CWD update – by Harold Palmer  1-03-06

 The good news is that as I write this, there are no new cases of CWD detected in New York State .  DEC personnel have tested a total of 2,027 wild whitetail deer in the containment area.  Of those, 1,997 had negative results, 28 are pending, and 2 were positive from the testing in April 2005.  In the containment area, more deer were taken by car than the testing teams shot in April 2005. Cars hit 356 this year from April to date, compared to 254 shot by the testing team. Hunters have taken 1,366. Statewide, 7,901 deer have been tested. 

The bad news is that it cost over $4 million to do this testing.  This has taken money from the Conservation Fund that was earmarked for other programs.  We need additional moneys from the General Fund to help cover the costs of the testing. 

Local sportsmen are concerned that not enough deer were harvested and tested from the area around the game farm where CWD was originally detected.  They are requesting that permits be issued for small, localized areas to harvest more deer and have them tested.  I have to agree with this, as there are lands all around the original location that had no deer harvested and tested, allowing any deer that could be CWD-contaminated to go undetected.  Not taking a large sampling from this area would be a big mistake, as CWD could possibly go undetected and spread to the point that we will not be able to contain it.

I propose that DEC work with local sportsmen to harvest these deer.  In most cases, the local sportsmen should be able to get permission for access so that sportsmen and landowners can harvest the deer. In a few cases, DEC might have to get authorization to take deer from some lands, or actually drive them to lands where they could be shot. All meat should be processed and frozen until testing is completed, then utilized by sportsmen, needy families or food banks in the area. With the assistance of volunteer sportsmen and sportswomen, the use of the resource would not be wasted, as was the case in April, 2005.  The use of volunteers to do the field work would save vital Conservation Fund monies for other projects. We need to do whatever we can to keep CWD out of our deer herd.

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