Michael W. Miller, Jonathan P. Runge, A. Andrew Holland, and Matthew D. Eckert (2020). Hunting Pressure Modulates Prion Infection Risk in Mule Deer Herds. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 56(4).

Study Highlights:

Across 12 areas in Colorado studied between 2002-2018, those with the largest declines in annual hunting license numbers showed the largest increases in the proportion of infected adult (2–yr-old) male deer.

The mean number of licenses issued in the 2 yr prior best explained observed patterns: increasing licenses lowered subsequent risk of harvesting an infected deer, and decreasing licenses increased that risk.

Findings suggest that harvesting mule deer with sufficient hunting pressure may help control chronic wasting disease.