DNR to discuss chronic wasting disease Thursday, ahead of upcoming deer tissue collection effort

Meetings in Harpers Ferry and Elkader; Permits for January 20-28 special collection effort will be available

In its continuing efforts to monitor chronic wasting disease (CWD) in northeast Iowa, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will hold a special scientific deer collection effort January 20-28 in targeted areas of Allamakee and Clayton counties near where chronic wasting disease has been confirmed in wild Iowa deer (see map accompanying this story on Page 12A). The collection effort will be discussed during two public meetings scheduled for this Thursday, January 18 - one at 2 p.m. at the Ethel Robinson Meehan Community Center in Harpers Ferry and the other at 6:30 p.m. at the Keystone AEA building in Elkader.

The special collection effort will begin this Saturday, January 20 and continue through January 28, or when 300 samples are obtained per zone, whichever comes first. Once 75 deer are taken on public land the permits issued will then only be valid on private land.

Tissue samples will be taken to the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at Iowa State University in Ames for testing. When test results are received, hunters will be notified. Any CWD-positive deer will be collected and disposed of by the DNR.

Chronic wasting disease is a neurologic disease of deer and elk, belonging to the family of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) or prion diseases. Though it shares certain features with other TSEs like bovine spongiform encephalopathy (“Mad Cow Disease”) or scrapie in sheep, it is a distinct disease apparently affecting only deer, moose and elk. It is always fatal in the infected animals.

The disease first appeared in the local wild deer herd in 2013. Each year since that initial discovery, the Iowa DNR has placed extra emphasis on tracking the movement of the disease with the cooperation of successful hunters.

Results from the tissue samples collected during the 2017 deer hunting seasons have been delayed as part of the national shortage of test kits, although state experts expect additional positive tests to emerge from the CWD zone in Allamakee County (as outlined on the accompanying map on Page 12A). During the 2016 deer hunting season, there were 12 additional positive CWD samples discovered, 11 of those were discovered in Allamakee County and one in Clayton County.

“This special collection effort is important because it can help us to fill in the data gaps from specific areas and can help us to better understand the prevalence and the geographic extent of the disease in the area,” said Terry Haindfield, wildlife biologist for the Iowa DNR.

Permits to participate in the collection effort will be available after the public meetings, or will also be available from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, January 19 at the DNR office (the former Allamakee County Conservation Office) near the State Boat Landing in Harpers Ferry or the Clayton County Conservation Osborne Nature Center near Elkader, each of which will serve as the designated check stations during the collection effort. Permits will also be available at those two check stations daily during the January 20-28 collecting period, starting at 8 a.m. on weekends and noon on the weekdays.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Listed below are some frequently asked questions (FAQ) for those interested in participating in the local collection effort:

Q: Who can participate?
A: Any Iowa resident who could legally hunt and who owns land, or has permission from the landowner to access private land, in the Intensive Surveillance Area 2018 in the Harpers Ferry area or Elkader area (outlined on accompanying map). Contact local DNR staff at 563-379-5725 (for Harpers Ferry) or 563-929-0070 (for Elkader).

Q: What do I need to participate?
A: A scientific collector permit (no cost) is available to those who are interested by coming to:

In the HARPERS FERRY ZONE: DNR office, 427 North First Street, Harpers Ferry (former Allamakee County Conservation Office) or in the ELKADER ZONE: Clayton County Conservation Osborne Nature Center, 29862 Osborne Road, Elkader, Friday, January 19 from 11 a.m.-6:30 p.m. or Saturday and Sunday, January 20 and 21 from 8 a.m.-6:30 p.m. or Monday-Friday from 12 Noon-6:30 p.m. Permit arrangements can also be made by calling 563-379-5725 for the Harpers Ferry Zone or 563-929-0070  for the Elkader Zone.

Participating individuals must meet the requirements and follow the rules on the permit. The basic laws that apply during the deer hunting season will also apply during this collection period except participants do not need a hunting license or habitat fee.  Anyone using this permit is required to wear blaze orange as required during the firearm deer season. The permit is valid on private land only with the express permission of landowner and on public land open to hunting in this intensive surveillance area. No hunting license or habitat fee are required.

Q: Who do I contact and how do I let you know I have a deer ready to be sampled?
A: You are required to contact the DNR at 563-379-5725 (Harpers Ferry zone) or 563-929-0070 (Elkader zone) within 24 hours of collecting any deer to arrange for a sample to be taken, or take the deer to the check station in the Harpers Ferry Zone, located at the DNR office, 427 North First Street in

Harpers Ferry (former Allamakee County Conservation Office) or in the Elkader zone, located at Clayton County Conservation Osborne Nature Center, 29862 Osborne Road, Elkader, Monday-Friday 12 Noon-6:30 p.m. or Saturday-Sunday 8 a.m.-6:30 p.m. If you call the number listed and must leave a voice message, this will count as making contact. Someone from the DNR will contact you to arrange to collect a sample.

Q: How long does it take to collect a tissue sample? How long will it take to receive test results?
A: Generally, it only takes five to 10 minutes to collect the sample. It will take about two to three weeks for test results to come back during this surveillance effort.

Q: Who keeps the deer?
A: Hunters may keep the venison, hide and antlers of any deer taken pursuant to this permit or donate the animal to HUSH at Jets Meat Processing, Waukon or the Edgewood Locker, Edgewood.

If the collector processes the deer themselves, they need to keep the head and spinal column of all deer until CWD test results are available. The DNR will contact collectors with test results and will collect the head and spinal column of all CWD-positive deer. Hunters may choose to keep the meat from positive deer, or the DNR will dispose of it as well. There is a dumpster for carcass disposal located at the Harpers Ferry State boat ramp.

Q: Is it safe to eat venison from Iowa deer?
A: Currently, it is not believed that humans can contract CWD by eating venison. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) states: If you harvest a deer in an area known to have CWD-positive animals, the CDC strongly recommends testing the deer before consuming. Never consume an animal that has tested positive for CWD. Visit www.cdc.gov/prions/cwd for further information. In addition, they suggest that hunters take the following simple precautions when field dressing deer in areas where CWD is found:

• Wear rubber gloves when field dressing carcasses.
• Bone out the meat from your animal.
• Minimize the handling of brain and spinal tissues.
• Wash hands and instruments thoroughly after field dressing is completed.
• Avoid consuming brain, spinal cord, eyes, spleen, tonsils and lymph nodes of harvested animals. (Normal field dressing coupled with the boning out of a carcass will remove essentially all of these parts.)
• Request that your animal be processed individually, without meat from other animals being added to meat from your animal.

Q: What is the recommended way to pursue the deer?
A: The best technique for collecting samples may be to identify where deer are feeding or bedding and to wait for them to come to these areas. Drives and stalking may be successful but could push deer onto areas with limited access or out of the intensive surveillance area so use these techniques with care.

Q: What’s the next step?
A: The additional samples will provide the information needed to make scientific decisions on how to proceed in efforts to help manage the deer herd. We will continue to meet with the public in the area to discuss any actions before they are implemented.