Hunters will be able to harvest mule deer over the winter in an attempt to curb the species’ population, currently believed to be the vector of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).
Seven cases have been confirmed this year near the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border, the province said in a Dec. 15 news release. All confirmed cases were mule deer.
“We’ve got to stop it the best we can, because we can’t go like Saskatchewan,” said Chris Heald, executive director of the Manitoba Wildlife Federation.
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CWD is a contagious, fatal disease that affects members of the deer family (cervids). It’s widespread in Saskatchewan, but the first case was confirmed in Manitoba last year.
This year, the province expanded testing for CWD, requiring hunters in many areas of the province to submit deer heads for testing.
It’s too early to say if the cases indicate the spread of CWD, a provincial spokesperson told the Co-operator in an emailed statement. There are still many samples left to test.
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The province issued mule deer hunting tags for the first time in 2022. Hunters bought more than 6,000 mule deer tags, the spokesperson said.
Heald told the Co-operator that the MWF advocated for expanded mule deer hunting, “Just to protect our whitetails, moose, elk, caribou,” he said.
While the infected mule deer were found in the west, some mule deer have been spotted in eastern parts of the province, Heald said. He’d heard of sightings near St. Andrews and Gimli, he added.
The winter mule deer hunting season runs from Dec. 19 to Feb. 5, 2023 in the same hunting areas as the fall season. Hunters can purchase up to three mule deer licenses per year, with any unused fall tags usable in the winter season.
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Mandatory sample submissions remain in effect in the previously prescribed areas.
Heald said the MWF is advocating for streamlining of tests, including allowing hunters to remove harvested animals’ lymph nodes and submit them for testing instead of taking heads to collection points.
MWF is also asking for a province-wide ban on baiting, as animals may congregate and spread the disease. License-based hunters aren’t allowed to bait, Heald said, but rights-based hunters are. Bird feeders may also be an issue, Heald added.
