CWD Areas - What to do??

[tyreguy]

I was successful this fall with a Mule deer buck during the archery season which came out of an area with mandatory CWD testing. I figured that since this was a mandatory program it would be well laid out as instructions on what to do as a hunter as well for meat cutters handling untested animals.
I did some research and had an idea on what i wanted to do but i was amazed that there isn't much of a set program/guideline and the meat cutter have nothing so far that i am aware of.

Because the CWD Prion is transported in saliva, urine, droppings, lymph nodes, brain and spinal column this is where the attention has to be from a hunter to not transport these items to new areas, here is what i did and others should consider the same:
- removed the entrails from the animal where i shot it. (Bagged heart/liver for after testing consumption)
- immediately skinned animal back at camp nearby and cleaned carcass as usual.
- chicken winged the deer removing the front shoulders / removed the hinds from the hip joints giving 4 qtrs (left nards on one hind / tail on other)
- removed all meat from the carcass
- because early Sept, all this meat went into a large cooler packed with ice

- rainy day, had a good fire going so we burned all the rib cage, spine, legs trimmings in a HOT fire essentially cremating the reminents of this deer. If you cannot burn, return skeleton to the area of your kill site so in case of contamination you are not spreading the CWD

- Cut horns off skull plate.
- delivered head in plastic bag to head collection site, filled out tag for head/hunter info

To the butcher:
- Advised butcher it was a deer from a mandatory CWD inspection area (tell him up front)
- No information had been provided to him on how to handle
- i always prefer boneless so after research asked him to cut boneless (NO BANDSAW) and save the bones
- picked up meat from butcher, and bones and all are in a bag in my freezer awaiting test results.

The testing could take 4-6 weeks to get data back as some testing may be done in Sask as they are more on top of this.
They will advise you immediately if your animal tests POSITIVE for CWD, and will come to your home to pick up the meat as just as a precaution they don't want it consumed.
so if your animal tests NEGATIVE, you will not be advised but i was told that the results would be posted on their website as general information- for example: 5 mule deer, 3 whitetail, 1 elk picked up from X(your) location on DD/MM/YYYY date all tested negative for CWD

It is best until you receive a negative result that the carcass is not transported whole or properly disposed of so in case of a positive result the decease is not leap frogged through the province via an unknowing hunter.
i think the information is very poor out there right now so the onus is on the hunter harvesting the animals to educate himself on how to deal with them safely.
Boning out a deer is very easy and something all can learn.
The contact did not feel they would find any positive cases however they want to start the monitoring in areas with the highest possibilities.

The government contact I spoke with was:
BC CWD Program
Cait Nelson
250-751-3219
cait.nelson@gov.bc.ca

I think if any others have suggestions or ideas which can help hunters understand, please feel free to adding to this thread.

[Pinewood]

Good post. We should all be aware, it's making it's way west.

[Arctic Lake]

What are the mandatory areas that you must submit samples for CWD (Management Units) ?
Thank You
Arctic Lake

[moosecamp]

What are the mandatory areas that you must submit samples for CWD (Management Units) ?
Thank You
Arctic Lake

September 1, 2019

until

November 30, 2019

, hunters will be required to submit the heads of mule deer and white-tailed deer harvested in

wildlife management units 4-1, 4-2, 4-3, 4-4, 4-5, 4-6 and 4-7within one week of harvest.

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/e...asting-disease

[WhiteTailAB]

If I was a butcher I'd never accept a deer from a CWD area. Incinerating apparently doesn't kill the prion so all their butcher equipment could potentially become infected. If I were hunting in a CWD area I would have a separate knife to gut/process the animal.

