CHEYENNE — Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been detected in most deer hunt areas throughout the state, and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) is asking hunters to collect samples from deer, elk and moose this fall to help the agency with monitoring the disease. Testing samples are requested across Wyoming in the key deer and elk hunt areas.
“Hunter-submitted samples are crucial to managing the disease in wildlife herds,” the WGFD said in the announcement. “Samples also inform future management actions, such as license types offered, license quotas, seasons and future disease monitoring protocols.”
The department has tracked the distribution and prevalence of CWD since 1997 to better to understand the potential impacts of the disease. According to the Wyoming CWD Management Plan, research suggests that CWD can lead to declines in some deer and elk populations at a high rate. Additional data suggests that CWD can decrease the number of older bucks in a population. There is currently no data to indicate that this disease will have population impacts in moose.
According to the WGFD, the agency employs a rotating, multi-year program that focuses surveillance in one or two herd units each year, with some deer hunt areas requiring mandatory sample submission. Hunt areas requiring mandatory sample submissions target places where it is difficult to get an adequate number of samples. Hunters in deer hunt areas 22, 70, 88, 89, 157 and 171 who harvest deer must submit a sample for testing.
“Our goal is to get a significant sample size so we can accurately determine what CWD prevalence is in these herds,” WGFD Wildlife Health Laboratory Supervisor Jessica Jennings-Gaines said via press release. “Last year’s mandatory areas went very well. We had great compliance by the public and we were able to meet our surveillance goals.”
Hunters outside of this year’s surveillance areas can still submit a sample for testing. Learn how to take a sample by watching a how-to video on the Game and Fish website and submit it alongside the completed CWD data sheet. Hunters can submit samples at any open game check station, Game and Fish Headquarters or regional offices from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Results from CWD testing are available online within three weeks.
Hunters also need to be aware of Wyoming carcass transport and disposal regulations. Contact the Wyoming State Veterinary Lab in Laramie at (307) 766-9925 for more information.
