Whitetail Hunting

December Deer Hunting: We’re Not Talking About Rudolph

Deer hunting in December offers a unique experience as hunting pressure falls off. December usually marks the tail end of the deer hunting season in many areas, too. During this time, deer are often more active due to the colder temperatures, making it an ideal opportunity for hunters. For me, December deer hunting is a must, as I’m often able to get in the woods at this time.

With the foliage thinning, visibility improves, and hunters can better spot deer moving within their habitat. The colder weather also means that deer tend to be more predictable, seeking out food sources to build energy reserves for the winter months. December hunting requires preparation, as the winter conditions can bring added challenges like snow, ice, and freezing temperatures, but the rewards of a successful hunt can make it all worth it.

Whether you’re hunting in forests, fields, or along riverbanks, December deer hunting offers both a test of skill and a deep connection with nature.

10 Reasons to go Deer Hunting in December

CWD Found in Limestone County

It’s been a dry year, but CWD is the one thing moving through Texas faster that a late-summer wildlife. A recent news release shared that state officials found CWD in Limestone County deer. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) discovered Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in a deer breeding facility in Limestone County. This marks the first positive detection of the disease in the county.

As part of a required CWD surveillance program, samples from four deer were detected with CWD prions by the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory in College Station on September 5. The National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa confirmed CWD in two of these samples on Sept. 13 and should complete testing of the other two samples soon.

In early September, CWD was found in Gillespie County. Now, Limestone County is the latest to be added to the list. The increase in CWD positive deer within Texas may suggest an increase in the rate of spread.

CWD Sampling in Limestone County

Animal health and wildlife officials have taken action to secure the facility and identify and notify other breeding facilities that received deer or shipped deer to this facility in the last five years.

“TPWD and TAHC are taking this situation very seriously,” said John Silovsky, Wildlife Division Director for TPWD. “Fortunately, these positive cases were detected early, and we have a good sample distribution across the facility. At this time, CWD appears to be contained to one pen within the facility.

Animal health and wildlife officials will continue to investigate to determine the extent of the disease within the facility and mitigate risks to Texas’ CWD susceptible species. Quick detection of CWD can help mitigate the disease’s spread.”

CWD in Limestone County Means a Check Station

TPWD officials are developing surveillance zone boundaries that may include portions of Limestone, Hill, Freestone and Navarro counties. CWD zones are an effective strategy for managing and containing the disease. Hunters in surveillance and containment zones must take harvested CWD susceptible species to the Limestone County check station or otherwise meet submission requirements. Testing animals during the deer hunting season will allow the officials to determine the prevalence of CWD in Limestone County deer.

TPWD will provide additional information to landowners and hunters within the surveillance zone regarding CWD sampling locations and options to have their deer or other CWD susceptible species tested (there is no cost to the hunter for this CWD testing). A public meeting will be held in Limestone County prior to implementation to provide the details of the zones and CWD management.

“Surveillance is an essential part of managing CWD,” said Dr. Andy Schwartz, TAHC Executive Director and State Veterinarian. “While the disease’s incubation period poses challenges, quick detection can help mitigate the disease’s spread and protect cervid populations in Texas.”

Testing for CWD in Limestone County

Testing for CWD allows wildlife biologists and animal health officials to get a clearer picture of the prevalence and distribution of the disease across Texas. Proactive monitoring through CWD sampling improves the state’s response time to a CWD detection and can greatly reduce the risk of the disease spreading further to neighboring captive and free-ranging populations.

TPWD and TAHC encourage hunters outside of established surveillance and containment zones to voluntarily submit their harvest for testing at a check station, for free, before heading home from the field. A map of TPWD check stations can be found on the TPWD website.

The $10,000 question: “Can humans get Chronic Wasting Disase (CWD) from eating infected venison?” The fact is that meat from deer contaminated with CWD may be more dangerous than originally thought, according to ongoing research.

Stefanie Czub, of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), and the University of Calgary, has documented CWD infections in monkeys. During the study, which began in 2009, 18 macaques were exposed to CWD in a variety of ways: by injecting into the brain, through contact with skin, oral administration and intravenously.

CWD Contracted by Monkeys

So far, results are available from 5 animals, according to a release from the CFIA. At this point, 2 animals that were exposed to CWD by direct introduction into the brain, one that was administered infected brain material orally and two that were fed infected meat all have become infected with CWD.

