RE: CWD Explanation..need help. (NYS)
The regulations are actually quite clear, its the procedure thats vague, for most of you who have never experienced it. Allow me to elaborate...
EVERY deer taken in the indemic area needs to be sampled. Thats clear and obvious. This is what likely will happen. Youll be asked first how youll utilize the deer, consumption, taxidermy, etc. Based onhow you answer, how busy that station is, and the deer-take numbers to date, theyll either remove the head and tag the carcass, or do the following procedure. Theyll open the skin behind the head at the base of the skull, detach the connective tissue at the atlas joint where the neck meets the skull, and using a tool similar to a spoon, remove a sample portion of the brain stem. They may also cut further in and below this point to remove two lymph nodes and the tonsils. None of this will affect the meat or the head as a trophy if done correctly. Again, youll be given a tag or something identifying the carcass as sampled. You can then go on to process your deer, and if you choose, await the test results before consuming.
The problems we see so far is, theres no protocol yet as to how butchers, private individuals, taxidermists, etc, are to dispose of the carcass. Theres also no clear evidence of CWD passing to humans, its considered a species specific disease. The state must tell you they cant say without question, for no other reason than to cover themselves from any liability. I can hardly fault them for that. But its unclear what happens if they did find your sample to be suspect, or positive for CWD. Almost all CWD positive animals showed NO signs of being sick. The majority of so-called sick or "weird acting" animals that will be found this year will be the usual injured or malnurished deer we see every year. Some are due to common sickness, yet none to date have tested positive for CWD.
This is hardly a new process, as folks hunting in Colorado, for example, have been processing their trophies prior to travelling home, and have been submitting samples. Hope this helps some of you.
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