Only took 23 years

[Nick87]

CWD Update Spring 2026

This year, chronic wasting disease (CWD) was detected in the state’s deer herd in three new counties: Effingham, Scott, and Stark. Effingham and Scott join Adams County as the first documented cases outside of the leading edge of the northern Illinois CWD endemic region, resulting in 28 counties...

dnr.illinois.gov

I know this doesn't effect too many here but it does a handful of us. Bout $*)Q!#@$ time! Of course I'm a little leery of what's next. I doubt were out of the woods yet. Could very well be a whole new level of stupidity coming. But for now im hoping to chalk this up as a win. @Dave N @buckbull @TheGreek.

 

[TheGreek]

I saw that. I didn’t realize that CWD had been detected in Adams County in the Golden Triangle. That’s really disappointing to hear.

 

[Sask hunter]

Tell you one thing can’t shoot your way out of CWD. Sask has been trying for 20 years

 

[Nick87]

Tell you one thing can’t shoot your way out of CWD. Sask has been trying for 20 years

Your just not shooting enough, if theres anything left.

 

[rookieforever33]

Part of the problem is how they culled. Over a big pile of corn which is what they say spreads it fastest. Impossible to kill every deer that ate of off it. Some areas were semi suburban forest preseves where people would have paid high dollars to bow hunt. Instead dnr paid "sharp shooters" to go in for rifles. Claimed it was safer that way.

 

[Sask hunter]

Your just not shooting enough, if theres anything left.

lol between CWD winters drought predators and whatever else affects deer mulie numbers now compared to when I was a kid makes me not even want to apply for a mulie tag u tip things get figured out. I’m ok with less deer but this ain’t Montana I’m not shooting a 140 mulie lol

 

[brocksw]

Tell you one thing can’t shoot your way out of CWD. Sask has been trying for 20 years

What was the last year SK tried culling deer in Sask?

 

[brocksw]

lol between CWD winters drought predators and whatever else affects deer mulie numbers now compared to when I was a kid makes me not even want to apply for a mulie tag u tip things get figured out. I’m ok with less deer but this ain’t Montana I’m not shooting a 140 mulie lol

SK didn’t have winter, drought, or predators when you were a kid? What year did those things start happening in SK?

 

[Nick87]

Part of the problem is how they culled. Over a big pile of corn which is what they say spreads it fastest.

That was always my biggest problem. We all have been told (and I do believe it) that baiting is the fastest way to spread cwd. So how do they collect samples? Over bait piles. Really hard to put any faith in that sort of logic.

 

[brocksw]

CWD Update Spring 2026

This year, chronic wasting disease (CWD) was detected in the state’s deer herd in three new counties: Effingham, Scott, and Stark. Effingham and Scott join Adams County as the first documented cases outside of the leading edge of the northern Illinois CWD endemic region, resulting in 28 counties...

dnr.illinois.gov

I know this doesn't effect too many here but it does a handful of us. Bout $*)Q!#@$ time! Of course I'm a little leery of what's next. I doubt were out of the woods yet. Could very well be a whole new level of stupidity coming. But for now im hoping to chalk this up as a win. @Dave N @buckbull @TheGreek.

How many deer has Illinois culled since they started doing so?

 

[Nick87]

How many deer has Illinois culled since they started doing so?

You mean just the state shooting them or how many through additional seasons and don't sharpshooter combined?

 

[brocksw]

You mean just the state shooting them or how many through additional seasons and don't sharpshooter combined?

Illinois has a culling program that they’ve been operating since I believe 2003. I’m curious if you know how many deer have been culled since then.

I ask because around social media there is a sentiment that Illinois has culled, through their culling program, hundreds of thousands of deer and completely destroyed the deer herd. If that was indeed the case, I could understand why hunters would be upset. However, I don’t think they’ve culled as many deer as the CWD denier crowd would lead one to believe.

 

[Nick87]

Illinois has a culling program that they’ve been operating since I believe 2003. I’m curious if you know how many deer have been culled since then.

I ask because around social media there is a sentiment that Illinois has culled, through their culling program, hundreds of thousands of deer and completely destroyed the deer herd. If that was indeed the case, I could understand why hunters would be upset. However, I don’t think they’ve culled as many deer as the CWD denier crowd would lead one to believe.

