Wyoming elk hunters: chronic wasting disease (CWD) was recently confirmed in a bull elk in Elk Hunt Area 1. That hunt area is located in the Black Hills and shares a border with Elk Hunt Area 117 where CWD was first discovered in 2008, according to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD).

With deer and elk seasons underway, WGFD is asking hunters to submit lymph node samples for CWD testing in focused hunt areas to determine the prevalence of the disease. These include:

“Each CWD sample we receive from our targeted areas is valuable for wildlife and monitoring the disease,” said Hank Edwards, WGFD Health Laboratory supervisor. “We have not met our 2020 target sample goals for elk or deer, so please make an effort to submit a CWD sample of your harvest.”

In 2019, officials collected and tested 5,067 CWD samples. To date, WGFD has collected only 44% of its targeted mule deer and 28% of its targeted elk lymph node samples. In addition to the 2020 targeted areas, the agency is also requesting whitetail deer samples.

Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an animal suspected or tests positive for CWD should not be consumed.