Frederica Freyberg:

The gun-deer season is upon us in Wisconsin. Historically the deer hunt can bring in billions of dollars in retail sales annually. The state Department of Natural Resources continues efforts to limit the spread of a disease in the state’s herd, though, and asks hunters to do their part. Marisa Wojcik has more on this.

Marisa Wojcik:
This Saturday, November 17th, Wisconsin’s nine-day gun deer hunting season kicks off and hunters are being asked to look out and test for chronic wasting disease, or CWD. CWD is a fatal neurological disease affecting fear, elk and moose and causes brain degeneration in the animal it infect. Transmission can be both direct and indirect contact. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is reporting 55 of the state’s 72 counties as areas affected by CWD. The Wisconsin DNR has tested more than 3,000 deer throughout the state since April and a total of 124 tested positive for CWD. All but two of those came from the southern part of the state. The prevalence of the disease has been increasing in Wisconsin since 2002. In an attempt to curb the spread of the disease, baiting and feeding restrictions are in place for 43 counties. Another way to stop the spread is by regulating how carcasses are transported. The DNRs website says that carcass movement restrictions are in place to assist in limiting the spread of the disease and that hunters are allowed to take whole or parts of carcasses from a CWD-affected area into any part of Wisconsin, provided if taken to a licensed taxidermist or meat processor within 72 hours of registration. Hunters are required to take everything but the animals’ entrails with them when they leave the field. The department considers this a serious issue and is encouraging hunters to properly dispose of carcasses originating from a CWD-affected county and to get their deer tested for CWD by taking them to one of the many sampling stations located throughout the state. Last year more than 227,000 deer were harvested during the gun hunting season, a number that has remained relatively steady since 2009. For these and other fast facts, visit wpt.org.

Frederica Freyberg:
That was Marisa Wojcik reporting.