Listen to the article
On December 15, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) announced the end of a controversial CWD control program: a sharpshooting initiative that involved baiting and spotlighting deer in areas where CWD has been detected. MDC Director Jason Sumners announced the news in an open letter.
“As CWD has spread in Missouri over the last decade, MDC’s objective has been and continues to be to keep CWD infection rates low to protect the long-term health of the deer herd. This extensive undertaking can only be accomplished by working collaboratively with hunters and landowners,” he wrote. “At this time, MDC will be pausing our post-season targeted removal efforts to work with hunters and landowners to adapt and identify a more sustainable path forward.”
According to the CDC, CWD, or chronic wasting disease, is a prion disease that is spreading in deer, elk, moose, and reindeer. The government agency calls it a “serious disease in animals” and notes that it is “always fatal in infected animals.”
Kip Adams, Chief Conservation Officer for the National Deer Association, told MeatEater that while MDC’s targeted deer removal program may not have been popular among some sportsmen, it was effective.
“Missouri has been a leader in keeping CWD prevalence on the landscape low because they’ve been so aggressive at removing additional CWD-positive deer from known hotspots,” he said. “The single best-known way to make that happen is strategic sharpshooting cull programs…It’s unfortunate that now they have lost that ability.”
Prior to the action, Adams participated in an MDC-organized public event to engage local hunters on the issue. He said that many of them had qualms with MDC using bait for its post-season targeted deer removals, while forbidding hunters from doing the same. He also understands the frustration of there being fewer deer to hunt.
“I get it. Nobody wants additional deer to be removed if it’s in their backyard,” he said. “However, the science is very clear…you can look at other states and provinces where once strategic removal programs were removed, CWD prevalence rates climbed precipitously. Unfortunately, the same thing is probably going to happen in Missouri.”
In his open letter, Sumners pointed to the success of a recently launched Hunter Harvest Initiative, which encourages hunters to kill more deer in CWD “core zones.” Adams said that efforts like this, which involve local hunters, are important, but they should complement, not replace, more precise culls.
Adams noted that folks downplaying CWD, particularly on social media, has created a narrative that the disease is not as harmful as experts make it out to be. However, recent studies show significant population-level impacts from the disease.
“The detractors often say there’s never been a population that’s been reduced by CWD. That’s just not true. We have more evidence of CWD causing population declines in whitetails than ever before,” he said, adding that he’s worried about other states following Missouri’s lead.
“Hunters in every state whose state wildlife agency uses [targeted culls] can see Missouri has gone away from it. The ones that don’t like it will say, ‘Hey, Missouri stopped doing it.’ The ones that aren’t sure if it’s a good thing or not will look at it and say, ‘Well, if MDC quit doing it, it must not have been effective,’” he said. “This is going to have ramifications far outside of The Show-Me State.”
Read the full article here
26 Comments
The decision to discontinue the targeted CWD deer removal program in Missouri may be seen as a victory for hunters who opposed the program, but it’s unclear whether this will ultimately benefit the state’s deer population or CWD management efforts.
Kip Adams’ comment that many hunters had qualms with MDC using bait for its post-season targeted deer removals, while forbidding hunters from doing the same, highlights the need for more transparency and consistency in CWD management policies.
The fact that CWD prevalence rates climbed precipitously in other states and provinces where strategic removal programs were removed is a warning sign that Missouri should heed, and reconsider its decision to discontinue the targeted CWD deer removal program.
I’d like to know more about the data and research that supports the decision to discontinue the targeted CWD deer removal program, and how it aligns with the goals of keeping CWD infection rates low.
The statement that CWD has spread in Missouri over the last decade highlights the need for continued vigilance and action to control the disease, and the discontinuation of the targeted CWD deer removal program may be premature.
Kip Adams’ experience participating in the MDC-organized public event to engage local hunters on the issue highlights the importance of community involvement in CWD management, and the need for ongoing dialogue and education.
The narrative that CWD is not as harmful as experts make it out to be is misleading, and recent studies showing significant population-level impacts from the disease should be taken seriously, as Kip Adams pointed out.
The fact that Missouri has been a leader in keeping CWD prevalence low due to its aggressive removal of CWD-positive deer from known hotspots is a testament to the effectiveness of the targeted deer removal program, and its discontinuation may have long-term consequences.
According to the CDC, CWD is always fatal in infected animals, which makes it surprising that MDC is pausing its post-season targeted removal efforts, especially since Missouri has been a leader in keeping CWD prevalence low.
The CDC’s statement on CWD being always fatal in infected animals is a stark reminder of the importance of controlling the disease, and MDC’s decision may have unintended consequences.
The CDC’s classification of CWD as a serious disease in animals should be a wake-up call for hunters and conservationists to take action, and the discontinuation of the targeted CWD deer removal program in Missouri may be a step in the wrong direction.
I’m concerned that the decision to discontinue the targeted CWD deer removal program may be driven by political pressure rather than scientific evidence, and wonder what role hunter pressure played in this decision.
I’d like to know more about the alternative strategies that MDC is considering to control CWD, and how they will be implemented and evaluated.
The mention of significant population-level impacts from CWD is a warning sign that the disease should not be taken lightly, and the need for continued action to control its spread is urgent.
MDC Director Jason Sumners’ statement that the department will be working with hunters and landowners to adapt and identify a more sustainable path forward is a positive step, but it’s unclear what this will entail and how it will address the concerns around CWD management.
Kip Adams’ concern that other states may follow Missouri’s lead and discontinue their own CWD management programs is valid, given the potential consequences of inaction, and highlights the need for a coordinated national approach to addressing CWD.
Kip Adams’ statement that the science is very clear on the need for strategic removal programs to control CWD is a call to action, and the decision to discontinue the targeted CWD deer removal program in Missouri should be reevaluated in light of this evidence.
MDC’s objective to keep CWD infection rates low is commendable, but the decision to pause post-season targeted removal efforts may undermine this goal, and alternative strategies should be carefully considered.
I’m supportive of MDC’s efforts to work with hunters and landowners to adapt and identify a more sustainable path forward, but this should be done in conjunction with continued efforts to control CWD, not in place of them.
The mention of CWD causing population declines in whitetails is a sobering reminder of the potential consequences of inaction, and the need for continued research and monitoring of the disease.
The decision to discontinue the targeted CWD deer removal program in Missouri is concerning, given that Kip Adams, Chief Conservation Officer for the National Deer Association, stated that strategic sharpshooting cull programs are the single best-known way to keep CWD prevalence low.
I’m curious to know more about the Hunter Harvest Initiative that MDC Director Jason Sumners mentioned, and how it plans to encourage hunters to kill more deer in CWD core zones.
The fact that CWD is a prion disease that affects deer, elk, moose, and reindeer should raise concerns about the potential for the disease to spread to other species, and the need for a comprehensive approach to CWD management.
I’m skeptical about the effectiveness of the Hunter Harvest Initiative, given that it relies on hunters to kill more deer in CWD core zones, and wonder if this approach will be enough to control the spread of CWD.
The success of the Hunter Harvest Initiative will depend on the level of participation from hunters and the accuracy of the data collected, which is crucial in determining its effectiveness in controlling CWD.
The discontinuation of the targeted CWD deer removal program in Missouri may have implications for the state’s deer population, and the long-term consequences of this decision should be carefully considered.