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CWD confirmed in county hunt area

One of Crook County’s elk hunting areas is the latest to join the list of Wyoming places in which chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been confirmed.

Wyoming Game & Fish announced last week that the disease was confirmed in Elk Hunt Area 1 via a positive test from a targeted bull elk. Hunt Area 1 is adjacent to Hunt Area 117, where CWD was detected in 2008, and is located in the southeast corner of the county.

The fatal disease affects deer, elk and moose and is caused by abnormally folded proteins called “prions”. CWD has been on the rise in other parts of Wyoming fairly dramatically, such as around Yellowstone National Park, but the Black Hills has not seen much spread until the early part of this year.

Elk Hunt Area 1 is not currently under surveillance for CWD as part of its rotating system of sampling, which last took place in this area in 2018. However, Game & Fish makes an announcement when it is detected in a new area in order to make sure hunters are informed.

It is still unknown whether CWD can spread to humans, but the Centers for Disease Control do not recommend consuming an animal that appears ill or tests positive for the disease. Deer and elk may display no symptoms at first, but the advanced stages of CWD can lead to droopy ears, a lack of energy, a lack of gloss to the coat and lethargy, as well as emaciation in extreme cases.

Game & Fish appreciates the assistance of hunters in monitoring the existence and spread of CWD. Hunters are asked to collect lymph node samples from deer and elk for testing in focused monitoring hunt areas across the state.

The areas of focus for monitoring this year include deer hunt 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; and elk hunt areas 55, 56, 58-61, 66, 75, 77, 79, 84, 85, 88-91, 97, 98 and 102-105. 

“Each CWD sample we receive from our targeted areas is valuable for wildlife and monitoring the disease,” said Hank Edwards, Game and Fish Wildlife Health Laboratory supervisor.