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ORIGINAL: halfrack VIII

Baiting with corn is really no different than putting down food plots, scent attractions, mock scrapes,trails, or water sources. All of these methods you are taking advantage of the fact that the deer will tend to come to them because it is easier for them. As hunters we need to support all forms of hunting and not attack each other for our chosen methods.

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ORIGINAL: mnbirddog

:eek:

Baiting also helps spread disease better than any of the other methods. And has a greater chance of permantly and negatively altering deer patterns/behavior. That's not even something that can be debated. The only debate is the ethics of using it or any of these other methods. It's not outlawed in many areas because it makes it easier for hunters, its outlawed because it is bad for the herd.

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ORIGINAL: bryant1

I would agree halfheartly with your opinion, but only in the region implied. In Florida the areas with a sustained high population of deer also are well supplemented with corn- Do you consider this just a coincidence?

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ORIGINAL: mnbirddog

CWD or Bovine TB hit there yet? Is there any reason to assume it cant/wont? (seriously I don't know, maybe it cant survive the climate?) Florida is one of the major cattle states, right?

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ORIGINAL: halfrack VIII

Baiting with corn is really no different than putting down food plots, scent attractions, mock scrapes,trails, or water sources. All of these methods you are taking advantage of the fact that the deer will tend to come to them because it is easier for them. As hunters we need to support all forms of hunting and not attack each other for our chosen methods.

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Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Contacts:
Dr. Mark Cunningham (352) 955-2230

After extensive testing, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has not found any evidence of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in the state’s white-tailed deer population.

The FWC tested 636 free-ranging deer during the past year and more than 3,000 deer during the past five years, with no CWD-positive results.

FWC’s wildlife veterinarian Dr. Mark Cunningham said, “While we can never say that Florida is entirely free of the disease without testing every deer, this sample size gives us very high confidence that if CWD is present in Florida, it is at low levels. However, even low numbers of CWD-positive deer would be cause for concern, so we plan to continue testing for the foreseeable future.”

CWD is a contagious neurological disease that has been found in captive and wild herds of mule deer, white-tailed deer and Rocky Mountain elk within several Midwestern and Western states. The disease causes degeneration of the brains of infected animals, resulting in emaciation, abnormal behavior, loss of bodily functions and death.

Thus far, no Southeastern states, including Florida, have been hit by the deer disease.

To reduce the chances of CWD turning up in Florida, the state prohibits importing carcasses of any species of deer, elk or moose from 14 states and two Canadian provinces where CWD has been detected.

States and provinces currently with CWD include New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Illinois, New York, West Virginia, and Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada. Visit the United States Department of Agriculture’s Web site at www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/animal_diseases/cwd for the most up-to-date CWD reporting.

“Early detection is the key to limiting the spread of the disease, if such an outbreak should occur in Florida,” said Deer Management Section leader Dr. Robert Vanderhoof of the FWC’s Division of Hunting and Game Management.

Once again, this hunting season the FWC is turning to hunters and members of the public for assistance in helping monitor the state’s deer herd for CWD.

“We’re asking hunters to report any sightings of sickly or scrawny-looking deer, or deer dead of unknown causes,” Vanderhoof said. “If you see such a deer, call toll-free 1-866-CWD-WATCH (293-9282). Please do not handle the deer. Wildlife biologists will respond, and if necessary, collect deer tissue for testing. It’s important to contact us as soon as possible, because such testing must take place within 48 hours of a deer’s death to yield reliable results.

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