With Thanksgiving only days away and the smell of turkey lingering in the air, Wisconsin residents celebrated another holiday Saturday — opening day of deer hunting season.

While many students flocked home for the season’s start, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reminded hunters that chronic wasting disease (CWD) is still a problem in Wisconsin and shouldn’t be ignored.

According to the department, CWD is a fatal nervous system disease known to naturally infect white-tailed deer, mule deer, moose and elk. It is a distinct disease, affecting only members of the deer family, and has been found in 11 states, but is very prevalent in southern Wisconsin.

Alan Crossley, CWD project leader for the DNR, works to fight the disease.

“CWD is a threat to the white-tailed deer population in Wisconsin. The DNR is working to keep the population down, as a high population would be more prone to spreading disease,” Crossley said. “Hunters are the main source of population control in terms of deer, so we need to work closely with the hunting community on population control so that we can sustain the quality hunting that exists in Wisconsin.”

For hunters like University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee junior Craig Erickson, population control is a specialty. Erickson has been hunting with his dad since he was 4 or 5 and continues the tradition every year. Erickson said his family has 13 tags for the season and every year they have come out of opening day with at least five deer.

While the area Erickson hunts in around Adams County is not part of the CWD zone, he said he remembers having to test deer heads a couple years ago.

And testing continues to be important for areas infected with the disease in southern Wisconsin, whether the deer is a buck or doe.

“We need hunters to bring their deer into the designated DNR stations for testing so we can compile a large amount of tests. A greater number of tests allow for a larger sample size which in turn creates great accuracy on estimates regarding all aspects of CWD,” Crossley said.

Regardless of where hunters are located in the state, it is important to bring in the deer by 5 p.m. the day after it was shot.

It is all part of an effort to control CWD and making hunters aware of its effect on Wisconsin. Although this disease is concentrated in southern Wisconsin, DNR officials advocate that it must be called to attention so that disease doesn’t spread.

The DNR has divided Wisconsin’s internal boundaries up as either the Disease Eradication Zone, or the Herd Reduction Zone, which is the majority of the state’s total hunting area. These two designated areas allow for the DNR and hunters to see geographically where the majority of CWD is located in the state.

With steps to prevent the disease, the DNR encourages hunters to take part in the wonderful hunting that Wisconsin has to offer and to respect the designated zones and testing requirements so that hunting in Wisconsin will continue to prosper. Then hunters like Erickson and many others can continue to enjoy the Wisconsin hunting tradition for years to come.

The DNR requests that all hunters visit its Web site for common hunting periods, rules and regulations.

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