CWD-positive Kewaskum deer farm linked to Bayfield County concerns

Residents, zoning committee had opposed creation of preserve

Captive deer facilities more than 300 miles apart in Wisconsin were placed under quarantine March 7 after chronic wasting disease was found in a whitetailed buck in the source herd, according to state agriculture officials.

The buck was sampled for CWD on Feb. 18 after it was found dead at Tamarack Elk and Deer Farm in Kewaskum.

It apparently died from injuries suffered in a fight with other animals at the 15-acre facility, according to the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

Subsequent testing showed the deer had CWD, the first such finding in Washington County.

The gravity of the news was felt far beyond southeastern Wisconsin.

A fenced 385-acre property called Copper Hills in northwestern Wisconsin’s Bayfield County, where local officials had attempted to prevent a shooting preserve from being established, was simultaneously placed under quarantine.

Both the Bayfield and Washington county facilities are owned by Dirk and Jane Stolz of Kewaskum.

The Stolzes transferred 22 deer in December and January from Tamarack Elk and Deer Farm to Copper Hills, according to DATCP.

Due to concerns the deadly deer disease could have been transported along with the live animals, DATCP placed a quarantine on the northwestern Wisconsin property, too.

The order prevents animals from being moved off the premises.

Bayfield County officials moved last week to force swifter action. On Friday, they issued a cease-and-desist order that requires the Stolzes within 15 days to remove the animals from the property — dead or alive — or confine them to the portion zoned agricultural.

A single 10-foot-high fence now surrounds the property, which includes an interior block zoned agricultural. The deer are now free to roam throughout.

Further, Bayfield County officials requested the DATCP depopulate the herd at Copper Hills.

The state agency, however, said it wouldn’t make any decisions on the disposition of animals at either of the facilities until it completes epidemiological evaluations.

Chronic wasting disease, a fatal disease found in the deer family, has been detected in 29 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties, including at 19 captive cervid facilities.

It has not been found in Bayfield County. Studies in western states, where the disease has been present since the 1960s, have shown CWD can cause population declines in wild deer and elk herds.

The recent Wisconsin news highlights the risks associated with shipment of deer between captive facilities, as well as the limitations of local officials who wish to prevent CWD from being introduced to their areas.

An application by the Stolzes to establish a shooting preserve on their Bayfield County property was denied by the Town of Oulu in April 2016. The local officials said it wasn’t consistent with their land use plan, which is forestry.

The Bayfield County Planning and Zoning Committee held a public hearing in November 2016 to consider the Stolzes’ application. After listening to testimony, including 15 local residents opposed to the deer farm, the committee voted 4 to 1 to uphold the town’s decision and deny the necessary permits.