DNR says CWD shouldn’t be a concern

An official with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources says deer hunters don’t have to worry about Chronic Wasting Disease as they hit the fields this weekend. The early muzzleloader season kicks off the deer hunt beginning Saturday in Iowa. D-N-R Wildlife Bureau Chief, Richard Bishop, says some reports have overblown the concern about the disease that infects deer. While it has been a problem in other states, Bishop says Chronic Wasting Disease hasn’t even shown up in Iowa. He says there’s no evidence that C-W-D has infected Iowa deer, and they’re going to be testing just to be sure. Bishop has this advice for those who’re still worried.Bishop says hunters with concerns should wear rubber gloves and avoid the brain and spinal column of the deer. Bishop says they expect the total deer take this year to approach last year’s record of 136-thousand.He says the deer population is steady, and is higher in some spots where they’re not hunted. Bishop says they’ll issue 75-hundred licenses for the early muzzleloader season which runs through October 20th. The first shotgun deer season opens December 7th.