ELDORADO, Wis. — A wild deer in Fond du Lac County has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD), as confirmed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR). An adult doe showed visible signs of disease, and was reported by a local landowner. The identification was made in early October in the town of Eldorado near the border of Winnebago County.
CWD is a fatal infection of the nervous system occurring in animals of the deer family, both wild and in captivity. Sick deer often spread the disease by infecting shared food sources, such as bait piles during hunting season.
In order to slow the spread of the disease, the DNR bans feeding or baiting wild deer in counties where CWD-positive deer have been detected. Winnebago County is also affected by the ban, as the detection took place close to its border with Fond du Lac County. Both counties were already under the baiting ban. This latest incident will renew the ban for another three years in Fond du Lac County and two years in Winnebago County. More information on CWD baiting regulations in Wisconsin can be found on the DNR’s website.
Additionally, the DNR asks all deer hunters within Fond du Lac and Winnebago counties to aid efforts to identify further cases of CWD. Harvested deer can be tested for CWD through the DNR for free. A guide for submitting deer samples can be found on the DNR’s website.
Fond du Lac’s local County Deer Advisory Council and the DNR will hold a joint public meeting on the status of CWD in the county, as well as a response plan, on November 16 at 6 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center.
