CHEYENNE — The Wyoming Game and Fish Department needs help from hunters this fall to collect CWD samples from deer, elk and moose for chronic wasting disease testing. Samples are requested across Wyoming in key deer and elk hunt areas.
The department has tracked the distribution and prevalence of CWD since 1997 to better understand its distribution and prevalence in Wyoming’s deer, elk and moose populations. Hunter-submitted samples are crucial to managing the disease in wildlife herds.
“Game and Fish is requesting samples from herds that are slated for surveillance based on our rotational surveillance strategy. Our goal is to get a significant sample size so we can accurately determine what CWD prevalence is in these herds,” said Jessica Jennings-Gaines, Game and Fish Wildlife Health Laboratory supervisor.
To adequately monitor the disease, Game and Fish 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.
“Last year’s mandatory areas went very well. We had great compliance by the public and we were able to meet our surveillance goals. We couldn’t have done that without the public’s support,” Jennings-Gaines said.
Additional deer hunt areas targeted for CWD surveillance this year are 17, 18, 23, 26, 35-37, 39, 40, 82, 84, 92, 94, 100, 121-123, 128, 130, 131, 134, 135, 138-146, 148, 150-156, 160 and 164.
The elk hunt areas targeted for CWD surveillance are 8-12, 55, 56, 58-61, 66, 70, 71, 75, 77, 78, 80-96, 110 and 125.
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. Personnel from the department can take a sample 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. The only way for hunters to get the results of their deer or elk’s CWD test will be to check online through the Game and Fish website. Hunters can expedite results within 10 working days for a $40 fee; contact the Wyoming State Veterinary Lab in Laramie at (307) 766-9925 for more information.
Continued monitoring of CWD is important to help Game and Fish understand the impacts of the disease on deer and elk. Samples also give the department information to inform future management actions, such as license types offered, license quotas, seasons and future disease monitoring protocols. CWD has been detected in most deer hunt areas throughout the state.
Hunters also need to be aware of Wyoming carcass transport and disposal regulations. More information and resources for hunters on CWD are available on the Game and Fish CWD webpage.
