by mail to: Wildlife Public Comments, TWRA, Wildlife Division, 5107 Edmondson Pike, Nashville, TN 37211 or emailed to Twra.huntingcomments@tn.gov. The comment period is open through Jan. 29.

Since December 2018, the TWRA and its partners have been responding to the discovery of CWD in Tennessee. During the 2021-22 fiscal year, TWRA sampled more than 16,000 deer, with 631 returning positive results. Management of CWD is complex and requires numerous long-term techniques to be applied, monitored, and adjusted over time.

Development of the new strategic plan has been an 18-month process for the TWRA with the help of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and the Tennessee Department of Agriculture with additional input from a wide range of stakeholders.

RECENT MEETING CASTS DARK CLOUD FOR DEER HUNTERS

After last week’s meeting by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency at Henry County Fairgrounds hunters and wildlife enthusiasts are better informed about the ramifications of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in the state’s herd but most in the crowd now find themselves in a deer dilemma.

Many in attendance gained a batter understanding and perception of what this mysterious disease is about.

Said one hunter at the conclusion of the presentation: “we’re sick but the doctor can’t do anything for us!”

A crowd of some 125 people attended, soaking up information presented by Dan Grove, a veterinarian and wildlife health specialist working with both TWRA and UT Extension Service. Also presenting was Jeremy Dennison, CWD Field Coordinator with TWRA.

If those attending came to the event hoping to hear some good news of progress or cures from the front lines of the war on CWD they left disappointed. What they learned is that CWD is a formidable opponent to the future of deer hunting here in Tennessee and Henry County.

Grove provided a pictorial presentation supported by graphs and several years of data giving attendees some history of the disease that first surfaced in western states in the 1960’s but was first discovered in Tennessee in 2018.

In summary, Grove says:

(1) CWD is a significant threat to the state’s white-tail deer herd (2) TWRA has the goal of keeping CWD from spreading and keeping the number of diseased deer in areas to a minimum and reducing disease rates where possible.

(3) Biologists want to increase the harvest in affected counties while the agency increases its sampling as it attempts to better understand the disease (4) bucks are twice more likely than does to have CWD and older bucks are three times more likely to have it than younger ones (5) CWD isn’t known to affect cattle, horses, sheep or goats (6) Long term effects on the state’s herd are unknown (7) CWD is 100 percent fatal…once deer have it they are unable to breed and die within 18 months. In the early stages cosmetic signs are thin hair, drooling, walking in circles and allowing humans to approach them.

(8) It has never been known to infect humans (9) It’s a prion type disease brought on by abnormal, pathogenic agents that throw off the balance of proteins especially in the brain of deer, lymphatic system, etc… (10) CWD management is not a one-man band. It is a partnership between TWRA, partners, hunters, landowners, and you. Your engagement and support is needed. Please, harvest more deer in Unit CWD. Abide by carcass transportation and feeding restrictions in CWD-positive and high-risk counties.

Meanwhile, there’s a lot of uncertainty among the ranks of hunters as to the future of deer hunting not only here in Henry County but across the state.

There’s some unknowns as to how to address and stop CWD. There are some knowns too and that information is quite disturbing.

Henry County has been one of the top counties in the state as to harvest numbers for decades. From leases to hunters by landowners and farmers to the tourism generated by legions of hunters who travel here for the excellent deer hunting opportunities; there’s insecurity as to what lies ahead.

Same goes for the sporting goods industry both locally and statewide. Meanwhile, hunters can help their own cause by following TWRA guidelines.

For additional information and more details of CWD the agency has established a website: CWDinTennessee.com that will provide specifics of transportation and the overall scenario of the situation at hand.

Stay tuned as the future has a lot of chapters ahead that haven’t been written on this saga. An uncertain future awaits deer hunting wherever this ugly disease shows up!

THREE COUNTIES ADDED TO CWD ZONE

Three counties have had their chronic wasting disease (CWD) status changed due to the confirmation of the disease (CWD) in new areas of southwest Tennessee.

Haywood and Chester counties have be reclassified from high risk counties to CWD-positive counties after deer tested positive in the respective counties. Lauderdale County has been added as a high-risk county after a deer tested positive in Tipton County within 10 miles of the Lauderdale County border.

