After a positive CWD result at a deer farm in Washburn County, baiting and feeding bans are going into effect in Washburn, Barron, Rusk and Sawyer counties on Oct. 5.
The positive result is within 10 miles of the Barron, Rusk and Sawyer county borders. State law requires the DNR enact a three-year baiting and feeding ban in counties with CWD. It requires DNR enact a two-year ban in adjoining counties within 10 miles of a CWD detection.
- Washburn will begin a three-year baiting and feeding ban on Oct. 5
- Barron, Rusk and Sawyer counties will all begin a two-year baiting and feeding ban on Oct. 5
It is illegal to hunt over an area previously used for legal baiting and feeding until that area is completely free of bait or feed for 10 consecutive days.
Baiting or feeding deer encourages them to congregate unnaturally around a shared food source. There, infected deer can spread CWD through direct contact with healthy deer or by leaving behind infectious prions in their saliva, blood, feces and urine.
The DNR asks deer hunters in Washburn, Barron, Rusk and Sawyer counties to test their deer for the disease. The collection of CWD samples is essential for assessing the presence of CWD in the deer population across the state.
In addition to submitting samples for CWD testing, hunters are also encouraged to properly dispose of deer carcass waste by locating a designated dumpster, transfer station or landfill location near you on the DNR website: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/WildlifeHabitat/registersample
