The Wyoming Game and Fish Department needs help from hunters this fall to collect samples from mule deer and elk for chronic wasting disease (CWD) testing in target hunt areas.
In the Big Horn Basin, Game and Fish aims to collect samples from at least 200 adult mule deer bucks or adult elk in the following areas:
Species Herd Unit Hunt Area
Mule deer, adult bucks North Bighorns 50-53
Mule deer, adult bucks Paintrock 41, 46 and 47
Mule deer, adult bucks Greybull River 124, 165
Elk, adult cow or bull Medicine Lodge elk 41,45
Game and Fish is asking hunters that harvest mule deer bucks or adult elk in these specific hunt areas to submit samples to Game and Fish for testing. Samples from does, white-tailed deer, elk and moose throughout the Big Horn Basin will be tested if requested by hunters.
“Our goals with collecting samples and monitoring CWD are to better understand and manage the health of wildlife populations. Hunters and volunteers are very important to helping us understand the disease and achieve our goals,” said Cody area Wildlife Management Coordinator, Corey Class. “Although it’s an additional benefit to hunters, Game and Fish does not CWD test deer and elk for the purpose of helping hunters make an informed decision on whether or not to consume the animal.”
Read more about where to get your harvest sampled and the great prizes hunters can win for submitting a sample for CWD testing!