“These changes are unfortunate, but were expected considering high prevalence rates in Hardeman and Fayette counties,” said Chuck Yoest, CWD Coordinator. “The high prevalence there indicates CWD has been present in southwest Tennessee for years. However, in the rest of the state, surveillance results have us confident CWD is not present in the remainder of the state.”

Approximately 400 deer tested positive for CWD in southwest Tennessee during the 2019-20 deer season with the vast majority being from Hardeman and Fayette counties. Chester, Haywood, Madison, Shelby, and Tipton counties are CWD-positive as well. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency tested more than 13,000 deer for CWD during the 2019-20 deer season.

Supplemental feeding of wildlife is banned in in CWD-positive and high-risk counties. The placement of grains, salt products, and other consumable natural and manufactured products for wildlife is prohibited. The ban does not apply to feed placed within 100 feet of a residence, feed placed in a manner not accessible to deer, or feed and minerals as the result of normal agricultural practices. Food plots are still legal in CWD-positive and high-risk counties.

WILDLIFE COMMISSION UPDATE

Updates on chronic wasting disease (CWD) and an ongoing turkey research project were given at the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission one-day October meeting held at Lone Oaks Farm, which is administered by UT Extension, a unit of the University of Tennessee Institute Of Agriculture.

Chuck Yoest, CWD Coordinator, provided an update beginning with a reminder of Crockett and Gibson counties now being classified as CWD high-risk counties. As a result of the declaration, wildlife feeding and carcass exportation restrictions now apply there. However, the agency recommends the counties remain in Unit L.

Yoest said 17 CWD-positive deer have been detected during the 2019-20 deer season thus far, and the combined total, including those from the 2018-19, is 203. Additional CWD public meetings are planned for Crockett for Gibson counties on Nov. 7 and 14, respectively.

Yoest concluded the update by informing the commission of a policy change by privately-owned landfills operators in southwest Tennessee resulting in no deer being accepted at these facilities. Although TWRA does not have authority or legal responsibility for waste disposal, the agency, assisted by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Tennessee Department of Agriculture, and the University of Tennessee Extension, has developed plans to honor stakeholder requests for assistance on this issue and ensure best management of CWD.

David Buehler, professor from UT Knoxville, was present to give an update on the turkey research project. The project, concentrating on southern Middle Tennessee, has reached the half-way point of the 5-year study. Final analyses will not be completed until all of the data is received. Survival, reproduction, and hunter harvest varies annually. The multiple years of data will help provide a complete picture.

The preliminary report indicates turkey populations in the area are declining because of poor productivity. Experimental habitat management is being implemented to address limitations in nest success and brood survival. Hunters are very concerned about the status of turkey hunting and are willing to consider regulatory changes, according to surveys. Turkeys are being exposed to a variety of diseases but there is little evidence that these diseases are limiting populations.

Chris Ogle and Austin Bibb were introduced as the TWRA Wildlife Biologist of the Year and Wildlife Technician of the Year, respectively. Ogle serves as a wildlife manager in the Biodiversity program in TWRA Region IV. Bibb serves on the staff at the Lower Mississippi River Complex, stationed at Shelby Forest Wildlife Management Area.

The TWRA’s CWD Response team has received the Wildlife and Forestry Division’s inaugural award for “Team of the Year” for its teamwork since to the confirmation of chronic wasting disease in Tennessee. Chief Joe Benedict said the award was, “In recognition of superior teamwork in responding to the discovery of Chronic Wasting Disease in Tennessee through positive attitude, careful planning, integrating a statewide perspective, and commitment to clear, proactive and open communication.”

The commission does not have a scheduled November meeting. The TFWC will next meet Dec. 12-13 in Gatlinburg.

NEW CWD DEER UNIT

As a result of deer reported with CWD last year in southwest Tennessee, a new unit in now in effect for the upcoming season.

Unit CWD includes Chester, Fayette, Hardeman, Haywood, Madison, McNairy, Shelby, and Tipton counties

Stay informed by following TWRA’s website CWDinTennessee.com and signing up for CWD updates via email or text.

The early season in this year’s new CWD unit opens August 23-25, making it the first time Tennessee has ever had a deer season open that early.

