Kansas CWD

[yoderjac]

Out west where CWD was first found they don't bait either.So if CWD is spread by deer saliva do they not see deer licking each other.I bet more deer die of EHD than CWD.I have not seen one person prove that feeding increases the transmission of CWD.

I don't think the transmission vectors are fully understood with the prion disease. Clearly point source attractants concentrate deer in a small location. I think the regulations that restrict feeding deer are done out of caution with respect to CWD but are much more clearly beneficial in reducing the transmission of other diseases.

While there is a concern about the effects of CWD on deer herds, I think the larger concern is whether it is possible for it to jump the species barrier. CWD is a spongiform disease that is related to CJD in humans. So far, there has been no confirmed cases of CWD jumping the species barrier to humans. I think that is the nightmare scenario.

In the long run, nature usually finds a way to balance itself. I think the best we can hope for is to slow the progress of CWD and give nature the time it needs to adjust.

Personally, I think the regulations that restrict feeding deer are beneficial in general whether or not they are effective in slowing CWD.