Two United States Congressmen, Ron Kind-WI and Glenn Thompson-PA, introduced a bipartisan bill that calls for research and to manage the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).

The bill would authorize $70 million annually from 2022 through 2028 (7 years) for research and management of CWD, with the money to be split evenly between research and management.

There is no known cure for CWD, and it is still unclear how the disease is transmitted. As of August 2021, CWD has been detected in 25 states, and there are serious concerns that CWD will continue to spread across the country.

Congressman Thompson said, “CWD has been a big problem for the deer populations of Pennsylvania and additional cervid animals such as elk and moose throughout the country.” Congressman Kind added, “As a avid hunter, I know how important it is to maintain a healthy deer herd in Wisconsin so we can protect our outdoor traditions and our economy.”

The authorized funds would be spent on: 1. Methods to effectively detect CWD in live cervids and the environment. 2. Testing methods on non-live cervids. 3. Genetic resistance to CWD. 4. Sustainable cervid harvest management practices to reduce CWD occurrence. 5. Factors contributing to local emergence. 6. Areas with the highest incidence of CWD, jurisdictions demonstrating the greatest financial commitment to managing, monitoring, surveying, and researching CWD. 7. Efforts to develop comprehensive policies and programs focused on CWD management. 8. Areas showing the greatest risk of an initial occurrence of CWD. 9. Areas responding to new outbreaks of CWD.

National Deer Association President Nick Pinizzotto said, “Chronic Wasting Disease is not only a significant threat to deer, elk and moose, it’s a threat to the management of all wildlife that is supported by the pursuit of these impacted species by hunters.”

This package bill currently passed the House of Agriculture Committee with a unanimous vote and hopefully will get through congress and the president.

PA’s Firearms Deer Season!

PA’s upcoming firearms deer season is set to take place on Saturday, November 27 to December 11. It features abundant whitetails and increased flexibility in when and where hunters can harvest them, and excitement is high for what this year might bring.

Pennsylvania ranked second in the nation in buck harvest per square mile, trailing only Michigan. It produced almost three times as many bucks per square mile than any other state in the Northeast.

Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans said, “It truly is an exciting time to be a deer hunter, they have the opportunity to pursue large-racked bucks in numbers unlike anything we’ve seen in more than a century. Folks now have the opportunity to make some wonderful memories.”

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving Day!