Details are also published in the current edition of the Tennessee Hunting Guide, which is now available from any TWRA license agency plus online at www.tnwildlife.org.

CWD DEER UNIT ESTABLISHED

The Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission has made changes to deer hunting regulations in continued response to chronic wasting disease (CWD) which was found in three southwestern Tennessee counties last winter.

The commission approved the TWRA recommendation to establish a new CWD deer hunting unit for the counties in which we have found CWD-positive deer (Fayette, Hardeman, and Madison) and counties within 10 miles of a positive CWD deer location (Chester, Haywood, McNairy, Shelby and Tipton). The goal of these modified regulations in unit CWD is to keep CWD from spreading and to keep the number of infected deer to a minimum.

For the three-day August (23-25) deer hunt, muzzleloaders were authorized, in addition to archery, for use in Unit CWD. Selected public lands will also be open to hunting in Unit CWD for the August season.

Other major outcomes of the commission’s actions include:

• Earn-A-Buck Program - Hunters are entitled to additional antlered deer through a new “Earn-a-buck Program” in Unit CWD. A buck may be earned by harvesting two (2) antlerless deer in Unit CWD and submitting both for CWD testing. This may be done twice for a total of 2 earned bucks to be harvested in Unit CWD during the 2019-2020 season.

• Replacement Bucks - Unit CWD hunters are entitled to replacement bucks if they harvest a CWD-positive buck and the lab result in confirmed by TWRA.

• Extended Seasons - Unit CWD muzzleloader and gun season dates have been extended from the traditional statewide season dates. Archery-only dates will be Sept. 28-Oct. 25. Muzzleloader/archery will be Oct. 28-Nov. 8 and gun/muzzleloader/archery will be Nov. 9-Jan. 5, 2020.

• Antlered harvest, in addition to antlerless, was authorized for the January 5-day, private lands-only hunt, Jan. 6-10, 2020.

• Mandatory Check Weekends in Unit CWD will be Nov. 2-3 and Nov. 9-10.

In other business, a report on 2018-19 big game hunting seasons was given. Seven archery, seven gun, and one young sportsman elk permits are issued. All seven archery hunters, four gun hunters and the young sportsman were successful.

The bear season had a record harvest of 762 animals. Four of the five bear hunt zones had their best years.

The state’s total deer harvest was close to 147,682, a slight increase over 2017-18. The recently-completed spring turkey season harvest was back above the 30,000 mark, 11 percent above 2018.

An overview of the state’s biodiversity program was presented. Tennessee is the nation’s most wildlife- diverse inland state. Much of the diversity is attributed to the habitats ranging from bottomlands and wetlands in the west to the mountains in the east. Tennessee also has more than 60,000 miles of streams.

A preview to the Fish Dealer Rule was given regulates fish farmers, bait dealers, and catch-out operations will be revisited. The changes would address invasive species issues and specify approved fish species by scientific name rather than generic phrases like “native fish” or “trout.”

The first session of the 111th General Assembly, which concluded earlier this month, was reviewed. One of the amendments passed requires persons who rent motorized watercraft be given an orientation for the specific type of vessel being rented. Tennessee residents who have successfully completed a monitored National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) exam and hold the TWRA-issued wallet certification card are exempt from this orientation.

An Outreach and Communications Division quarterly report was given. The report outlined license sales, media coverage, emails communications, social media stats, regional outreach efforts, and a summary of things this quarter.

TVA HOSTS PUBLIC MEETING

TVA is updating its Natural Resource Plan and they your input. The NRP is the guiding document for how TVA manages public lands and waters in its seven-state service area and the Tennessee River watershed, with ten focus areas that encompass the agency’s many programs, it said in a recent news release.

TVA has just completed a draft of it and they’d love for you to share your thoughts.

After reviewing and considering the public’s scoping input, TVA released the draft NRP and SEIS for review and is accepting public comments on them until July 8, 2019. During the 45-day public comment period, TVA plans to hold open house public meetings across the valley to provide information to the public and solicit further input.

Locally, a meeting will be held June 19, (5 pm to 6:30 pm): Apex Bank – Mary Teague Community Center (located behind the bank) at 180 US Hwy 641 N. Camden, Tenn. 38320.

