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Ohio Farm Bureau and Ohio’s Division of Wildlife would like farmers to keep an eye on the deer population in their area. During the sixth annual Farmer Sportsman Forum in Fairfield County, OFBF and Wildlife officials talked to a group of farmers and wildlife enthusiasts about chronic wasting disease (CWD).

CWD is a degenerative disease of the brain that affects elk, mule deer and white-tailed deer, and is believed to be caused by abnormal proteins. No scientific evidence shows that CWD can infect humans or domestic livestock, according to the World Health Organization. Colorado health officials have monitored areas infected with CWD for more than 16 years and have found no disease in people or cattle living there.

There are no indications chronic wasting disease exists in Ohio, but the Division of Wildlife believes it is important to monitor Ohio deer for the disease. The division has no doubt farmers will be a great help in monitoring because they believe farmers know their land and know about the wildlife on their land better than anyone else. The Division of Wildlife is taking a proactive step by adding CWD to the list of diseases it routinely tests for in the state’s white-tailed deer population.

The first cases of CWD were found in the western United States during the 1960s among captive deer. It has since been identified in wild deer or elk in Colorado, Kansas, Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico, Nebraska, South Dakota and western Canada. It was recently found for the first time east of the Mississippi River when four white-tail deer in Wisconsin were diagnosed with the disease.

There is no CWD testing method for live deer, therefore biologists will be looking for deer exhibiting excessive salivation, trouble swallowing or difficulty in moving about. Animals displaying these symptoms will be euthanized and tested. Samples also will be collected from deer brought to a selected group of deer check stations during Ohio’s hunting season in November and December.

Hunters should be vigilant for identifying elk or deer displaying CWD symptoms. They should report suspected cases to authorities immediately.

In cooperation with the Ohio Department of Agriculture, wildlife biologists collect samples for disease testing at deer check stations every other year. Annual surveys of antler diameter in bucks and periodic evaluation of the body weight for all deer have consistently shown Ohio’s deer herd to be in excellent physical condition.