Bait and Feeding Bans for Washburn, Barron, Rusk, and Sawyer counties

Due to the presence of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) found in a farm-raised deer in Washburn County, the Wisconsin DNR is enacting a baiting and feeding ban in Washburn, Barron, Rusk, and Sawyer counties. This baiting and feeding ban goes into effect Thursday, October 5th.

State law requires that the DNR enact a three-year baiting and feeding ban in counties where CWD has been detected and a two-year ban in adjoining counties within 10 miles of a CWD detection.

It is illegal to hunt over an area previously used for legal baiting and feeding until that area is completely free of bait or feed for 10 consecutive days.

More information regarding baiting and feeding regulations is available on the DNR website.

The reasoning behind this ban is that baiting or feeding deer encourages them to come together unnaturally for the shared food source. This can cause infected deer to spread CWD to healthy deer by contact, or by leaving behind infectious prions in their saliva, blood, feces, and urine.

The DNR asks deer hunters to help with efforts to identify where CWD happens by having their deer tested for the disease. CWD samples are essential for tracking the disease across the state.

Hunters are also encouraged to properly dispose of deer carcass waste by locating a designated dumpster, transfer station, or landfill loaction near you on the DNR website. Proper disposal helps slow the spread of CWD by removing potentially infected deer carcasses from the landscape.