WYOMING —The Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) is once again asking for hunters to provide lymph node samples from their harvested deer and elk this fall to test for CWD.
In return for CWD samples, hunters may be eligible to win thousands of dollars in hunting gear.
Hunters are critical to monitoring chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Wyoming, a fatal disease that affects moose, elk and deer in the state.
“Elk and deer hunters are on the front-line helping Game and Fish to understand the distribution and prevalence of CWD by collecting and submitting samples for testing,” said Scott Edberg, deputy chief of wildlife. “This raffle is one way we can show our appreciation for their efforts.”
Hunters are eligible to win prizes from two tiers when they submit a usable lymph node sample — that means the correct tissue and is in good condition to be tested. When hunters submit samples from an adult male mule or white-tailed deer or any adult elk at least two years old from targeted CWD monitoring hunt areas, they have a chance to win Tier I prizes. Those targeted hunt areas are:
Deer: 1-6, 19, 24, 25, 27-33, 41, 46, 47, 50-53, 61, 66, 74-77, 96, 97, 124, 130, 131, 134, 135, 138-146, 150-156, 163, 165, 169. Deer Hunt Areas 96 and 97 require mandatory lymph nodes submissions for testing.
Elk: 13, 15, 21, 41, 45, 67-71, 75, 77-85, 88-91, 97, 98, 102-105, 108, 127, 130
Winners will be drawn randomly by early March 2022. Winning entries in Tier I will be excluded from entry into drawing for Tier II prizes.
More information and resources for hunters on CWD are available on the Game and Fish CWD webpage.
