Since confirming more than 50 cases of chronic wasting disease in the state of Arkansas, the Game and Fish Commission has stated that they expect to experience a decrease in deer hunters across the state this fall.
“Realistically, we could see a slight downturn in hunting license sales,” Brad Carner, a spokesman for the Commission told 5 News Online.
While the disease has been proven not communicable to humans, Carner states that the public is still fearful of consuming any deer meat, in light of the recent findings. Despite the public fear, the commission believes that most hunters can and should be able to identify the differences between a healthy deer and one that might be infected.
“If the animal appears to be healthy, even if it is from that infected area, I wouldn’t have any concerns with eating that animal. I wouldn’t necessarily need to test it,” stated Carner.
