Louisiana jumped from zero known cases to 49 in four years, forcing emergency hunting controls. The state’s Department of Wildlife and Fisheries expanded a chronic wasting disease control zone this month after a hunter killed an infected 3½-year-old buck in Concordia Parish in late December, broadening the zone to cover all of Catahoula and Concordia parishes and parts of Avoyelles, LaSalle, Pointe Coupee and Rapides. Officials have barred baiting and feeding in enhanced mitigation zones and tightened rules on moving deer carcass parts to slow prion spread.

State action after new cases Louisiana’s Department of Wildlife and Fisheries declared an emergency this month and broadened its chronic wasting disease control zone after a hunter killed an infected 3½-year-old buck in Concordia Parish in late December. The department expanded the area to cover all of Catahoula and Concordia parishes and parts of Avoyelles, LaSalle, Pointe Coupee and Rapides. Inside so-called enhanced mitigation zones, officials have barred baiting and feeding of deer — a practice that is otherwise legal in Louisiana — to reduce the chance healthy deer are drawn into contaminated areas. Adjacent buffer zones face restrictions on baiting and feeding. The state is also limiting the movement of certain carcass parts, like heads and nervous-system tissue, out of the control area to limit prion spread. The move follows a multi-year buildup: Louisiana recorded no identified cases four years ago and now lists 49 in that concentrated region. The new control measures change how hunters can legally pursue deer and what parts of an animal they can transport. Nationwide scope and public-health guidance Chronic wasting disease has been detected in 33 states, appearing in wild deer, elk and moose. Indiana reported its first detection this month when a hunter’s white-tailed deer tested positive after being taken in LaGrange County. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says CWD is caused by abnormal proteins called prions and is always fatal in affected animals. The CDC notes it is not known whether CWD can infect humans, and advises hunters to avoid eating animals that test positive, wear gloves when handling carcasses, limit handling of organs, and follow state testing guidance before consuming meat. What changes for hunters and processors Those controls and CDC guidance alter practices in ways that have financial consequences: - Hunters: New limits on baiting and feeding in affected areas; requests to submit carcasses for testing before consuming meat add time and potential cost to field-dressing and processing routines. - Meat processors and taxidermists: May need to refuse certain carcass parts, require testing, adopt sterilization and disposal protocols, or decline work from control zones, which can reduce throughput and increase operating costs. - Venison market: CDC precautionary guidance reduces the usable supply of venison in areas with confirmed cases and can affect consumer confidence in venison sourced from affected regions. State budgets and agency work Expanding control zones and enforcing bans requires staff time, testing kits and logistics. Louisiana’s emergency declaration extends surveillance and enforcement into more parishes. That means wildlife agencies are reallocating staff and testing resources to expanded surveillance, enforcement and public outreach, which can increase agency workloads and strain budgets. (Reporting note: guidance and actions cited above come from state wildlife officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.)

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The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said it has banned baiting and feeding in enhanced mitigation zones and restricted carcass-part movement following 49 confirmed cases concentrated in Catahoula and Concordia parishes.

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