LDWF Reminds Deer Hunters of CWD Control Area Regulations in Northeast Louisiana

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) reminds deer hunters of regulations for the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Control Area in northeast Louisiana, which includes all of Tensas Parish and portions of Madison and Franklin parishes.

The regulations, which apply ONLY to the CWD Control Area, are intended to reduce spread of the disease.

The regulations were initiated in response to a CWD positive detection on Jan. 28, 2022 of an adult buck harvested in Tensas Parish. CWD is a neurodegenerative disease of white-tailed deer and other members of the deer family. The disease is infectious, always fatal in deer and has no known treatment.

The disease can be transmitted from live deer, deer carcasses, or other environmental sources such as plants or soil contaminated from exposure to CWD positive deer or deer carcasses. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) there is no evidence that CWD can infect humans. However, the CDC recommends caution in handling venison in the infected region and that deer be tested for CWD before consuming. CWD positive deer should not be consumed by people.

To learn more about CWD and complete regulations, go to: https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/cwd .

Here is a summary of CWD Control Area regulations:

• All supplemental feeding, including mineral or salt licks, is prohibited within the Franklin, Madison and Tensas Parishes CWD Control Area. The purpose of this feeding ban is to reduce the potential for the spread of CWD through artificial congregation of deer at bait sites.  The supplemental feeding prohibition is restricted to the Chronic Wasting Disease Control Area ONLY.
• The use of approved bait not normally ingested by deer for feral hog trapping will be allowed.
• The export of cervids, cervid carcasses or parts of cervid carcasses originating within the Franklin, Madison and Tensas Parish CWD Control Area is prohibited, except for: meat that is cut and wrapped; meat that has been boned out; quarters or other portions of meat with no part of the spinal column or head attached, antlers, clean skull plates with antlers, cleaned skulls without tissue attached, capes, tanned hides, finished taxidermy mounts and cleaned cervid teeth.

• Export exceptions for taxidermy, which require a permit, have been established. The deer head waiver permit must be completed before moving the deer head outside of the CWD Control Area to a taxidermy business. The permit is available on the LDWF CWD webpage (link above). Additional taxidermy waiver instructions on transport and disposal are available by visiting  https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/assets/Hunting/Deer/Files/Taxidermy-waiver-instructions-CWD-Control-Area.pdf

For more information, contact LDWF Deer Program Manager Johnathan Bordelon at jbordelon@wlf.la.gov