TWRA Q&A session answers questions on CWD, hunting

JACKSON, Tenn. — Leaders with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency talked about Chronic Wasting Disease and other important topics in a web meeting Thursday afternoon.

The TWRA hosted an hour-long Q&A session, answering any questions the public may have about CWD and hunting this season.

“We just want to reiterate our goals. One is to prevent the spread of the disease where it doesn’t currently exist. It is kind of the number one goal. And number two, we want to try to reduce the spread where possible,” said TWRA CWD Field Coordinator Jeremy Dennison.

Dennison presented a PowerPoint with an update on CWD, which also included a map of hot spot locations.

“This map can summarize all the positive locations since we began this, so we have a good understanding of where CWD is on the landscape,” Dennison said.

Some of the questions asked by the public during the Q&A included offering of CWD testing, if it’s safe to keep hunting, as well as how to stay safe when harvesting a deer.

“Do not consume meat from deer that tests positive for Chronic Wasting Disease, but you can still safely hunt, harvest and eat deer from the CWD-affected areas. You need to use gloves when you gut your deer and make sure you’ve got your animal tested for CWD,” said TWRA Wildlife Biologist Stephanie Durno Karns.

Another important topic discussed was the turnaround time for hunters once they have harvested deer and have it tested.

“We are kind of in a slower portion of the year in terms of the number of the hunters that are out in the field. You are looking at about a week turnaround time. We are hoping to keep it within seven to 10 days, but be aware that there are areas going to be busy times of the year when it comes to a lot of samples processed through the system,” said TWRA Wildlife Veterinarian Dan Grove.

For those of you who missed the live Q&A session, that video can be found here.