Wisconsin DNR: CWD detected in 62 of state’s 72 counties
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
COLFAX — Representatives for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources say that Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is present in 62 of the state’s 72 counties.
Either deer have tested positive for CWD in those 62 counties or a deer has tested positive within 10 miles of a county, said Jasmine Batten, DNR Wildlife Health Section Supervisor, at a media briefing about CWD on September 28.
Members of the media accessed the DNR news briefing using the on-line platform Zoom.
The DNR has a surveillance plan for CWD that focuses on southern Wisconsin and central Wisconsin, but the DNR will test deer from all over the state because it adds to the knowledge about CWD, said Erin Larson, DNR Deer Herd Health Specialist.
CWD is a fatal, neurological illness in North American corvids — members of the deer family, such as white-tailed deer, elk and moose — that was discovered in 1967 and is transmitted directly through animal to animal contact and indirectly through contact with objects in the environment contaminated with infected saliva, urine, feces and the carcasses of CWD-infected animals, according to the United States Geological Survey website.
There are no treatments or vaccines available. CWD is not known to infect livestock or humans, according to the USGS.
The disease was first detected in Wisconsin in 2002 and was first detected in southwestern Wisconsin, Batten said.
A little more than 20 years later, CWD is showing up in more isolated areas. Last year CWD was detected in four additional counties: Buffalo, Langlade, Waupaca and Winnebago, she said.
CWD was detected in Dunn County in 2019.
Stopping the spread
The focus of the media briefing was to discuss ways that hunters can help stop the spread of CWD.
The number one thing is — keep hunting, Batten said.
If people do not want the deer for themselves, the state has a deer donation program, and the meat can be donated to food pantries, she said.
The second thing is to be informed about CWD. The DNR website has an interactive map for CWD, and people can look up their particular county and find where and what year CWD infected deer were detected, she said.
Baiting and feeding of deer is a risk factor for CWD, Batten said, noting that baiting and feeding deer has been banned in many counties.
To find out where baiting and feeding deer is prohibited, check the DNR website, she said.
Deer carcasses and parts of deer carcasses can spread CWD, so carcasses should be disposed of in a landfill, Batten said
Hunters should have the deer they have killed tested because test results provide valuable information on where CWD is and how it is changing in the areas where it has previously been detected, she said.
The DNR does not recommend that people eat deer that have tested positive for CWD, Batten said.
Testing
The DNR will take samples for testing from deer in any part of the state, Larson said.
Self-serve kiosks have all of the tools hunters need to send in samples, and there are staffed locations as well where DNR staff can assist you, she said.
Hunters will be asked for their contact information and the location where the deer was shot, Larson said.
People can use their Go-Wild account and access it on their smartphone or on their computer at home, she said.
There are dumpsters for disposing of deer carcasses and sampling locations in every county. Check the map on the DNR website frequently for locations because locations can change, Larson said.
Hunters will receive the test results in an e-mail and can also get the results through their Go-Wild account, she said.
One reporter who tuned into the media briefing asked if the DNR had new rules or would be making new rules for addressing CWD.
The DNR’s 15-year plan will be expiring in 2025, and DNR personnel are just starting the process of developing a new plan. The new plan should be ready in 2026, Batten said.
DNR website
CWD information can be found under the “wildlife habitat” heading on the DNR’s website.
In 2022 in Dunn County, 345 deer were tested for CWD and there was one positive result.
In 2022 in Eau Claire County, 310 deer were tested and there were two positive results.
In 2022 in Barron County, 107 deer were tested and there were zero positive results.
In 2022 in Chippewa County, 133 deer were tested, and there were zero positive results.
In 2022 in Buffalo County, 238 deer were tested and there were four positive results.
In 2022 in St. Croix County, 94 deer were tested and there were zero positive results.
For all of the years there has been testing for CWD, 2,677 deer have been tested in Dunn County and there have been five positive results (.18 percent).
In Eau Claire County, 2,650 deer were tested, and there have been 17 positive results (.64 percent).
In Barron County, 1,892 deer were tested, and there have been zero positive results.
In Buffalo County, 2,823 deer have been tested and there have been four positive results (.14 percent).
In Chippewa County, 1,639 deer have been tested, and there have been zero positive results.
In St. Croix County, 1,096 deer have been tested and there have been zero positive results.
Statewide, 299,893 deer have been tested and there have been 11,000 positive results, which means that 3.7 percent of the deer tested were positive for CWD.
The counties with the highest number of positives are Dane County (1,574 positive deer); Iowa County (4,134 positive deer); Richland County (1,649 positive deer); and Sauk County (1,702 positive deer).
Testing kiosks
In this area, the Barron County Waste to Energy landfill is accepting deer carcass waste. The landfill is located at 585 10 1/2 Avenue in Almena.
CWD testing kiosks in this area are located at the Bridge Stop in Wheeler (101 WI-25); at Kyle’s Market in Colfax (115 Main Street); at Bob’s Processing in Bloomer (2430 S. Main Street); at the Menomonie DNR office (921 Brickyard Road); at Jacobson’s Hardware in Chippewa Falls (17168 County Highway J); in Eau Claire at Mike’s Star Market (2238 Heimstead Road); and at the Eau Claire DNR Service Center (1300 W. Claremont Avenue).
