By Wisconsin DNR, Northwest Region

EAU CLAIRE — A ban on baiting deer for hunting and feeding deer for recreational viewing or other purposes in Eau Claire, Jackson, and Clark counties will take effect Aug. 1 due to the discovery of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in a captive white-tailed deer on private land in Eau Claire County.

Eau Claire, Jackson, and Clark counties are within a 10-mile radius of the Eau Claire County property on which a CWD-positive deer was found. State law requires that counties or portions of counties within a 10-mile radius of a game farm or free-ranging CWD-positive are included in the baiting and feeding prohibition. As of Aug. 1, baiting and feeding of deer will be prohibited in 38 Wisconsin counties.

Individuals can still feed birds and small mammals, provided the feeding devices are within 50 yards of a human dwelling and at a sufficient height or design to prevent access by deer.

For more information regarding baiting and feeding regulations and CWD in Wisconsin, visit dnr.wi.gov and search keywords “bait” and “CWD,” respectively.