CHAMPAIGN, Ill., 4/3/24: Despite the increase in cases of chronic wasting disease in Illinois deer, hunters in recent years have gained trust in agency actions and are more positive about the use of sharpshooting to control the disease, according to a survey of hunters conducted at the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) at the Prairie Research Institute.
Surveys of randomly selected hunting permit holders were conducted in 2012 and again in 2022, which was the 20th anniversary that chronic wasting disease (CWD) was first found in Illinois. Craig Miller, INHS principal investigator, examined hunters’ perceptions of risk for deer and for humans who consume venison and trust in the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), the agency that manages the disease, often by sharpshooting deer on private lands. Miller compared hunters’ beliefs and attitudes in both years to learn how these have changed over time.
The occurrence of CWD cases in deer is expanding, as the disease was found in 10 Illinois counties in 2012 and 19 counties in 2022. The disease is transmissible and fatal for deer. There is no known risk for humans who consume venison, but the health effects are not completely certain.
Miller found that hunters’ perceptions of risk of CWD to both deer and humans have dropped slightly over the years.
“The disease is no longer news, and people just don’t see the risk anymore,” Miller said. “The longer the disease is around, and the more people hear about it, the more it becomes background noise.”
Survey findings also showed that hunters in the 2022 survey were more likely to trust IDNR in making good management decisions regarding CWD and to properly address the disease in Illinois. IDNR surveillance efforts have remained the same, but the program has expanded to more locations, Miller said.
When hunters trust the IDNR’s program, they’re likely more cooperative.
“The public needs to know if deer are sick, and the IDNR can’t do it themselves,” Miller said.
He explained that IDNR needs the hunters to bring in harvested deer for testing, they need landowners to allow the agency staff on their land, and they need help with surveillance when deer populations are large and animals are acting strangely, possibly indicating evidence of CWD.
In 2022, hunters supported IDNR’s efforts to increase the deer harvest, holding special hunts to reduce CWD, and testing deer in counties where CWD has not been found. In short, the 2022 hunters believed IDNR should use all means necessary to manage the disease. In 2012, in contrast, hunters believed they could do a better job controlling CWD themselves.
One method, sharpshooting, was very controversial in 2012. In that year, opposition reached the governor’s office, and the program was threatened.
“As hunters became more familiar over time with the practice of sharpshooting, they had less opposition to it,” Miller said. “In 2012, it wasn’t that they thought IDNR wasn’t doing a good job, but some hunters felt that they should be the ones harvesting deer, and not the sharpshooters.”
Much of the sharpshooting takes place on private lands, so hunters would not have access to those deer anyway.
Miller said hunters still need more education about CWD. Hunters who quit the tradition of hunting because of CWD can affect the economic stability of rural communities that depend on hunting and bring in less revenue to support wildlife agencies.
The study was published in the journal “Human Dimensions of Wildlife.” Miller is a national expert on CWD and has authored or coauthored most articles on CWD in the academic literature.
Media Contact: Craig Miller, 217-244-0691, craigm@illinois.edu