If that picture Swamp posted is an indication of CWD then it’s been around since I started deer hunting in 1978 because I see at least one deer like that every year.
And I stand by my statement if it takes 18-24 months to show symptoms, then we’ve All potentially eaten a deer with CWD. Any deer within the last 2 years could’ve had it and no one knows unless every deer shot/processed in the US was tested.
I’m also with the agreement if it’s been around since the 60’s then we shouldn’t have a deer left on this planet.
CWD has likely been here for decades....or longer. Yes...we've probably all eaten a positive deer. Many deer in our lifetime could've had it and we've ate them. We've all seen deer like the one pictured above from Berrien County, Ga.
A lot of factors come into play here.
1) how long has it been here? Since Georgia restocked in the 50s & 60s? Has it always been in the environment?
2) takes repeated exposure for deer to contract it so how about humans? The meat has less prions, but..?
3) some deer show symptoms sooner than others....maybe others have not had enough exposure yet? Maybe a genetic resistance? Is that deer that has it but not showing symptoms spreading it longer...yep!
4) other ailments have similar physical symptoms to CWD. What's ailing that deer? Must test to know for sure.
5) CWD hasn't spread much in our lifetime.....testing for CWD has expanded greatly.
6) due to other mortality factors, in addition to hunting, prevalence may inadvertently have been kept low in any given area.
7) where prevalence is high...these are the areas where infected deer(showing symptoms) will more than likely be observed.
8) low prevalence areas = less likely to see a "CWD sick" deer.
This is a complex mess guys! You cant look at this with a simple mind, thinking of a simple fix or denying there is a problem. The problem might not be affecting us today, but think and look into the future. Your grandkids or great-grandkids gonna have quality deer hunting like we've had?
Shouldn't be in denial just because you aint seeing any problem with this today. There are yet a lot of unknowns and you're witnessing agencies scrambling with these unknowns.
If you're OK with what you see today....then so be it. It likely won't always be like this