CWD a Call for Help from Hunters

[2chodi]

BC Provincial Government scientists are once again petitioning hunters to help in providing deer, elk and moose head samples to further the research on Chronic Wasting Disease in British Columbia. So far there are no known cases of CWD in BC, but this disease is across the border in Alberta. The areas of focus in 2016 are the Peace and Kootenay regions.

More Information

[Peace_CWD]

Attention Peace Region 7B hunters near Fort St. John and Dawson Creek! Please submit heads of harvested deer, elk, and moose for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) testing.

With another hunting season upon us, we hope you have an opportunity to appreciate the great hunting that the Peace Region has to offer. We are very lucky to live and/or hunt in a region that supports world-class hunting for deer, elk, and moose without a draw system and we certainly hope that this will continue sustainably in the future.

If you are familiar with Chronic Wasting Disease or CWD and the potential effects on cervid (members of the deer family) populations, you will understand why wildlife managers and hunters alike are concerned about the potential spread of this disease into British Columbia. If you have never heard of this disease then please learn about it. Look at the resources listed at the end of this and start to understand this threat to our wildlife. CWD could enter BC by a number of ways: from live infected animals moving to BC, by hunters transporting certain animal parts across borders, and even through hay, contaminated with the disease-causing agent, a prion, transported from an infected region. While no cervids sampled from BC have tested positive for CWD, the sample size from the Peace region is small and proactive surveillance in areas of higher risk such as near the Alberta border, is critical to early detection and, if necessary, response. Unfortunately, Alberta does have the disease and in spite of aggressive management, deer positive for CWD continue to be found and move closer to BC.
We urge hunters in this region to join with us and help monitor the health of our wildlife populations by submitting heads of harvested deer, elk, and moose (you can keep the hide or cape, rack and skull plate) to specific drop-off locations that include:

• Front Counter BC (Fort St. John): 10003 110 Avenue.
• Front Counter BC (Dawson Creek): 9000 17^th Street.
• North Peace Rod and Gun Club (Fort St. John): 13300 Sunnyside Drive (near Charlie Lake)
• Richards Meats (Pouce Coupe): Patterson Road.
• Peace Taxidermy: 10443 Upper Cache Road (between Fort St. John and Hudson’s Hope)

More information about CWD is available at: Chronic Wasting Disease BC including a slide show with information about CWD surveillance efforts in BC (CWD Slide Show), how to prepare and submit a head for sampling (Sample Preparation), and an informative pamphlet (Pamphlet) as well as contacts for more information.

As an incentive for hunters to submit harvested heads for CWD sampling, Backcountry in Fort St. John is running a draw to win a Tikka rifle package. Drop your heads off at one of our participating locations and receive an entry for the draw package. You can then submit your information to Backcountry for your chance to win!

BC Wildlife Health Program
September 6, 2018

Please post any questions, comments, or concerns that you have and I'll try to get you answers asap. I'm hoping this forum will be a good place to continue to discuss the threat of CWD and that I can provide some answers to questions that you may have or take suggestions on how to get more hunter participation in the program.

Thanks!

[Arctic Lake]

I think this is a positive move to help track CWD ! Hope all of you that harvest in this region drop off your samples
Arctic Lake

[Peace_CWD]

An interesting and informative podcast if you have the time: Joe Rogan talking with biologist Bryan Richards, the CWD project leader for the U.S. Geological Survey's National Wildlife Health Center and

Doug Duren, a passionate hunter, farmer, land manager and conservationist about Chronic Wasting Disease. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3s6p2UP57Q&t=18s

After listening to this you should realize the importance of early surveillance. If we do detect CWD in BC (note that CWD has never been detected in BC), this early surveillance will be critical to an efficient response. It's really in everyone's best interest to help out with this program, particularly if you're hunting in areas near the Alberta border.

[Bubbacanuck]

I plan to hunt for Elk in the Peace region in Oct. if my hunt is successful I will submit the harvested head for testing. I am currently asking around to secure permission from a land owner in that area. Wish me kick!

[Wild one]

Good to keep an eye on CWD and thinks it’s a good program to have

I have not followed the spread of CWD since I moved from Alberta has it spread past eastern Alberta?

[Peace_CWD]

CWD is still mainly in SE Alberta though it has spread in recent years and has now been found near Edmonton which really isn't that far from the BC Peace. This link is the most recent map for AB that I could find: https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/fb47...apr17-2018.pdf.

If hunters in BC near the AB border can get into the habitat of submitting heads we will be in much better shape to deal with the disease than if we are taken completely by surprise. Once the disease is present in a population it is very hard to get rid of, more so if it is not immediately detected. WMUs 250 (north of Edmonton) and 242 (east of Edmonton) have implemented MANDATORY testing of all deer heads.

[dapesche]

https://hunttalk.libsyn.com/ep093-ch...e-facts-matter

Randy newberg just had a podcast on cwd.
I have it saved. Curious to hear from the specialists.