MANITOWOC COUNTY, Wis. (WFRV) – After a deer tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Manitowoc County for the first time ever, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) officials are calling on hunters to help them slow down the spread of this disease.

DNR officials held an informational meeting on Tuesday night in Two Rivers to discuss a variety of topics related to CWD.

CWD is a fatal neurological disease for deer, elk, moose, and reindeer. It takes a while for the animals to show symptoms of the disease, but when they do they’ll appear very thin, drool, lack coordination or appear confused, and lose their fear of people.

DNR officials said the CWD case in Manitowoc County came from a deer shot by a hunter in the town of Liberty in November.

The CWD case automatically triggers a three-year deer baiting and feeding ban in Manitowoc County effective Feb. 1. There will also be a two-year ban in Calumet and Sheboygan Counties because the CWD case in Manitowoc County was within 10 miles of the county lines.

“It’s (the feeding and baiting ban) one way to minimize the spread by lessening the deer congregating unnaturally,” said Erin Larson who is the Wisconsin DNR’s deer herd health specialist.

Biologists first discovered CWD in Wisconsin in 2001 in the southwest portion of the state. It has spread throughout the state in the last 20 years, although DNR officials said cases in Northeast Wisconsin remain low.

“One of the biggest things that we can do against chronic wasting disease is to keep on hunting,” said Larson. “We want hunters to get out there and keep on enjoying the tradition of hunting.” 

Hunting thins out the deer herd reducing instances of the animals coming into contact with each other and spreading the disease.

According to the DNR, there are several other ways that hunters can help slow the spread of CWD:

• Don’t transport deer carcasses across counties.
• Consider having your deer carcasses tested for CWD.
• Dispose of deer carcasses in dumpsters or landfills rather than out in the woods.
• If you see a deer that appears sick, report it to the DNR.

For more information about chronic wasting disease from the DNR, please click here.