Hunt_News
10-10-05, 11:44
The Mass. Fisheries and Wildlife Board voted at its monthly Sept. 29 on Martha's Vineyard to adopt the emergency regulations set forth in June, in response to confirmed incidents of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in white-tailed deer in New York. The measure prohibited the importation of whole deer carcasses from states or Canadian provinces that have confirmed cases of CWD in deer or elk. The regulations went into effect Aug. 1 but, if not acted upon, would've expired at the end of this month.
CWD is a fatal neurological disorder known to affect white-tailed deer, mule deer and elk. It was first identified in 1978 and remained in the states of Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska until recent years when it was found in deer populations in Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin and also West Virginia, the next closest state to Massachusetts, other than New York. It's also been found in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. According to the World Health Organization, this disease does not appear to pose a health risk to people.
On March 31, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation confirmed that adult deer from a captive herd in Oneida County tested positive for CWD. The disease was later confirmed in wild deer in the same county. The CWD diagnosis in New York is the first instance of the disease detected in the Northeast.
Massachusetts regulations now make it illegal for anyone to import or possess whole carcasses or parts of deer or elk (from wild or captive deer herds) from states and Canadian provinces in which CWD has been detected with the following exceptions: meat that is deboned, cleaned skull caps, hides and taxidermy mounts. This action prevents importation of neurological tissue which is where the disease is found. Vermont, New Hampshire and Rhode Island have similar regulations in place and are consistent with regulations set or proposed to be set by other state fish and wildlife agencies bordering states with confirmed cases of CWD.
This means that the days of bringing home whole deer tied to the roof or in the bed of a pickup truck after a hunt in a state or province where deer have tested positive for CWD are over. Before leaving a state with confirmed CWD, the animal must be deboned and the skull cap removed (or leave the head at the taxidermist).
Deer from states without confirmed cases of CWD, such as the popular deer hunting states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, may be transported whole the old-fashioned way
CWD is a fatal neurological disorder known to affect white-tailed deer, mule deer and elk. It was first identified in 1978 and remained in the states of Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska until recent years when it was found in deer populations in Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin and also West Virginia, the next closest state to Massachusetts, other than New York. It's also been found in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. According to the World Health Organization, this disease does not appear to pose a health risk to people.
On March 31, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation confirmed that adult deer from a captive herd in Oneida County tested positive for CWD. The disease was later confirmed in wild deer in the same county. The CWD diagnosis in New York is the first instance of the disease detected in the Northeast.
Massachusetts regulations now make it illegal for anyone to import or possess whole carcasses or parts of deer or elk (from wild or captive deer herds) from states and Canadian provinces in which CWD has been detected with the following exceptions: meat that is deboned, cleaned skull caps, hides and taxidermy mounts. This action prevents importation of neurological tissue which is where the disease is found. Vermont, New Hampshire and Rhode Island have similar regulations in place and are consistent with regulations set or proposed to be set by other state fish and wildlife agencies bordering states with confirmed cases of CWD.
This means that the days of bringing home whole deer tied to the roof or in the bed of a pickup truck after a hunt in a state or province where deer have tested positive for CWD are over. Before leaving a state with confirmed CWD, the animal must be deboned and the skull cap removed (or leave the head at the taxidermist).
Deer from states without confirmed cases of CWD, such as the popular deer hunting states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, may be transported whole the old-fashioned way