Michigan Deer Hunting & Chronic Wasting Disease
By Rep. Gerald Van Woerkom
 
Hunting has long been an outstanding tradition in Michigan.  It is a wonderful way for families to bond and pass on family values.  It is so popular in some communities that certain schools close on the opening day of deer season due to lack of attendance. 
 
Michigan is nationally known to be a great place for hunting white-tailed deer.  In 2001, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) reported that 753,059 hunters spent 10,562,134 days afield and provided over $1.8 billion dollars of revenue, mostly to small rural towns throughout Michigan. 
 
Our neighboring states, Wisconsin and Illinois, are now faced with a great threat to their deer hunting—Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).  Chronic Wasting Disease is a neurological disorder that affects the brains of deer and elk, causing them to display abnormal behavior, lose coordination, and eventually starve to death.  CWD has the potential to have huge impacts on Michigan’s hunting, agricultural, and tourism industries.  The questions now are whether CWD will infect Michigan deer and elk, and what the state is doing to prevent the spread of the disease. 
 
Fortunately, the MDNR and the Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) have a CWD Surveillance and Response Plan in place to protect Michigan’s deer.  In light of CWD in Wisconsin and Illinois, Michigan will be increasing CWD testing of both free-ranging and captive deer and elk. The MDNR has proposed a wildlife surveillance program that would test 2,000 deer and 50 elk annually.  Additionally, MDA will trace all deer and elk that have been imported over the past 36 months from Wisconsin and Illinois and will perform CWD surveillance on all death losses from those herds.  The importation of captive deer and elk has been banned. 
 
In the event that CWD does cross into Michigan, veterinarians and biologists have created an emergency plan to control it.  If an infected deer or elk is found in Michigan or within 50 miles of Michigan’s border with another state or Canadian province, the Natural Resources Commission has ordered that the Director shall ban the use of bait and ban all feeding of deer and elk within the peninsula adjacent to the adjoining state or province with CWD or containing CWD. 

Although, Chronic Waste Disease is a threat to Michigan’s deer and elk population, the Departments of Natural Resources and Agriculture are doing their best to protect Michigan’s deer and elk populations.  They advise that hunters should continue to enjoy Michigan’s great outdoors but also be on the alert for any deer, which are acting abnormally.