CODY – The Wyoming Game and Fish Department needs help from hunters this fall to collect samples from mule deer and elk for chronic wasting disease testing in targeted areas.
Samples collected from mule deer and elk harvested from targeted areas help Game and Fish track CWD as part of a long-term, statewide monitoring plan.
Game and Fish requests samples from elk and deer harvested in the following hunt areas within the Big Horn Basin:
Species | Herd | Hunt Areas |
Elk | North Bighorn Herd | Elk Hunt Area 39 and 40 |
Deer | Shoshone River Herd | Deer Hunt Areas 121, 122 and 123 |
Deer | Clarks Fork Herd | Deer Hunt Areas 105, 106 and 109 |
Deer | Southwest Bighorns Herd | Deer Hunt Areas 35-37, 39, 40 and 164 |
For some license types in these hunt areas, Game and Fish is implementing mandatory CWD sample submission.
Hunt area and license type where mandatory CWD sample submission applies:
Species | Hunt Area | License type |
Deer | Deer Hunt Area 164 | General, Type 1, 6 and 7 |
Deer | Deer Hunt Area 105 | Type 1 and 8 only |
Deer | Deer Hunt Area 106 | Type 1 and 8 only |
Deer | Deer Hunt Area 109 | Type 1, 3 and 8 only |
In non-mandatory areas, Game and Fish is asking hunters that harvest mule deer bucks and adult elk in these specific hunt areas to submit samples to Game and Fish for testing. Game and Fish also encourages hunters to submit samples from does and white-tailed deer within focus areas. Samples from all other deer, elk and moose harvested throughout the Big Horn Basin will be tested if requested by hunters.
Hunters can have animals sampled at any game check station this season or by stopping by the Cody Regional Office from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday. Additional options for testing include select processors and taxidermists throughout the Basin, drop barrels for heads located at the regional Game and Fish office in Cody, Medicine Lodge State Park near Hyattville and in Powell at Northwest College on the south side of the Science and Math Building at 6th and Division streets.
For convenient sample submission for deer harvested in Deer Hunt Area 164, a checkstation located across from the Wyoming Sugar Company Plant at the intersection of Washakie Ave. and South Flat Road will be open October 1, 3 and 4 from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. for general season and Type 6 license holders. For late-season license holders, the checkstation will operate Nov. 15 from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. and Nov. 16 from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Additionally, Game and Fish field personnel will conduct routine field checks and will be available to collect samples apart from checkstations Oct. 1-14 for general and Type 1 license holders and Nov. 15-30 for Type 1 and 7 license holders. This targeted effort focuses on a known CWD hotspot in the northwest portion of Deer Hunt Area 164, aiming to enhance data collection to inform current and future CWD management.
For sample submission for deer harvested in either Deer Hunt Area 105, 106 or 109, checkstations will be in operation from Oct. 24 to Oct. 31 in the Sunlight Basin area along the Chief Joseph Highway, and field staff will be present throughout the duration of the hunting seasons of each license type to assist in collecting samples. Hunters may also have their animal sampled at the Cody Game and Fish office during business hours, or use the head drop barrel after hours
Hunters can also learn how to take a sample with a how-to video on the Game and Fish website.
Hunters should refer to page 7 of the 2026 Antelope, Deer and Elk Hunting Regulations for specific CWD provisions regarding transportation of harvested animals.
Although this disease has not been shown to be transmissible to humans, hunters are encouraged to wear rubber or latex gloves when dressing carcasses and avoid handling the brain and spinal tissues. When butchering, meat should be boned out. Hunters should not consume animals that appear to be sick. Hunters should also not consume the brain, spinal cord, eyes, spleen or lymph nodes. Washing hands and instruments is good practice. Knives and other equipment can be disinfected by soaking in a solution of 40% bleach and 60% water for five minutes.
Hunters interested in CWD test results of their harvested animal will need to log in through their Game and Fish user account at wgfd.wyo.gov.
