Kentucky Fish & Wildlife File Lawsuit Against Man In Deer Disease Case
The Kentucky Fish & Wildlife agency recently filed a lawsuit against a Jefferson County man who illegally brought a deer head he harvested in Wisconsin that later tested for chronic wasting disease.
Nicholas Behringer, 47, from Louisville, admitted to illegally bringing the 8 point harvested deer head from Wisconsin and paid the $50 fine + court costs in January.
Fortunately, the infected deer was transported in a contained and frozen storage.
According to 301 KAR:2:095, you may legally bring a harvested deer from another state to Kentucky if you remove the brain and spinal column. In this case, Behringer brought a fully intact head into Kentucky for taxidermy, which is a violation due to having potentially infectious tissue brought into the state.
As of today, there have been no reported deer or elk in Kentucky that have tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD).
Over 40,000 deer and elk have been tested in the last 20 years for CWD in an effort to prevent the introduction of the deadly disease into the state.
The state has done a really good job over the last few years with educating hunters about the risks of CWD. You can find information about it on the Kentucky Fish & Wildlife Website, social media accounts and magazines.
Chronic Wasting Disease is found in all of Kentucky’s surrounding states except Indiana. This is why wildlife officials are so concerned and are doing everything they can to keep it from spreading to our local deer and elk herds.
In April, Kentucky Fish & Wildlife filed a complaint seeking $1,900 in damages against Behringer for the costs associated with testing, prosecution and the incineration of the infected deer head.
Behringer has fully cooperated with wildlife officials.
