CWD found in new Wyoming elk hunting areas – Buckrail

PINEDALE, Wyo. – Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been confirmed in three new elk hunting areas in Wyoming, Wyoming Game and Fish, announced today.

The disease was confirmed from lymph node samples from three male elk collected by hunters.

In the Pinedale area CWD has been confirmed in Moose Hunting Area 98. This hunting area overlaps with Deer Hunting Area 138 where CWD was confirmed in January.

In the Sheridan area, Game and Fish identified two new areas of CWD positive elk. Both areas are surrounded or covered with areas where CWD has already been confirmed.

Throughout the fall, Game and Fish instructed hunters to take lymph node samples from deer and elk harvested for CWD testing in targeted hunting areas across Wyoming. Hunters are an important part of helping Game and Fish understand the disease and meet CWD surveillance goals. When hunters submit samples, they participate in a raffle.

“Every CWD sample we receive is valuable in monitoring and understanding the disease,” said Hank Edwards, supervisor of the Game and Fish Wildlife Health Laboratory. “Please make an effort to submit a CWD sample of your crop. “

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

Game and Fish continues to monitor CWD to understand the potential impacts of the disease and assess future management measures for deer and elk. The ministry is currently assessing the management of 22 state feeding areas, which have undergone careful scrutiny for contributing to the spread of CWD, which is fatal and incurable.

Game and Fish has been monitoring MDC in Wyoming for over two decades. Based on the past, wildlife managers believe CWD will be documented in new deer and elk hunting areas in Wyoming.

In 2020, Game and Fish staff tested 6,496 CWD samples and continue to assess new recommendations in an attempt to manage the disease. To date, more than 3,600 samples have been tested in 2021.