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Some say disease?s threat not worth killing deer
By JEFF ENGELHARDT - jengelhardt@shawmedia.com Created: Saturday, February 18, 2012 5:30 a.m. CST
A state program aimed at preventing the spread of a disease fatal to deer has sparked debate among hunters and public officials that argue it is either a scientific necessity or a money-driven extermination.
For the past decade, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources has conducted a program that requires state biologists and conservation police to annually kill hundreds of deer to prevent the spread of and to test for Chronic Wasting Disease, commonly referred to as CWD. The highly contagious disease ? found in only deer, elk and moose ? destroys the nervous systems and is always fatal.
Dave Wiehle, owner of the Cortland-based Melrose Te-Tops International and an avid hunter, said what started as a ?wholesome endeavor? has turned into ?mass murder.?
He said sharpshooters from the DNR use aggressive tactics such as baiting and helicopter flyovers to attract the deer and kill them in bunches. Tom Beissel, regional wildlife biologist and director of the program, said while the DNR does bait the deer, it mostly targets bucks because males carry and pass the disease more than females.
State shooters kill the deer from mid-January through late March; the last deer-hunting season ends in mid-January.
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By JEFF ENGELHARDT - jengelhardt@shawmedia.com Created: Saturday, February 18, 2012 5:30 a.m. CST
A state program aimed at preventing the spread of a disease fatal to deer has sparked debate among hunters and public officials that argue it is either a scientific necessity or a money-driven extermination.
For the past decade, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources has conducted a program that requires state biologists and conservation police to annually kill hundreds of deer to prevent the spread of and to test for Chronic Wasting Disease, commonly referred to as CWD. The highly contagious disease ? found in only deer, elk and moose ? destroys the nervous systems and is always fatal.
Dave Wiehle, owner of the Cortland-based Melrose Te-Tops International and an avid hunter, said what started as a ?wholesome endeavor? has turned into ?mass murder.?
He said sharpshooters from the DNR use aggressive tactics such as baiting and helicopter flyovers to attract the deer and kill them in bunches. Tom Beissel, regional wildlife biologist and director of the program, said while the DNR does bait the deer, it mostly targets bucks because males carry and pass the disease more than females.
State shooters kill the deer from mid-January through late March; the last deer-hunting season ends in mid-January.
More...
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