Hunters in Kentucky won’t see any immediate changes to deer season, as wildlife officials deal with the first confirmed case of a contagious disease in the state.
The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission held a special meeting Thursday after a deer tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease. The white-tailed deer was harvested on privately-held land in Ballard County, near Paducah, in early December.
Chronic Wasting Disease is an untreatable and highly-contagious neurological illness in deer, elk and moose. There is no evidence the disease can be passed to people. However, it is similar to a brain disorder in people with symptoms called Creutzfeldt Jakob disease.
The commission is waiting to get back test results from dozens of deer samples.
Wildlife experts, including Fish and Wildlife’s, Dr. Robin Floyd, said no decisions will be made on potentially killing off the herd or other measures about Chronic Wasting Disease until more data comes in.
Even though Chronic Wasting Disease doesn’t spread to humans, officials still advise against eating the meat from game animals that appear to be sick or in poor condition.
Fish and Wildlife continues to encourage hunters to donate the heads of legally harvested and tele-checked deer for testing and aging. There is no cost to hunters.
Deer hunting season in Kentucky closes in mid-January. See the season dates here.
Kentuckians can help prevent the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease in the state by reporting sick or abnormal-behaving deer. Reports can be made by calling Kentucky Fish and Wildlife at 1-800-858-1549 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Eastern) on weekdays.
Source: WDRB
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