CWD OH – Effective August 1, 2018 New Deer Restrictions

[Jackalope]

I have agreed with you in regard to the hunter transportation issue so that's a moot point. My issue is nothing is being done to proactively limit the KNOWN source, deer farms. If we are willing to impact an over one billion dollar Ohio industry that is hunting we should be willing to do the same to a sector of farming.

As for what's in place now the farm is quarantined once it is found. The problem is it is rarely found prior to an investigation of how it got there. Only then is it found to exist at the shipping farm who has also sent deer all over the country to other states by then. This is a reactive approach that does not proactively stop the spread. An appropriate response would be the same as the US department of Agriculture has for importation of animals to the US. The animal is quarantined in a federal facility until cleared at the expense of the importer. This would proactively stem the known threat vector to Ohio.

 

[Chass]

I have agreed with you in regard to the hunter transportation issue so that's a moot point. My issue is nothing is being done to proactively limit the KNOWN source, deer farms. If we are willing to impact an over one billion dollar Ohio industry that is hunting we should be willing to do the same to a sector of farming.

As for what's in place now the farm is quarantined once it is found. The problem is it is rarely found prior to an investigation of how it got there. Only then is it found to exist at the shipping farm who has also sent deer all over the country to other states by then. This is a reactive approach that does not proactively stop the spread. An appropriate response would be the same as the US department of Agriculture has for importation of animals to the US. The animal is quarantined in a federal facility until cleared at the expense of the importer. This would proactively stem the known threat vector to Ohio.

Yup that's the big downside with this disease is by the time you find out it's too late. Not sure what kind of research is going into testing for it in some other ways thst don't result in death and vaccinations but hopefully they are working on it. Hopefully these farmers are helping and offering any and all support to universities and other scientists to research it. Too much unknowns with this.

 

[cspot]

Just because the main cause of CWD spread is likely the deer farms doesn't mean hunters can't also do their part to reduce the rate of spread. Looking the other way and doing nothing would be 'stupid.' Most of the other states have had this rule in effect for many years. Ohio is late to the party, as they say. This has been a long time coming.

And it's really not that big of a deal, guys. So what... skin the hide and bone out a deer. If you kill a good buck that you want to get mounted, cape it out and cap the skull. It doesn't take that much time.

I think it is a big deal for guys that hunt and live near the border. Instead of being able to throw the deer in the truck and head back to the house to process, you now have to debone. For guys like me that have a camp/cabin, it isn't as bad as I can take it back there to debone. For guys that day hunt at a property they now have to do it in the field. They also have to have a place to get rid of the waste parts. May not be easy to do. Where do you dispose of it?

I don't like PA's new rule because even if I am hunting a county in Ohio that has no known cases of CWD, I still can't import the parts. In years past I could unless it was from a CWD county. The old rule I don't have an issue with, but the new one I do.

 

[jagermeister]

I think it is a big deal for guys that hunt and live near the border. Instead of being able to throw the deer in the truck and head back to the house to process, you now have to debone. For guys like me that have a camp/cabin, it isn't as bad as I can take it back there to debone. For guys that day hunt at a property they now have to do it in the field. They also have to have a place to get rid of the waste parts. May not be easy to do. Where do you dispose of it?

I don't like PA's new rule because even if I am hunting a county in Ohio that has no known cases of CWD, I still can't import the parts. In years past I could unless it was from a CWD county. The old rule I don't have an issue with, but the new one I do.

So if you're an ethical hunter and a good steward of the land, you'll find a way to make it work. If you wanna hunt across the border, make the necessary arrangements. It is what it is. If you can't figure out a solution, don't cross the border. It's that simple. Let's be honest... No one here wants a widespread CWD problem. So guess what... In order to do our part and help slow down the spread, we all may have to make sacrifices. Is it inconvenient? Sure. But that's not a reason to dislike or disagree with a rule such as this. Just my opinion.

 

[Jackalope]

So if you're an ethical hunter and a good steward of the land, you'll find a way to make it work. If you wanna hunt across the border, make the necessary arrangements. It is what it is. If you can't figure out a solution, don't cross the border. It's that simple. Let's be honest... No one here wants a widespread CWD problem. So guess what... In order to do our part and help slow down the spread, we all may have to make sacrifices. Is it inconvenient? Sure. But that's not a reason to dislike or disagree with a rule such as this. Just my opinion.

