Episode 834: Exposing the Money Behind the CWD Myth

What this episode covers

“Chronic Wasting Disease is going to wipe out whitetail herds”! We’ve all heard the jargon put forth by popular NGOs as well as many of our state wildlife governing agencies. But after 18 years of doing this, I (as well as you) am still waiting for the great CWD die off in a whitetail herd. Take Wisconsin for example, the state with the highest CWD detection rate in the country, yet they have a deer population that keeps growing, and growing to the point that the Wisconsin DNR keeps issuing more and more deer tags to hunters in an attempt to limit population growth. So how is that possible? How can the population keep expanding if the whitetail deer boogeyman (CWD) is killing them all off? The answer to that rhetorical question, of course, is that CWD isn’t affecting their whitetail herd whatsoever. That reality holds true in every other state with positive CWD tests as well. This week, we are joined by a man who’s studied up on the numbers far more than I have. Stephen Ziegler of the popular Rack Junkies Facebook page and co-owner of Delong Lures has not only looked at deer population numbers, but more importantly he’s done the investigative digging on why the CWD narrative continues to be pushed on not only hunters, but also the non-hunting public. He must have uncovered some uncomfortable truth because the National Deer Association blocked not only Rack Junkies, but also his personal profile after Stephen posted what the CEO makes annually and how much tax-payer grant money they get for “CWD Research”. In addition to uncovering the greatest hunting hoax of our generation, we also dive into some other discussion points including: * How did he end up acquiring Delong Lures? * Who should be held responsible for caribou dying off in the Lower 48? * Hunting NGOs he’s found to be on the up and up financially vs those that aren’t * Bucketlist Florida hunting/fishing trip * Nick Shirley of the outdoor community * Corner crossing * What is Public Land intended for? Should hunters be the only beneficiaries? * State wildlife agencies on the take for CWD grant money * National Deer Association drops 97% of their member base, CEO Nick Pinazotto’s salary goes up! * Trump’s actual legacy when it comes to sportsmen

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