A proposed statewide ban on the use and field possession of urine-based deer attractants and other cervid excretions failed to gain majority support from the Pennsylvania Game Commission Board of Commissioners Saturday.

The board of commissioners was split 4-4 on whether to move the proposal toward final adoption.

While the proposal failed to move forward, there will be the opportunity to bring it up again in the future.

Many of the commissioners commented on the proposal, and the difficulty with which they arrived at a decision to vote for or against it. While there’s evidence commercially produced urine-based deer attractants might contain Chronic Wasting Disease prions, making them potentially infectious, the actual risk of such attractants spreading CWD to deer and elk is less clear.

CWD is fatal to deer, elk and other cervids. CWD can be transmitted directly from animal to animal, or indirectly when deer or elk contact prions in soil or other contaminated environments.

Where CWD is detected in free-ranging or captive deer, the game commission establishes regulations meant to slow the spread of CWD to other areas. Within CWD disease management areas, the use or field possession of urine-based deer attractants is prohibited.

The board also tabled a proposal that would have made changes to a hunter’s personal limit of antlerless deer licenses and the number of licenses that could be purchased once over-the-counter sales of remaining tags begin in September.