The Wisconsin Dept. of Health Services recommended that hunters wear masks when indoors with other people during hunting season or when handling white-tailed deer carcasses that may carry the coronavirus.
Two separate studies found that deer in Iowa and Ohio tested positive for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 in people (CSN, Nov 2021).
Gathering unmasked indoors before and after hunting can also increase the risk of spreading COVID-19, state health officials said.
“We encourage hunters to follow good hygiene practices when processing their deer and to follow the COVID-19 recommendations outlined above to help protect themselves, others and wildlife,” state health services said on its website.
There’s no evidence that wildlife, including white-tailed deer, are a source of COVID-19 illness in people or that people can get infected by eating deer meat, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
patch.com, Milwaukee