[tyreguy]

Not accepting is one answer but knowing that the prion doesn't exist in the meat and only in certain places (organ/glands/body fluid), and how you handle your meat in field dressing can prevent any contamination of the meat. i was fully willing to take the uncut deer back to my own freezer until i had a clean negative result and i gave the option to the butcher to decline if he wasn't comfortable but not having any of the parts that carry the prion on the deer.
Says heat doesn't effect it and i think this generalization is about if a land area is infected and they do a controlled burn to rid any prion in soil or plant, but i'm pretty sure incinerating to ashes eliminates a large majority of the risk. Think in the way that the labs checking these samples have ways to disinfect.
Tell your butcher so he knows up front and he will process in such a way to protect the cleanliness of his operation. My guy had no problem because he knew up front. Now, if i didn't tell him and i got a positive result back i would have to go back to him and i could see him not being happy at all as he might not have processed with the same caution potentially - think of cutting up some Tbones on the band saw!!!
I'm thinking my deer got done at the end of the day and being boneless had the cutting boards and grinder for burger. Then the tools were washed and disinfected like they usually do at the end of the day, probably just a bit more attention than usual.
Two knives........yup - my trusty exacto knife for field dressing and a 6" boning knife for boning of course.
A message to take from this is know how to handle your game and reduce the chance of this getting into BC, the focus is on prevention. If it is discovered then containment will be the next step and that will likely mean elimination of any elk moose or deer in the area, but if one hunter carry's his deer back home whole - butchers it himself and throws the bones in the bush he could be potentially be spreading any disease 100's of miles from the original location and by the time its discovered its a huge problem throughout the province.
Sask and AB have been dealing with this for a while now which is why you cannot transport bones with your meat from Sask for sure that i know of.
Also this applies to area 7 Peace as well which borders Alberta (FSJ / DC area) not mandatory however, but its good to be aware and submitting a sample is voluntary. Be good for the hunters with the late elk draw for antlerless to drop their heads off for testing unless you'r looking to mount that trophy cow.
There is info on the BC Govt site and below is an paragraph from their surveillance plan:

In the event of a positive diagnosis of CWD in a free-ranging cervid in B.C., theProvincial Wildlife Veterinarian will take the lead role in coordinating the response. The firststep will be to confirm the positive diagnosis. Once the positive diagnosis is confirmed, theWildlife Veterinarian will communicate and consult widely before initiating targeted sampling ofcervids within the area of concern to confirm species affected, spatial distribution and diseaseprevalence (proportion of animals affected within a population). The CWD Advisory Committeeand regional working groups will advise on response efforts based on geographical area andspecies of concern, and will assist in the dissemination of information as appropriate. Responseefforts will be revised as new information becomes available. Eradication will be the goal. Iferadication is not possible, efforts will refocus on preventing the spread of CWD into new areasand managing cervid populations to maintain low disease prevalence

If I was a butcher I'd never accept a deer from a CWD area. Incinerating apparently doesn't kill the prion so all their butcher equipment could potentially become infected. If I were hunting in a CWD area I would have a separate knife to gut/process the animal.

[Arctic Lake]

Not accepting is one answer but knowing that the prion doesn't exist in the meat and only in certain places (organ/glands/body fluid), and how you handle your meat in field dressing can prevent any contamination of the meat. i was fully willing to take the uncut deer back to my own freezer until i had a clean negative result and i gave the option to the butcher to decline if he wasn't comfortable but not having any of the parts that carry the prion on the deer.
Says heat doesn't effect it and i think this generalization is about if a land area is infected and they do a controlled burn to rid any prion in soil or plant, but i'm pretty sure incinerating to ashes eliminates a large majority of the risk. Think in the way that the labs checking these samples have ways to disinfect.
Tell your butcher so he knows up front and he will process in such a way to protect the cleanliness of his operation. My guy had no problem because he knew up front. Now, if i didn't tell him and i got a positive result back i would have to go back to him and i could see him not being happy at all as he might not have processed with the same caution potentially - think of cutting up some Tbones on the band saw!!!
I'm thinking my deer got done at the end of the day and being boneless had the cutting boards and grinder for burger. Then the tools were washed and disinfected like they usually do at the end of the day, probably just a bit more attention than usual.
Two knives........yup - my trusty exacto knife for field dressing and a 6" boning knife for boning of course.
A message to take from this is know how to handle your game and reduce the chance of this getting into BC, the focus is on prevention. If it is discovered then containment will be the next step and that will likely mean elimination of any elk moose or deer in the area, but if one hunter carry's his deer back home whole - butchers it himself and throws the bones in the bush he could be potentially be spreading any disease 100's of miles from the original location and by the time its discovered its a huge problem throughout the province.
Sask and AB have been dealing with this for a while now which is why you cannot transport bones with your meat from Sask for sure that i know of.
Also this applies to area 7 Peace as well which borders Alberta (FSJ / DC area) not mandatory however, but its good to be aware and submitting a sample is voluntary. Be good for the hunters with the late elk draw for antlerless to drop their heads off for testing unless you'r looking to mount that trophy cow.
There is info on the BC Govt site and below is an paragraph from their surveillance plan:

