CALUMET COUNTY, Wis. (WBAY) – A 2-year baiting and feeding ban in Calumet County will take effect starting Friday, Oct 13, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resource (DNR) and Wisconsin Department of Agriculture announced today.
A deer farm in Outagamie County had a farm-raised deer test positive for the fatal chronic wasting disease (CWD), with the farm being within 10 miles of Calumet, Waupaca, and Winnebago counties.
State law requires a 3-year ban on baiting and feeding in any counties where CWD has been detected, as well as a 2-year ban for any counties within 10 miles of a CWD detection. Any additional cases of CWD during the lifetime of the ban will refresh the length of the ban.
This detection starts a 2-year ban for Calumet County, renews the 3-year ban in Outagamie County, and does not affect the ban in Waupaca and Winnebago counties as their ban is longer than the one that would be put in effect because of this detection.
Baiting or feeding deer encourages them to gather unnaturally, which can spread CWD to healthy deer through contact with the infected deer or their bodily fluids.
The DNR asks deer hunters in the 4 counties to help identify where CWD occurs by testing their deer and properly disposing of deer carcass waste at designated dumpsters, transfer stations, or landfills. A list of designated disposal stations can be found on the DNR’s CWD sampling website.
They also remind hunters that it is illegal to hunt over an area used for legal baiting and feeding until that area has been free of bait or feed for 10 consecutive days.
More information about CWD can be found on the DNR’s CWD website.
