By Trey Montgomery

I recently attended a meeting in San Antonio, Texas on which Chronic Wasting Disease (better known as CWD) was discussed at great length by several noted scientists, veterinarians and wildlife biologists. One thing that they were all in agreement on was that the media has in great part been responsible for the misinformation and fear that has been instilled in the general public and to the outdoorsman as well.

When people read stories in outdoor magazines, the reader tends to believe that the writer has done his homework and his article is based on sound and proven facts. Not theory and speculation. We, as sportsmen need to know the facts and not get caught up in all the Chronic Waste hysteria that has come from the anti-hunting industry who would have you believe that Chronic Waste Disease is our equivalent to Mad Cow Disease in England.

The fact is, there has been very little done in the way of laboratory tests or studies over a given period of years that would support known causes and treatments of diseases and natural outbreaks of diseases in deer in general. So the only cause of CWD to date is based upon theory only, and even the theories vary depending on who is providing the research information. CWD was first discovered in Colorado about 40 years ago. Since that time, only about 2% of all animals tested in a controlled environment over the U.S have proven positive for CWD. There has never been a case found in Alabama or any of the other Southeastern States. The percentage of deaths to this disease in no way compares to the mortality rate of deer with Tuberculosis and EHD (a form of blue tongue) or other naturally occurring diseases. Nature has built in a pretty good system of checks and balances for controlling these kinds of things through sick and injured deer or areas of over population in the wild.

Education is the key to approaching and addressing this issue. There is a monitoring program being implemented right now through the Alabama Department of Agriculture and the Department of Conservation, where testing and sampling will be employed in the upcoming deer season. Here at Leavellwood, we wanted to be one of the first ones to step up to the plate on the monitoring of our herd, because it is beneficial to us to be able to say that we are a certified monitored deer breeding facility. We have too much at stake and too much invested not to be an active part of this program.

At the same time, processing plants around the state offer an excellent opportunity to obtain accurate reading of deer in specified areas without having to go out and do what they did in Wisconsin and just kill off an entire deer population in an area to only find that less than 1% of the deer population even tested positive for CWD. Here was a classic example of fear overruling better judgement. By the way there is no known test for checking for the presence of CWD except through the brain tissue of a dead deer.

Monitoring is a good thing and it can be done with a minimal expense with cooperation from the public and private landowners with high fence enclosures. Nobody wants to know that they have cancer, but early testing and checkups have saved many a life. We as sportsmen need to be active and involved in the health of our deer population. Anytime you observe a deer not acting normal and appears emaciated or disoriented or if you kill a deer that leaves you suspect in any way, contact the game official in your area or call the Division of Wildlife and Fisheries at 1-800-272-4264. There are a whole host of sickness and diseases that are out there, which are neither epidemic nor contagious. A healthy herd involves keeping the population in balance and providing them with an ample nutritional food source for growth and optimum development. Being informed is best for everyone. With all that has been said, take your children hunting and that way you won't be hunting your children. Alabama has an abundance of deer and turkey and some of the best fishing anywhere.

Spend time together as a family and enjoy what God has blessed us with.