Deer season is underway in Wisconsin, and that means chronic wasting disease is again part of the conversation in Green County. The disease has been found here for years, and its presence affects not only how hunters pursue deer, but also whether people may feed deer in their yards.

Chronic wasting disease, usually shortened to CWD, is a fatal disease that attacks the nervous system of deer, elk, moose and caribou. It is caused by an abnormal protein called a prion. Infected animals can spread those prions through saliva, urine, feces and blood, and the prions can remain in the environment for a long time.

That is why Wisconsin restricts baiting and feeding deer in counties affected by CWD. Baiting means putting out food, minerals, salt or other material to attract deer for hunting. Feeding means putting out material to attract or feed wild deer for other reasons. Both can bring deer together in one place, making it easier for an infected animal to spread CWD to others.