The Wyoming Game and Fish Department confirmed chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Deer Hunt Area 110, which is west of Cody. The buck mule deer that tested positive was harvested by a hunter on the eastern edge of the hunt area on the Shoshone National Forest, two miles from the Blackwater Trailhead. The animal was harvested on Oct. 28 and the hunter brought the animal to the Cody regional office for sampling. CWD is a fatal neurological disease of deer, elk and moose. This is the first time CWD has been found in Deer Hunt Area 110, which is adjacent to Deer Hunt Area 111, an area where CWD was confirmed in May.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission approved an updated CWD Management Plan in April. The department is implementing that plan, which includes increasing monitoring for the disease. 

“Game and Fish remains very concerned about CWD and the impacts it has on the health of our deer populations. The disease is also found in elk and moose, but research has not shown the same levels of impact at the population level. Nonetheless, this latest CWD positive deer is not a surprise as CWD was previously detected in the North Fork of the Shoshone River area, but it does show the importance of having a management plan and the need to increase our surveillance in western Wyoming, which has been underway for sometime,” said Scott Edberg, deputy division chief of the Wildlife Division. 

Game and Fish also reminds hunters that they play a significant role in monitoring the distribution of this disease and provide valuable information for managing CWD.  If you see a deer, elk or moose that appears to be sick or not acting in a normal manner, please contact your local game warden, wildlife biologist or Game and Fish office immediately. Game and Fish personnel collect and analyze more than 1,600 CWD samples annually throughout the state.

Please visit the Game and Fish website for more information on chronic wasting disease transmission and regulations on transportation and disposal of carcasses. The Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization recommend that people should not eat deer, elk or moose that test positive for CWD.