Agreed. My issue is that while we as hunters are making the sacrifices to do the right thing, the same logical standards are not being held to deer farms and high fence operations that are proven to be the number one risk and cause of its spread. It's like making it illegal for people to have sex with a prostitute because of the risk of STDs, but also allowing prostitutes to open places of business and operate with impunity. We're not fixing the problem, only treating the symptoms of the problem.

 

[cspot]

The other thing is that alot of th

So if you're an ethical hunter and a good steward of the land, you'll find a way to make it work. If you wanna hunt across the border, make the necessary arrangements. It is what it is. If you can't figure out a solution, don't cross the border. It's that simple. Let's be honest... No one here wants a widespread CWD problem. So guess what... In order to do our part and help slow down the spread, we all may have to make sacrifices. Is it inconvenient? Sure. But that's not a reason to dislike or disagree with a rule such as this. Just my opinion.

I was simply stating that it is a big deal for someone that doesn't really have a place to process a deer when hunting across the border. Where is this ethical hunter going to find a place to dispose of the high risk parts at 9PM on a Sunday evening when he gets out of the woods? It isn't an issue for me as I have property and a cabin. I can dispose of the parts over the hill.

I don't agree if the area has no known cases of CWD that you are hunting in. Like Jackalope said there hasn't been any proof that hunters moving a carcasss had spread the disease anyway. If the area has CWD then I don't have an issue with the rules.

Let's also be honest that pretty much all of the CWD regulations are pretty much locking the barn door after the horse got out. CWD will be statewide eventually unless research comes up with a way to stop it. No regulation is going to prevent the spread. It may slow it down slightly.

 

[cspot]

Also think about this funny thing about these new regulations that states are doing. I can shoot a deer in Ohio within 1 miles of the Ohio-PA border. I can't drive home 10 miles to my house to process. However I can load it up and drive all the way up the SW corner of the state and dispose of the high risk parts there. Now if it has CWD which is more likely to increase the spread. If I kill the deer that has CWD 10 miles away it likely already around my house or would be in the near future anyway.

 

[giles]

Only way to fight the deer industry is to stop supporting it. Don’t buy the scents, don’t buy a hunt, don’t buy the antler coat rack...don’t buy anything that supports them. The hunters are hurting themselves and are the reason those farms exist. We stop supporting them and they will stop.

Pointing the finger and jumping up and down isn’t doing anything. You want to make a difference, be the difference.

Agreed. My issue is that while we as hunters are making the sacrifices to do the right thing, the same logical standards are not being held to deer farms and high fence operations that are proven to be the number one risk and cause of its spread. It's like making it illegal for people to have sex with a prostitute because of the risk of STDs, but also allowing prostitutes to open places of business and operate with impunity. We're not fixing the problem, only treating the symptoms of the problem.

Again...the hunters ar driving that industry! Stop supporting them and they will stop.

 

[Chass]

I think it is a big deal for guys that hunt and live near the border. Instead of being able to throw the deer in the truck and head back to the house to process, you now have to debone. For guys like me that have a camp/cabin, it isn't as bad as I can take it back there to debone. For guys that day hunt at a property they now have to do it in the field. They also have to have a place to get rid of the waste parts. May not be easy to do. Where do you dispose of it?

I don't like PA's new rule because even if I am hunting a county in Ohio that has no known cases of CWD, I still can't import the parts. In years past I could unless it was from a CWD county. The old rule I don't have an issue with, but the new one I do.

I understand your point there but at the same time I understand why they just say none at all. You can write on your tag and claim any county/area you like pretty easy. So they are going to worry about the folks that aren't honest. This way if they do get caught they're gonna get a ticket no matter what.

The problem is once you know an area has CWD it's too late. How many deer have been harvested and transported from the area? Now how many parts containing CWD have been pitched into the woods for the animals to spread further. It's not a change we can make once we find it.

You vaccinate your kids before they get the disease.

 

[giles]

Also think about this funny thing about these new regulations that states are doing. I can shoot a deer in Ohio within 1 miles of the Ohio-PA border. I can't drive home 10 miles to my house to process. However I can load it up and drive all the way up the SW corner of the state and dispose of the high risk parts there. Now if it has CWD which is more likely to increase the spread. If I kill the deer that has CWD 10 miles away it likely already around my house or would be in the near future anyway.

