Same issue of Consumer Reports has the article "Deer and Elk Meat May Be
Risky Eating."

Theola

_____________________________________________
Summary/excerpts:
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), similar to mad-cow disease (BSE/bovine
spongiform encephalitis), is spreading in deer and elk populations across
North America. Unlike with infected cows, there is no direct evidence that
eating deer or elk with CWD will infect people, but there's also no evidence
it won't.  In vitro studies show it's theoretically possible.  Researchers
are investigating the deaths of several people who hunted or regularly ate
venison and subsequently succumbed to brain-wasting disease.

Should consumers avoid eating deer or elk meat?  Until more is known, the
answer depends on your personal risk tolerance, according to food-safety
experts at Consumer Union's Consumer Policy Institute.  Deer or elk have
tested positive for CWD in 10 states--Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana,
Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wisconsin, & Wyoming and in
two Canadian provinces, Alberta & Saskatchewan.  Testing in some areas
suggests that 4 to 15% of wild deer and 1-2% of elk are infected.  Eating
game from regions not listed above is not necessarily safer, since adequate
testing has not been done in most areas.

To play it compeletely safe, you may wish to forego eating deer and elk for
several years until results of ongoing studies more clearly define any
health risks.

If you choose to eat deer or elk, choose steaks which are less likely to be
infected than organ meats.  Chopped meat or sausages may be more risky since
they are likely to contain meat from several deer or elk, and possibly organ
meat and nerve matter that may harbor infectious prions, which are highly
resistant to heat and cannot be cooked out.

Because of the possibility of the disease crossing over to humans, hunters
should take special precautions when handling carcasses.