In the event of a positive diagnosis of CWD in a free-ranging cervid in B.C., theProvincial Wildlife Veterinarian will take the lead role in coordinating the response. The firststep will be to confirm the positive diagnosis. Once the positive diagnosis is confirmed, theWildlife Veterinarian will communicate and consult widely before initiating targeted sampling ofcervids within the area of concern to confirm species affected, spatial distribution and diseaseprevalence (proportion of animals affected within a population). The CWD Advisory Committeeand regional working groups will advise on response efforts based on geographical area andspecies of concern, and will assist in the dissemination of information as appropriate. Responseefforts will be revised as new information becomes available. Eradication will be the goal. Iferadication is not possible, efforts will refocus on preventing the spread of CWD into new areasand managing cervid populations to maintain low disease prevalence

Tyreguy. This is all good information . I have concerns . You mentioned those who butcher game themselves this is a huge concern in affected areas . Also concerned about hunters that come from other places in the province to hunt game in the MU s were they are asking for samples of potential affected animals and then transporting to there home turf . If that scenario would play out and the hunter asks someone to cut up there animal Iwould hope they would be honest in letting the butcher know where the animal came from .
Arctic Lake

[Arctic Lake]

[QUOTE=moosecamp;2118872]September 1, 2019

until

November 30, 2019

, hunters will be required to submit the heads of mule deer and white-tailed deer harvested in

wildlife management units 4-1, 4-2, 4-3, 4-4, 4-5, 4-6 and 4-7within one week of harvest.

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/e...asting-disease
[/QUOTE
Thank You for posting that moosecamp !
Arctic Lake

[Jagermeister]

Here's a link to a CWD site. http://cwd-info.org/
I think it is a time to get educated so we can identify infected animals. If it is required, in WMU 4-1 to 4-7 inclusive, to submit heads of mules, whitetails, then I would be quite wary and cautious of adjoining WMUs. What about elk? Why exclude them?

[Jagermeister]

And some advice and instruction for safe handling of your game, infected or not. We should learn to do this in preparation in anticipation of the we will really need to do it.
Simple Precautions Advised

• Public health and wildlife officials advise hunters to take the following precautions when pursuing or handling deer and elk that may have been exposed to CWD:
  
  • 
    
    • Do not shoot, handle or consume any animal that is acting abnormally or appears to be sick. Contact your state game and fish department if you see or harvest an animal that appears sick.
    • Wear latex or rubber gloves when field dressing your deer or elk.
    • Bone out the meat from your animal. Don’t saw through bone, and avoid cutting through the brain or spinal cord (backbone).
    • Minimize the handling of brain and spinal tissues.
    • Wash hands and instruments thoroughly after field dressing is completed.
    • Avoid consuming brain, spinal cord, eyes, spleen, tonsils and lymph nodes of harvested animals. (Normal field dressing coupled with boning out a carcass will remove most, if not all, of these body parts. Cutting away all fatty tissue will remove remaining lymph nodes.)
    • Avoid consuming the meat from any animal that tests positive for the disease.
    • If you have your deer or elk commercially processed, request that your animal is processed individually, without meat from other animals being added to meat from your animal.