That’s awesome, means your home state cares and is controlling the neighboring states. You should be happy.

 

[cspot]

In reading Ohio's new rules though you can import deer with high risk parts from PA and WV, but just not the parts of the states that have CWD. That is if I am reading the correctly. That rule makes more sense than PA's new rule where no deer are allowed to be imported with high risk parts.

 

[cspot]

I understand your point there but at the same time I understand why they just say none at all. You can write on your tag and claim any county/area you like pretty easy. So they are going to worry about the folks that aren't honest. This way if they do get caught they're gonna get a ticket no matter what.

The problem is once you know an area has CWD it's too late. How many deer have been harvested and transported from the area? Now how many parts containing CWD have been pitched into the woods for the animals to spread further. It's not a change we can make once we find it.

You vaccinate your kids before they get the disease.

If I wanted to be dishonest I throw a tarp over the deer in the back of my truck and take it home. Chances of getting caught during the short drive to my house is between slim and none.

 

[cspot]

Sorry if this offends people, but I don't buy into the whole CWD hysteria. Yes it is a serious disease and yes I don't want it in my area. However it has been around a long time and has never caused a significant decline in deer populations. I have done alot of reading on it. Yes there is still alot of unknowns about it that makes it a little scary, but alot of the speculation hasn't panned out to be true yet on the disease. To me it is just another disease the deer get. EHD on a local level can have a far greater impact on the deer population. It has been in Colorado and Wyoming for over 50 years now.

What pisses me off about these regulations is that they only affect hunters. They outlaw baiting/feeding of deer, but don't outlaw Grandma's bird feeder which attracts alot of deer to it in the winter also. If it is so important then stop all of it.

 

[cspot]

That’s awesome, means your home state cares and is controlling the neighboring states. You should be happy.

To me the regulation should make sense. I don't think a blanket ban on importation is the best regulation especially from neighboring states. LIke I said before as long as you weren't hunting in a CWD county in a bordering state then you could import the whole deer. That made sense.

 

[giles]

No need to be sorry. Hunting is something everyone here takes seriously, it’s the one thing we ALL have in common here.

 

[jagermeister]

Agreed. My issue is that while we as hunters are making the sacrifices to do the right thing, the same logical standards are not being held to deer farms and high fence operations that are proven to be the number one risk and cause of its spread. It's like making it illegal for people to have sex with a prostitute because of the risk of STDs, but also allowing prostitutes to open places of business and operate with impunity. We're not fixing the problem, only treating the symptoms of the problem.

I completely, 100% agree with you. It's total bullshit. This is the main reason I hated to see the deer farms taken over by the Dept of Ag several years ago. A wild animal being treated as "agriculture" and the agency responsible for managing our wild resources is nearly powerless to do anything about this. Makes zero sense.

Let's also be honest that pretty much all of the CWD regulations are pretty much locking the barn door after the horse got out. CWD will be statewide eventually unless research comes up with a way to stop it. No regulation is going to prevent the spread. It may slow it down slightly.

So... We should just not do anything? That doesn't seem like the responsible thing to do. Allowing the transport of parts from only CWD-negative counties just plays right into the "locking the barn door after the horse got out" approach. Say for example Yoder's Deer Farm has some deer escape and mix with the wild population. No worries... That county hasn't had any CWD so folks keep moving the dead deer around and conducting business as usual. Then a few years later, Yoder's deer get older and start showing signs of CWD. His population is confirmed positive and gets de-populated per protocol. Meanwhile those deer that escaped were also CWD-positive and have been spreading prions for the last 2-3 years. All the while, it's been fine and dandy to kill deer in that county and move them anywhere people want to move them. Now Yoder's farm is decimated and the damage to the wild population is done.... Regulations are changed... No moving deer parts since it's now a CWD-positive county. *Barn door slamming shut. *Horses already running free.

I can't disagree with you that there may be nothing we can do to stop it. It's probably inevitable. But we absolutely cannot sit back and do nothing at all. The reactive approach is simply not working. Being proactive is the next best thing. If we can slow the spread, there's more time to learn about the disease and work on potential solutions.

