The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) is facing new challenges as the unwanted guest, chronic wasting disease (CWD), gatecrashes another county. This time, the uninvited visitor was a road-killed deer in Wayne County, marking the first positive test of CWD for the region, as reported on TN.gov. With Wayne County already within the CWD Management Zone, restrictions on wildlife feeding and carcass transportation have been in effect prior to this development.
Despite this interruption to the ecosystem, the TWRA has not altered deer hunting season dates or regulations, letting the Wayne County hunters breathe a sigh of relief. Meanwhile, those engaged in the hunt can now qualify for the Earn-a-Buck Program, allowing the addition of bucks to their seasonal tally by harvesting and submitting antlerless deer for testing. The initiative not only incentivizes participation, but also embarks on an ambitious surveillance strategy. Hunters who've been proactive this fall, have a head start, as the TWRA is set to grant an earned buck for those who have already submitted antlerless deer for testing.
Moving carcasses within the zone is fine, but once it crosses the invisible walls of the CWD Management Zone, it’s a no-return policy – it can't leave. And for those keen on knowing what qualifies as 'approved parts' for transportation, the list includes deboned meat, antlers on the cleaned skull plates, and a few other select portions of the ex-deer. For the curious, the complete list of acceptable parts for transport can be found on the TWRA's website.
The TWRA is working hand in hand with certified labs, having tested around 8,400 samples this hunting season alone. Hunters fuel the test engines by submitting samples, thereby playing a critical role in the big picture of CWD tracking. As for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, they’ve got more on their plate than monitoring sick deer – they're the guardians of the state's fish and wildlife species.
