Illinois DNR has confirmed that CWD has been found within that state. University of Iowa conducting extensive tests to determine if CWD from wild deer can jump species to cattle.
There is a strong concern that these prions, or abnormal proteins, could remain latent in their potential human host for 10, 20, 30 years. Hopefully the knowledge we have about mad cow and scrappie (sheep) can help.
I love hunting. About 10 years ago I gave up waterfowl hunting after we bought a boat. Could not eat the ducks or geese after seeing the water conditions in my home region. Since I don't have a bird dog, my upland hunting was limited to grouse.
Which worked out perfect. Chasing bear, deer, grouse make for great times. Well, bear tags are earned through a lottery system. So that meant deer and grouse every year. And once in a while chasing bears!
Three years ago I bought 90 acres that backs up to several sections of county forest. Whitetails, grouse, and a bonus - turkeys! Put up a 24x24 shack with a loft. Life was great.
This year, grouse populations are near the bottom of their population cycle. No bear "harvest permit." Can't get excited about whitetails this year. Hopefully, CWD gets corked before it's all the way out of the bottle.