Walker Dismisses Criticism Of His Handling Of CWD Among Wisconsin’s Deer Herd

Gov. Scott Walker is pushing back against critics who say his newest plan to combat chronic wasting disease in the state’s deer herd is too little too late.

The governor dismissed editorials claiming that he isn’t doing enough to stop the spread of the deadly cervid brain disease. He said Wisconsin has already studied CWD more than other states.

“We’ve tested more deer than any state in the nation. So, we’re out in front of this. Is there more we can do? Yeah, we laid out a whole number of proposals, some of which that came from that meeting with a couple of the lawmakers,” said Walker.

But the governor said he won’t support things like culling the deer herd or banning baiting or feeding.

“What we won’t do is make it harder to hunt. We’re not going to take away from the hunting experience. Some of the things some have suggested would make it more difficult to hunt in the state of Wisconsin,” said Walker.

Democratic Assemblyman Chris Danou, who sent the governor a letter urging more to be done about CWD, said he’s optimistic about increased inspections of deer farm fencing, but he questions whether the DNR will hire more staff to do it.