[fabsroman]

Okay, I did a little more digging and found this story at the Associated Press. Towards the end, note that 40 or so deer from the preserve escaped through a breach in the fence before they could be killed. Hence, it appears that they are in the wild population now. I'll do some more digging to see if I can find anything regarding the Court proceedings, but I still say that my comment is right for this guy.

Sixty of the 76 deer killed at a Portage County game farm earlier this year tested positive for chronic wasting disease. It is the highest concentration of animals infected with the deadly ailment in a farm herd the state has found so far, officials said Friday.

Buckhorn Flats was the first game farm in the state to have a deer test positive for the disease, which causes the animals to grow thin and die. The state has wanted to eradicate the herd since shortly after the discovery in 2002, but the owner had fought those efforts in court.

Scientists are still not sure what causes the spread of chronic wasting disease. But they have said signs point toward transmission through contact among deer. Other studies suggest deer could contract it from the environment.

Donna Gilson, spokeswoman for the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, said information on the deer killed at the Portage County farm will aid researchers as they search for answers on how the disease is spread.

She said the state has found seven deer farms with at least one positive test for CWD. In most cases, the herds have been eradicated quickly, and only a handful of other deer from the herd test positive.

The state believes the 3 1/2-year court fight likely allowed the disease to spread through the herd so extensively.

"I think anybody would guess if we had destroyed these animals back in 2002 when we first found this case, we could have nearly as many (positives)," Gilson said.

Buckhorn Falls owner Stan Hall had fought the Department of Natural Resources in court on a series of issues since shortly after a buck on his farm testified positive. He did not immediately return a call from The Associated Press on Friday.

Hall's herd has been under quarantine since the first positive test in 2002. The latest results mean 82 deer have tested positive for the disease from his farm.

The 76 does and yearlings from the breeding herd on the farm were killed in January by U.S. Department of Agriculture shooters under an agreement with Hall. He will be compensated for the animals.

State officials are also trying to determine what happened to approximately 40 deer that were housed in the game preserve portion of the operation. A breach in the fence surrounding that part of the farm was found earlier this year, and officials have not been able to find any of the 40 deer housed in the preserve, which was in operation until last year.

Portage County Sheriff's Detective Gary Koehmstedt said authorities have no suspect and no motive so far. The DNR has an ongoing effort to kill deer within 2.5 miles of the farm.

Two does and two fawns that state officials believed wandered into the preserve from the wild were also killed and tested. CWD was not detected in those animals.

Other than Buckhorn Flats, CWD has been found in 12 white-tailed deer and one elk on six other Wisconsin farms.