Firearm season for deer hunters begins Thursday morning but there may be more than cold temperatures keeping hunters out of the woods.

According to WZZM, 60 deer from 7 different Michigan counties have been found already with chronic wasting disease (CWD). 3 of those counties are right here in West Michigan including Kent, Ionia and Montcalm.

The Department of Natural Resources started a no bait ban for the entire Lower Peninsula to slow the spread of the disease. The DNR are also asking that you bring your deer to testing stations to make sure your kill is not infected. Do not eat any deer meat from an infected animal.

CDW is a major threat to the Michigan's $2.3 billion hunting industry for the state.

The first deer to be found in Michigan with chronic wasting disease happened in Kent County in 2008 when a deer in captivity was found carrying CWD. The first free ranging deer in the Lower Peninsula was found in 2015. Last month the first Upper Peninsula deer tested positive for the disease.

 

More From 97.9 WGRD