Hello, I have been looking forward to whitetail hunting, but now I am starting to think about chronic wasting disease. NOw I'm kinda scared about it beause I don't want to get sick from eating the meat. Also, I was wondering where I can send the head in for testing, and If it is okay to eat if it came back negative? Is it neccesary to wear gloves while field dressing?

thanks mark

Here you go man, I pulled this off of MN's DNR site.

Typical signs of the disease include drooping head or ears, poor body condition (body looks emaciated in the late stages), tremors, stumbling, increased salivation (drooling), difficulty swallowing, or excessive thirst or urination. Don't eat meat from animals that look sick or ill. Don't eat the brain, spinal cord, eyes, spleen, tonsils and lymph nodes. Dress the animal properly -- minimize handling of brain and spinal tissues, wear rubber gloves when field dressing carcasses and wash hands and instruments thoroughly after field dressing is complete.

Pretty general stuff, but maybe it will help.

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/mammals/deer/cwd/index.html

Trout, the cases that have been found in wild deer in Saskatchewan have came from 2 locations (Sask Land Area and south of Lloydminster) the numbers are low for case found positive and for whatever reason Mule deer have made up the bulk of those found with CWD. You can use Latex Gloves for FD if you wish and heads can be taken to the SERM office on Research Blvd at the of US if you choose. However please note SERM is now charging for heads to be tested, I have heard as much as $90 per test but that is unconfirmed. For more info call SERM and ask them questions on CWD.

Enjoy your first deer hunt.

I dont worry about it. Just like the guy that helped on the handicap hunt offered me gloves to gut the deer incase It would have diseases. People really worry about blood on their hands???

I don't see why you are afraid of it. if you want to know if it has CWD after dressing it take a hack saw and cut open the skull take a slice out of the brain and if it looks like swiss cheese it's got CWD.

not true cnhntr at all. you cannot tell that it has CWD just by looking at brain. you have to be an expert to do this.

Trout, i wouldn not worry about it. in teh zones in Colorado that have it, nobody has gotten sick or died from CWD since the 1960's. it has never made a recorded jump from animal to humans. We own a big tract of land in the outer CWD zone in wisconsin and we dont have any problems with it. we just have shot more does and got the population down.its really a shame that those damn high fence canned hunt people probably brought it into the state, but thats a whole nother topic. basically, you really dont have to worry about it. we've had a half dozen heads tested and they all came back negative. i dont wear gloves either. a little blood on my hands isnt going to kill me.

slayer

Go to any state DNR website but then again there's a conflict of interest with them!