Deer population in southern Sask. continues to drop

Farmers say deer are becoming scarce, partly due to chronic wasting disease — a fatal illness similar to mad cow and Creutzfeldt-Jak. Damian Smith reports.

The deer population in Saskatchewan has dropped over 50 percent since 2021, caused by harsher winters and the presence of chronic wasting disease (CWD).

CWD is a neurological disease, which leads to weight loss, poor coordination, and eventual death in cervid populations.

“It’s similar to mad cow disease, in bovine herds, or Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans,” said Todd Smith, the executive director of the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation. “It’s a prion and is a misshapen protein that once infected, it gets into the nervous system. If you could paint a picture, it would be like making Swiss cheese out of the brain.”

Of Saskatchewan’s 83 wildlife management zones, CWD has been found in 62 regions, with the most prevalent areas in the southwest and central parts of the province.

“Once an animal is infected, there’s no cure for it. It’s 100 per cent fatal, so once they’re infected, it’s a matter of time before the deer population or the deer that is infected, eventually succumbs to the illness.”

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Smith also noted that some deer were lost due to vehicle accidents.

In the 2024-25 year, the Government of Saskatchewan received 2,258 submissions to the CWD Hunter Surveillance Program. Of those, 386 were positive cases, including 259 mule deer, 133 white tailed deer, 12 elk, and two moose.

Reports of CWD to the Hunter Surveillance Program have dropped this year, but Smith said the winters in 2022 and 2023 were too severe for the deer.

It’s a similar situation to around 12 years ago. According to Smith, experts found that it takes multiple mild winters to rebuild the deer population.

“We had a series of three or four really hard winters where we had late snows and freeze thaw cycles,” he said. “Those are always hard on the deer population. After that, it took about 10 years to rebuild.”

The Ministry of Environment says no human cases of CWD have ever been found, although hunters are advised to not consume any meat until the animal’s head has been sent in and tested.