Ohio hunters face mandatory testing as Chronic Wasting Disease spreads

Ohio wildlife officials are intensifying surveillance for Chronic Wasting Disease, a prion-based illness that officials say will likely expand across the state. Clint McCoy, the deer program administrator for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, stated that the disease has never been contained once detected in a specific region.

Starting with the gun season later this month, hunters must submit all deer harvested in four Western Ohio counties for testing. The surveillance zone also includes portions of five additional counties. McCoy listed Allen, Harden, Marion, and Wyandot counties as fully covered. The partial coverage extends to Crawford, Morrow, Delaware, Union, and Hancock counties.

The disease is caused by an aberrant protein fragment known as a prion that lodges in the brain. It spreads through contact with infected animals or via contaminated soil, water, and plants. McCoy noted that prions can remain in the soil for years, making eradication difficult once the disease is established.

CWD is fatal but progresses slowly. An infected deer may take up to 18 months to die, allowing it to spread the prion to the surrounding herd during that period. Hunters are advised not to eat infected deer, though it remains unknown whether the prion can infect humans.

Officials are simultaneously tracking Hemorrhagic Disease, a viral threat spread by tiny midges. This virus devastated deer populations in parts of southern Ohio last year. This year, it affected areas in northern Ohio, including Lorain and Portage counties.

McCoy explained that the long-term impact of Hemorrhagic Disease is limited because surviving deer build up antibodies. Warmer weather associated with climate change favors midge populations, contributing to the spread of this virus. Citizens are encouraged to report dead or sick deer to help track the spread.

Approximately 220,000 deer are harvested in Ohio each year. McCoy described the two diseases as distinct challenges, with Hemorrhagic Disease posing a short-term threat and CWD presenting a long-term population risk.