Fieldnotes on the Edge - Eyes on Joplin

      During my research for this article, I spoke to hunters in my community.   They told me the same thing “Testing for CWD isn’t mandatory during bow season.” And many admitted they wouldn’t test a healthy-looking deer for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). That mindset reveals a dangerous gap in understanding because CWD doesn’t always show symptoms. Infected deer can appear robust for months or even years while silently shedding prions into the soil and plants.   The Risk of Asymptomatic CWD CWD is a fatal, infectious prion disease affecting deer and other cervids. It’s similar to Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), which crossed the species barrier to infect humans. While no confirmed human cases of CWD exist, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) maintains a cautionary stance due to the possibility of long incubation periods and unknown transmission risks. Hunters who consume venison from deer harvested in CWD Management Zones ...

    Understanding Late-Season Thinness in Does and Why Misdiagnosis Matters Thin Doesn’t Always Mean Sick In Missouri’s CWD Management Zones, hunters are trained to watch for signs of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD): emaciation, drooling, stumbling, and abnormal behavior. But what happens when a healthy doe nursing twin fawns shows visible thinness? Too often, she’s misread as diseased and that misdiagnosis can lead to unnecessary panic, poor harvest decisions, or even false reporting. The Reality of Late-Season Nursing Does that give birth late in the season especially to twins face intense metabolic strain. Their bodies prioritize milk production, often at the expense of fat reserves. This can result in: Prominent ribs and hips A drawn face and lean frame Increased grazing on ornamentals and garden plants Alert, responsive behavior despite thinness These are signs of maternal depletion , not a CWD .   Behavior Is the Key Hunters should observe m...

    This article was created to help hunters especially as archery season opens today in Missouri. Last night, I spoke with my neighbor, an experienced deer hunter, who told me he’d heard that when you field dress a deer with Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), the carcass will have a bad smell and fatty tumors. That conversation made me realize other hunters may have heard the same thing and may not know that a deer can look perfectly healthy and still be infected with CWD. The Myth: “If it looks healthy, it’s fine.” Many hunters believe that a deer with CWD will look sick, have visible tumors, or smell bad when field dressed. That’s not how CWD works ( CDC – About Chronic Wasting Disease ). The Reality: CWD is a silent, slow killer. Cause: CWD is a prion disease   a misfolded protein that attacks the brain and nervous system ( CDC – About Chronic Wasting Disease ). Incubation: Deer can carry it for a year or more before showing any symptoms ( Miss...

    In states like Missouri, where Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) has been confirmed in wild deer populations, trophy hunting without testing isn’t just risky it’s a public health blind spot. While no human cases of CWD have been documented. Prion diseases are a rare but deadly class of neurological disorders caused by misfolded proteins that trigger irreversible brain damage. While CWD affects deer, elk, and moose, it belongs to a broader family of prion diseases that have crossed species boundaries before. For a full overview of human and animal prion diseases including Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), BSE (mad cow disease), and scrapie.   Why CWD Matters to Trophy Hunt CWD is a fatal neurological disease caused by misfolded proteins called prions . These prions concentrate in the brain, spinal cord, eyes, lymph nodes, and spleen. Even if a deer looks healthy, it may carry infectious prions in the very tissues prized by trophy hunters. That means the risk isn’...