 

[BlueSpruceOutfitters]

Yeah, I don't think anyone is happy about the new regulations but, in all honesty, nothing we can do about it now. Its on the books, thus you'll follow it or won't. There will Always be guys that ignore the rules and then us ethical hunters.

Yes, as hunter that goes to PA every once in while, that will seriously deter me from continuing to do so. My hunting time with a full time, part time, small business and two kids/ wife is at a premium at best, meaning I don't butcher many deer myself, because I just don't have to time to do so. It's not a laziness or unwilling as I've done plenty. Just don't have the time.

Unfortunately, this won't cure the CWD issue as people will still continue to bring deer in and probably just tag them as an Ohio deer. I'm not against the spread, just would like to have seen a better option than a shotgun blast effect. I guess the same issue happened when they got rid of physical tags and went to online tagging. It's just up us ethical hunters to help enforce and promote the laws, for the good of all hunters, whether we like it or not.

 

[cspot]

I completely, 100% agree with you. It's total bullshit. This is the main reason I hated to see the deer farms taken over by the Dept of Ag several years ago. A wild animal being treated as "agriculture" and the agency responsible for managing our wild resources is nearly powerless to do anything about this. Makes zero sense.



So... We should just not do anything? That doesn't seem like the responsible thing to do. Allowing the transport of parts from only CWD-negative counties just plays right into the "locking the barn door after the horse got out" approach. Say for example Yoder's Deer Farm has some deer escape and mix with the wild population. No worries... That county hasn't had any CWD so folks keep moving the dead deer around and conducting business as usual. Then a few years later, Yoder's deer get older and start showing signs of CWD. His population is confirmed positive and gets de-populated per protocol. Meanwhile those deer that escaped were also CWD-positive and have been spreading prions for the last 2-3 years. All the while, it's been fine and dandy to kill deer in that county and move them anywhere people want to move them. Now Yoder's farm is decimated and the damage to the wild population is done.... Regulations are changed... No moving deer parts since it's now a CWD-positive county. *Barn door slamming shut. *Horses already running free.

I can't disagree with you that there may be nothing we can do to stop it. It's probably inevitable. But we absolutely cannot sit back and do nothing at all. The reactive approach is simply not working. Being proactive is the next best thing. If we can slow the spread, there's more time to learn about the disease and work on potential solutions.

So you think it is Ok to transport a deer from one corner of Ohio to the other corner? Right now that is legal to do with all the high risk parts. Prions can stay in the plants and soil for a long time, but that stuff gets moved around the country as well. If moving high risk parts spread the disease so easily then why isn't it all of the country. Tons of deer from Colorado and Wyoming have been transported for over 50 years. If it was an issue then you would see CWD all over the place.

Like I said regulations need to make sense. Ohio's regulation does make sense since you can import deer from PA and WV as long as it isn't from a CWD area. PA's does not. There is no need to do something just to do something. Again hunters are getting punished while others are not. Why does Yoder get to import deer from other farms if I can't bring a dead deer in?

 

["J"]

Y’all are debating this subject and I get some of your points, but how many of you that are having problems with it are running feeders or mineral sites? Another piece too the puzzle that’ll spread it....

 

[jagermeister]

So you think it is Ok to transport a deer from one corner of Ohio to the other corner? Right now that is legal to do with all the high risk parts. Prions can stay in the plants and soil for a long time, but that stuff gets moved around the country as well. If moving high risk parts spread the disease so easily then why isn't it all of the country. Tons of deer from Colorado and Wyoming have been transported for over 50 years. If it was an issue then you would see CWD all over the place.

That's a good point. The deer don't recognize the imaginary lines that makeup the boundaries of the different states. I never looked at it that way... Ok to move deer from Williams County to Washington County... But not from West Virginia, across the river, into Washington County. Sounds kind of dumb when put in that context. Hmm... Now you have me thinking.

Like I said regulations need to make sense. Ohio's regulation does make sense since you can import deer from PA and WV as long as it isn't from a CWD area. PA's does not. There is no need to do something just to do something. Again hunters are getting punished while others are not. Why does Yoder get to import deer from other farms if I can't bring a dead deer in?

See the first post in this thread. Ohio is no longer like that. It is now a "red" state... meaning no transport, no matter what the CWD jurisdiction.