PINEDALE, Wyo. — Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) has been confirmed in three new elk hunt areas in Wyoming, Wyoming Game and Fish announced today.
The disease was confirmed from lymph node samples from three hunter-harvested bull elk.
In the Pinedale Region, CWD was confirmed in Elk Hunt Area 98. This hunt area overlays Deer Hunt Area 138 where CWD was confirmed in January.
In the Sheridan Region, Game and Fish has identified two new CWD-positive elk areas. Both areas are surrounded by or overlaid with areas where CWD had already been confirmed.
Throughout the fall, Game and Fish has asked hunters to collect lymph node samples from harvested deer and elk for CWD testing in focused monitoring hunt areas across Wyoming. Hunters are an important component in helping Game and Fish understand the disease and achieve CWD monitoring goals. When hunters submit samples, they are entered into a prize raffle.
“Each CWD sample we receive is valuable for monitoring and understanding the disease,” said Hank Edwards, Game and Fish Wildlife Health Laboratory supervisor. “Please make an effort to submit a CWD sample of your harvest.”
To ensure hunters are informed, Game and Fish announces when CWD is found in a new hunt area. The Centers for Disease Control recommends hunters do not consume any animal that is obviously ill or tests positive for CWD.
Game and Fish continues to monitor CWD to understand the potential impacts of the disease and evaluate future management action for deer and elk. The Department is currently evaluating management of the state’s 22 feed grounds, which have come under scrutiny for contributing to the spread CWD, which is fatal and incurable.
Game and Fish has conducted surveillance for CWD in Wyoming for more than two decades. Based on the past, wildlife managers believe CWD will be documented in new deer and elk hunt areas within Wyoming.
In 2020, Game and Fish personnel tested 6,496 CWD samples and continue to evaluate new recommendations for trying to manage the disease. So far, over 3,600 samples have been tested in 2021.
