Clark County's landscape, typically bustling with deer feeders, is about to see some mandated change on Saturday. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), following notification from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) of a farm-raised deer testing positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Eau Claire County, is imposing a new ban on baiting and feeding. The recent case was found dangerously close to the borders of neighboring Clark and Jackson counties, thus triggering a preventative response. This official statement on the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources website brings attention to a wider issue impacting the area's wildlife management practices.
State law is clear on the matter, requiring the DNR to enforce a three-year baiting and feeding ban in counties where CWD has been found, and a two-year ban in adjoining counties within 10 miles of such a detection. Starting from the initial discovery of an infected deer, Clark County will undertake a two-year ban starting on the first of March. Adding to the complexity, the infected deer, amidst a shared food source, can transmit the dreaded disease by simply coming into contact with healthy deer or contaminating the area with infectious prions through their saliva, blood, feces, or urine.
While the new regulations take hold in Clark County, the neighboring Eau Claire and Jackson counties are not subject to change due to their own ongoing bans. These measures were already set in motion due to previous wild detections of CWD within each county's respective borders. The announcement underscores that new cases of CWD found during an active ban can restart the clock, extending bans for additional years, aiming to halt the spread of the disease to healthy deer populations.
