CWD found in NE Wyoming – Buckrail hunting area

WYOMING – The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has confirmed a new hunting area where a moose tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).

CWD was confirmed in zone 1 of the moose hunt with a positive test on a targeted male moose. Elk Hunt Area 1 is located in the Black Hills and borders Elk Hunt Area 117 where CWD was detected in 2008.

To ensure hunters are informed, Game and Fish announces when CWD is found in a new hunting area. The Centers for Disease Control recommends that hunters do not consume any animals that are obviously sick or that test positive for CWD.

Ongoing surveillance for CWD over time is important to help game and fish understand the potential impacts of the disease and to assess 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 is asking hunters to collect lymph node samples from deer and elk for CWD testing in targeted Wyoming surveillance areas. Hunters are an important part of helping game and fish understand the disease and meet CWD surveillance goals.

Game and Fish targets deer hunting areas 7-15, 19, 21, 29-34, 61, 74-77, 88, 89, 96, 97, 105, 106, 109, 121-124, 132, 133, 157, 163, 165, 168, 169 and 171.

Targeted elk hunting areas include 55, 56, 58-61, 66, 75, 77, 79, 84, 85, 88-91, 97, 98 and 102-105.

“Every sample of CWD we receive from our target areas is valuable for wildlife and disease surveillance,” said Hank Edwards, game and fish health laboratory supervisor. “We haven’t met our 2020 target sampling goals for elk or deer, so make an effort to submit a CWD sample of your harvest.”

For the targeted areas in 2020, Game and Fish collected 44% of the mule deer samples and 28% of the elk lymph node samples to achieve the target. The Department is also interested in samples of white-tailed deer and encourages hunters to submit samples of their harvested animal. Samples from any hunting area in Wyoming are accepted.

In 2019, Game and Fish staff tested 5,067 MDC samples and continue to assess new recommendations to try to manage the disease.