CJD and red deer?

[bigbore442001]

I saw an ad in a sporting periodical for a deal on red deer does in Maine that was really eye catching. It would basically be a meat hunt for these animals.

I was thinking about the issue of Crutzfelds-Jakobs Disease in red deer. Is this anything a perspective hunter should concern himself about? Or is it all hype?

I read an article on the CWD issue as being related to some elk ranches out West. I believe that red deer are genetically similar. I know that due to this issue, the state of Massachusetts has put on hold any new deer farms and the existing ones are being monitored very, very closely.

So. Anyone care to hazard an opinion on this issue?

[Tom]

There's lots of other diseases that kill lots more deer.  CWD is very unlikely to tranfer, if a deer had it.   Have any deer in Mass. got it?  Its probably more likely to be undetected in the wild    If you're worried about it, are you going to give up hunting over it?   If so, why?

Did you give up eating beef, because of mad cow disease?

[bigbore442001]

I'm not worried over wild whitetailed deer in New England. I believe that the deer here are free of CWD and so do the Fish and Game departments. I do not know about things like red deer on hunting preserves. I read an article where the author stated that there may be a link between elk ranches and CWD CJD. I can understand that issue. Did I give up eating beef? Not at all. Wasn't too worried about it.

The issue I have is that is there any risk getting this from a red deer raised on a hunting preserve? I wonder. I am curious because this one place is having a deal on shooting does. I was thinking of just driving up to this place to get a red deer doe for the freezer with my BP handgun. I am sure it isn't as sporting as a wild whitetail. In fact I know it wouldn't be. But the price is tempting as well as the idea of filling the freezer that is now getting more empty as I have had lousy luck hunting so far.

[Tom]

I guess if you don't have in Mass. you could ask the guy where the red deer came from.   If they are from disease free places, its very unlikely to get it there.   New Mexico got it in the wild from secluded herds of deer because they are looking for it, I guess.   I heard they think its a variant of scrapie that has been in sheep forever, but didn't pay much attention to what they said.

I was told people can't give blood in the US if they lived in Europe for so many years, during the time when mad cow was spreading there.

Its like 1/1,000,000 people that get CJD.   I think we're much more likely to be hit by a car or something like that from what I've read, so far.

Red deer is very desirable meat, I think.   Its common to shoot our does/hinds because of herd size limitations on food supply in a preserve.