“The ‘supposed’ resistance of macaques was about the only prop remaining in the complacency wall (macaques’ genetics are closer to ours than squirrel monkeys, which also can contract CWD), but this is just the tip of the iceberg. The implications to markets are enormous, and governments here may have finally begun to take notice,” said Darrel Rowledge, director of the Alliance for Public Wildlife in an interview.“

Consumption of CWD-Infected Venision

CWD is a sister disease to bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE — the infamous “mad cow disease” that killed 229 people in the United Kingdom — and is an incurable, always fatal degeneration of the brain, according to an analysis published by the Alliance for Public Wildlife. It was first documented in captive mule deer in the late 1960s.

Estimates show 7,000 to 15,000 CWD-infected animals are being consumed by humans every year, according to the analysis, and these sort of prior diseases are known for jumping between species barriers.

“Results of CWD laboratory challenges of non-human primates are mixed,” the analysis said. “CWD transferred readily to squirrel monkeys orally (92 percent), but macaques, which are genetically closer to humans than squirrel monkeys, have demonstrated significant resistance, even to direct intracerebral injection. It should be noted, however, that recently macaques were shown to be susceptible to scrapie, but only after an extended, silent incubation of ten years.”

CWD and Hunters

The news about CWD in primates has many in the hunting community concerned. Tim Donges, president of the Quality Deer Management Association’s Bluestem branch, recently spoke out about urgency by decision-makers after hearing the recent reports.

“I was in the meeting in Texas with Darrel Rowledge and he is very concerned about public safety,” Donges said. “Once the first human is thought to have contracted CWD, we could see fallout in the ag market because of food safety concerns. This is becoming a very serious situation. I do not see a way to stop the spread. The U.S. government has bought deer farms contaminated by CWD and are considered contaminated super sites.”

Donges said the government has tried several means of containing the disease, including radiation, burning the soil in furnaces and formaldehyde, with no success.

Spread of CWD

“CWD prion can be moved by wind blowing dust or rain water moving contaminated soil,” Donges stated. “Scavengers such as vultures, crows, coyotes, mice, opossum, etc., can move the prions. I have seen a vulture in Kansas that was tagged by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, it migrated from Venezuela to Marion County, Kan. Deer hunters could move contaminated carcasses from a CWD area such as northwest Kansas to another state or another part of Kansas and spread the disease. Captive deer farmers (could be) moving live infected deer. Prions can come up through plants and other animals or humans could digest it.”

He said he has suggested to the National Deer Alliance that the organization go to Washington, D.C., and lobby for implementation of the “Deer Hunting and Conservation Act,” which would pull in resources from the USFWS, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior to combat the disease.

Twenty-four states now have reported CWD. The population model suggests that some day we will no longer hunt deer species in North America. The best thing hunters can do at this point is to start having their deer tested for CWD prior to consumption in order to protect themselves until we can learn more. We should not be moving carcasses around to other parts of the state or country.

With white-tailed deer hunting seasons across the country ramping up soon there is no better time than now to mention safety, tree stand safety in particular. Have you been prepping for deer hunting all summer long, but safety has yet to cross your mind? Well, it’s ideal that tree stand safety be considered before the start of deer season.

“Each hunting season we see people getting seriously hurt after falling from a tree stand during the archery and gun season,” said Dave Stowe, an official that follows hunting accidents across the US. “A little prep can help avoid most injuries and fatalities experience by our whitetail hunters.”

Taking simple precautions can prevent injuries and ensure that hunters return home safe and sound. Tree stand safety recommendations include:

• Check belts, chains, bolts and attachment cords for damage and wear before use.
• Be sure to select a healthy, straight tree for your tree stand.
• Use a full-body safety harness properly at all times.
• Set up the stand with another person, or at least let someone know where you’re setting up ahead of time.
• Bring an emergency signal device, such as a cell phone or a whistle.
• Never carry anything as you climb — use a haul line to raise and lower equipment.
• Maintain three points of contact when climbing up or down a stand (most falls occur during this time).
• Don’t exceed manufacturer’s maximum height or weight settings.

“Tree stand hunting accidents are for the most part avoidable,” Stowe state. “Each and every hunter should conduct a safety check of their tree stands at the start of every whitetail hunting season.” It’s good advice to take, especially if you plan on hunting next year, and the year after that.