The DNR has confirmed that a wild deer has tested positive for chronic wasting disease in Oneida County, in the town of Crescent.
As required by law, this finding renews Oneida County's existing baiting and feeding ban for another three years. Additionally, this positive will renew the two-year baiting and feeding ban in Langlade County
. The CWD-positive one-year-old doe was harvested on a disease surveillance permit issued within a 10-mile radius of the recent Lincoln County positive detection. This is Oneida County's first CWD-positive wild deer. The DNR's Eric Lobner says Oneida County detection is a direct result of our surveillance efforts put in place in response to the Lincoln county CWD positive. T
he Department is taking several steps in light of the most recent detection, including sampling vehicle-killed deer and working with local County Deer Advisory Councils. The DNR website has more information on CWD.
The press release is below.
NEWS RELEASE Baiting and feeding ban renewed in Oneida County following new CWD detection
DATE: April 20, 2018
MADISON - The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has confirmed that a wild deer has tested positive for chronic wasting disease in Oneida County, in the Crescent Township. As required by law, this finding will renew Oneida County's existing baiting and feeding ban for another three years.
Additionally, this positive will renew the two-year baiting and feeding ban in Langlade County. The CWD-positive one-year-old doe was harvested on a disease surveillance permit issued within a 10-mile radius of the recent Lincoln County positive detection.
This is Oneida County's first CWD-positive wild deer. "This Oneida County detection is a direct result of our surveillance efforts put in place in response to the Lincoln CWD positive," said Eric Lobner, DNR Bureau Director for the Wildlife Management program. "We will continue to work with local communities to promote CWD surveillance and awareness in the area."
In response to the detection of this new CWD positive deer, the department will take the following steps: Continue to work with the local County Deer Advisory Council members in disease surveillance around this positive location. Conduct surveillance activities to assess disease distribution and prevalence including: Encourage reporting of sick deer Sample vehicle-killed adult deer Sample adult deer harvested under agricultural damage permits Sample adult deer harvested under urban deer hunts in the area Establish additional CWD sampling locations prior to the 2018 deer seasons. These actions are very important for assessing the potential geographic distribution of the disease and if other animals in proximity to the new positive test are infected.
As has been demonstrated in the past in other parts of the state, local citizen involvement in the decision-making process as well as management actions to address this CWD detection will have the greatest potential for success. For more information regarding baiting and feeding regulations and CWD in Wisconsin, and how to have adult deer tested during the 2018/2019 hunting seasons, visit the department's website, dnr.wi.gov, and search "baiting and feeding" and "CWD sampling" respectively. To report a sick deer on the landscape, search keywords "sick deer" or contact a local wildlife biologist.
