Area sportsmen who head out of state to hunt deer will need to start planning soon to comply with new regulations for chronic wasting disease put in place by the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
As part of the fight to slow the spread of the disease in Pennsylvania, the game commission has updated its executive order prohibiting the importation of high-risk deer parts. State Game Warden Matt Kramer, who patrols southern Beaver County, doesn’t want hunters to be caught off guard come the early deer seasons.
"Sportsmen in Beaver County need to plan ahead if they harvest a deer in our neighboring states of Ohio and West Virginia," Kramer said. "Both of these states are part of the newly enacted importation ban. Hunters can have their deer processed in those states or remove the high-risk parts, spinal column, brain material and head, prior to entering the commonwealth. Under no circumstance can the entire deer be transported back to Pennsylvania.”
While the order has always prohibited importation of any whole carcass of the cervid family — deer, elk, moose and caribou — from being brought into Pennsylvania from most U.S. states and Canadian provinces where the disease exists, it previously permitted deer harvested in New York, Ohio, Maryland and West Virginia to be brought in, so long as the deer weren’t reported to have been harvested in any county where chronic wasting disease has been detected.
Now that the updated order has taken effect, there are 24 states and two Canadian provinces from which high-risk cervid parts cannot be imported into Pennsylvania.
Those harvesting cervids in the identified states and provinces must leave behind the carcass parts that have the highest risk for transmitting the disease. Those parts are: the head (including brain, tonsils, eyes and any lymph nodes); spinal cord/backbone; spleen; skull plate with attached antlers, if visible brain or spinal cord tissue is present; cape, if visible brain or spinal cord tissue is present; upper canine teeth, if root structure or other soft tissue is present; any object or article containing visible brain or spinal cord tissue; unfinished taxidermy mounts; and brain-tanned hides.
First detected in Pennsylvania in 2012 at a captive deer facility in Adams County, CWD has since turned up in free-ranging and captive deer in parts of south-central and north-central Pennsylvania. To date, the disease has spread and 104 free-ranging infected deer have been detected in Pennsylvania.
Hunters who harvest deer, elk or moose in a state or province where the disease is known to exist should follow instructions from that state’s wildlife agency on how and where to submit the appropriate samples to have their animals tested. If a hunter is notified that his or her harvest tested positive for CWD, the hunter is encouraged to immediately contact the game commission region office that serves the county where he lives for disposal recommendations and assistance.
No cases of CWD infection have been reported in people, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the disease is always fatal to the cervids it infects. As a precaution, it is recommended people avoid eating meat from members of the cervid family that look sick or that test positive for CWD.
“We have already done an educational campaign with local processors and taxidermists,” Kramer said. “They are not allowed to accept out-of-state deer that are not handled properly. Chronic wasting disease is a very persistent, deadly disease, and hunters should do all they can to slow the spread. This importation ban hopefully will slow the spread of this disease."
Mike Barcaskey can be reached at mikebarcaskey@outlook.com.