Additional meetings are slated for Knoxville, Chattanooga and Florence, AL.

In addition, TVA invites you to attend a Public Webinar about the draft NRP and SEIS on June 14,

at 11 a.m. EDT. TVA plans to record the webinar and make it available on this website. Please pre-register for the webinar if you plan to attend. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE TESTING SUCCESSFUL

Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency announced its initial chronic wasting disease (CWD) response efforts were successful in the Agency sampling more than 2,700 deer for the disease in the CWD Management Zone with the assistance of hunters.

“Thanks to the cooperation of hunters and efforts by Agency staff, we exceeded our sampling goals for the CWD Management Zone,” said Chuck Yoest, CWD Coordinator. “The information gathered from these efforts is critical to developing a successful long-term CWD management plan.”

The CWD Management Zone, established in December, has grown to include eight southwest Tennessee counties. The counties are Chester, Fayette, Hardeman, Haywood, Madison, McNairy, Shelby, and Tipton. Tipton County was just added this week upon confirmation of a CWD positive deer harvested near its border in the adjacent Fayette County.

Statewide, TWRA was able to obtain samples from almost 5,400 deer during the 2018-19 deer hunting seasons. All CWD positives found were harvested in Fayette, Hardeman, and Madison counties.

It will take until later in February for all the results from the samples to be received by the TWRA. Once the results are received and analyzed, final development of the long-term CWD management plan will be completed.

WILDLIFE COMMISSION ADDRESSES CWD

With increasing concerns about the potential impact of chronic wasting disease (CWD), the governing body of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency voted recently to amend a rule regarding import restrictions on deer, elk, moose, and caribou carcasses.

The amended rule will now be sent from the 13-member Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission to the State Attorney General’s Office for review.

Ultimately the amendment is intended to make every U.S. state outside of Tennessee and all Canadian provinces subject to TWRA’s carcass import restrictions.

Currently the rule only includes import restrictions on states where CWD has been documented. The amendment would change the rule to include all states, regardless of CWD status. Right now 25 states and two Canadian provinces have documented chronic wasting disease.

“This change will make our import restriction rule easy to understand,” explained Chuck Yoest, an assistant chief in TWRA’s Wildlife Division. “No matter where a hunter travels outside of Tennessee, import restrictions must be followed. “It also helps strengthen our message about how serious this disease is.”

CWD is a contagious and deadly neurological disorder that affects members of the deer family known scientifically as cervids. It is transmitted through animal-to-animal contact, animal contact with a contaminated environment, and with contaminated feed or water sources.

Prions are responsible for CWD transmission, not a bacteria or a virus. Prions are misfolded or abnormal proteins found throughout a diseased animal’s body, but are concentrated in an animal’s eyes, brain, tonsils, spleen and lymph nodes.

White-tailed deer are common in Tennessee, while a small population of elk can be found in the eastern portion of the state. Import restrictions have been designed to protect these native herds.

“We have hunters who often return from trips with an elk, deer, moose, or even caribou carcass,” noted Yoest. “We don’t want hunters to unintentionally introduce CWD to Tennessee through infected tissues.”

While CWD is considered 100 percent fatal once contracted, it is not known to harm humans or livestock.

Nonetheless, wildlife agencies across the country are working to inform the public about CWD and its deadly results on cervids and possible impacts to economies.

Many states that have documented CWD are also attempting to contain it, which is a time consuming and costly task.

Mississippi recently discovered CWD, while Arkansas documented its first case two years ago. Mississippi is just beginning the expensive task of containment, while Arkansas has spent approximately $2.5 million implementing its CWD management plan.

“We don’t want to go down that road,” said Yoest. “We also have a CWD plan ready for use, but it implementing it will mean changing the way we manage our deer and elk herds and be very expensive.

“Many of the management practices that have made our deer and elk programs successful will have to be reversed as we try to prevent CWD from spreading. Much of the overall Agency’s focus will change to CWD, taking away from other important wildlife programs.”

More information about CWD, including videos that explain how to properly dress an animals before transporting it, can be found on TWRA’s website at www.tnwildllife.org. The CWD page can be found under the “Hunting” menu at the top of the website’s homepage.

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