Several hundred like 800 averaged I think annualy (dont qoute me on that) that does not include the number however of additional seasons for CWD and additional tag allotment for existing seasons. Which is a direct effect imo. My problem with it is to come out and admit baiting is the worst way to spread it (Im in no way in favor of baiting for hunting btw). Then bait for deer all winter in order to take samples. All the extra tags and seasons and none of the sampling is mandatory. We kill more than enough deer for them to get the amount of samples they want every year. Why not just take samples from the already dead deer. Doesn't build a lot of trust for me.

 

[Dave N]

I imagine there is less of the folks mad about them killing X amount of deer and more mad about hunters not being able to do it.

 

[Nick87]

I wouldn't say they decimated the herd in the entire northern part for the state. They did however decimate it for some time in certain areas within that zone. Especailly early on in the program. There were areas(several square miles where you couldnt even find a deer track. Where deer had been pretty ample prior. ) Observed that personally.

 

[brocksw]

Several hundred like 800 averaged I think annualy (dont qoute me on that) that does not include the number however of additional seasons for CWD and additional tag allotment for existing seasons. Which is a direct effect imo. My problem with it is to come out and admit baiting is the worst way to spread it (Im in no way in favor of baiting for hunting btw). Then bait for deer all winter in order to take samples. All the extra tags and seasons and none of the sampling is mandatory. We kill more than enough deer for them to get the amount of samples they want every year. Why not just take samples from the already dead deer. Doesn't build a lot of trust for me.

The most current number available (without digging too deep) is 14,661 culled (cumulatively) from 2003-2020.

Source:

Evaluating the ability of a locally focused culling program in removing chronic wasting disease infected free‐ranging white‐tailed deer in Illinois, USA, 2003–2020 - PMC

In northern Illinois, chronic wasting disease (CWD) was first identified in free‐ranging white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus; hereafter referred to as “deer”) in 2002. To reduce CWD transmission rates in Illinois, wildlife biologists have ...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

However, current estimates have the Illinois deer population estimated at 600,000-700,000 as of 2024.

Deer friendly gives a brief summary of historical populations. Which indicates a fairly stable population over time. Which, given the amount of culling recorded and the low prevalence of CWD, would make sense that there hasn’t been any major fluctuations due to either mortality factors I mentioned.

Deer Friendly - Illinois

Illinois Deer Population: Based on hunting data about 730,000 whitetail deer in 2024, up from 680,000 in 2022 and 640,000 deer in 2021. A nearly stable population from 2013 to 2021 of around 640,000 to 690,000 deer following a large decline after an EHD outbreak in 2012 when the population was

www.deerfriendly.com

Harvest data remains fairly stable as well over that same time period and then some.

https://dnr.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/dnr/education/documents/illinoisdeerharvest.pdf

 

[brocksw]

There were areas(several square miles where you couldnt even find a deer track. Where deer had been pretty ample prior. ) Observed that personally.

This is exactly what folks report in SW Wisconsin. Except it’s not from culling(they haven’t culled in 20 years), it’s from CWD. Some small pockets heavily impacted by disease, have low deer numbers and lower deer quality, but move over a couple miles and deer numbers seem fine.

 

[brocksw]

I agree with this decision by Illinois. As I’ve stated before on this forum, Culling/population reduction has a shelf life when it comes to slowing growth in prevalence. I think the Illinois data has shown quite clearly that they’ve been effective at slowing that growth in prevalence. When compared to SW Wisconsin, literally just across the border, there is a significant difference in disease prevalence over an identical amount of time.

But I also agree that after 20+ years, its effectiveness is wearing off. Combine that with social and political pressures and the juice isn’t worth the squeeze anymore.

I predict prevalence will continue to climb and it will likely end up in a spot very similar to where SW Wisconsin is now.

 

[Nick87]

This is exactly what folks report in SW Wisconsin. Except it’s not from culling(they haven’t culled in 20 years),

We have.

 

[Nick87]

The most current number available (without digging too deep) is 14,661 culled (cumulatively) from 2003-2020.

That'd be pretty close to the 800 number I guess.