The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has confirmed a new elk hunt area for chronic wasting disease (CWD) after an elk tested positive for the disease. 

CWD was confirmed in Elk Hunt Area 67 with a positive test from a hunter-harvested cow elk. Elk Hunt Area 67 is located north of Dubois, and overlays with Deer Hunt Area 128 where CWD was detected in 2016.

To ensure that 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.

Continued monitoring of CWD over time is important to help Game and Fish understand the potential impacts of the disease as well as evaluate future management actions for deer and elk. A map of CWD endemic areas is available on the Game and Fish website. The disease is fatal to deer, elk and moose. 
 
Throughout the fall, Game and Fish has been asking hunters to collect lymph node samples from 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.

“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.”

In 2019, Game and Fish personnel tested 5,067 CWD samples and continues to evaluate new recommendations for trying to manage the disease. So far, over 6,300 samples have been tested in 2020. 
 
Please visit the Game and Fish website for more information on chronic wasting disease testing, transmission and regulations on transportation and disposal of carcasses.