Deer disease outbreak identified in county

ase (EHD) in white-tailed deer and pronghorn has seen cases identified across the east of Wyoming, including in Crook County.

The Wyoming Game & Fish Department last week announced that it was actively tracking the outbreak of EHD, which is confirmed in the Arvada area as well as near Douglas, Laramie and Cheyenne.

The disease was confirmed in Crook County near Moorcroft on September 6.

EHD is not unusual in Wyoming; in fact, wildlife managers say they see it in big game every year. However, 2021 could be one of those years when the disease has a bigger impact.

“This year seems worse, but we are just at the beginning of the outbreak,” said Hank Edwards, Wildlife Health Laboratory supervisor, in a press release. “Monitoring will be important to chart the impacts.”

EHD is often seen during drought and hot weather, especially if wildlife congregate around small water holes containing the midge that carries the disease. Transmission occurs when a host animal with the virus is bitten by a midge.

The disease is not always fatal. The number of cases is expected to grow – although not in a uniform manner across the state – until the first hard frost, which will kill off the midge populations.

Game & Fish reassures hunters that they should not be concerned about contracting EHD or passing it to their pets. However, if the disease spreads to the point where it could have a substantial impact on wildlife, this may curtail hunting seasons.

Chronic Wasting Disease

Crook County’s hunt areas are also among those on the Game & Fish’s list this year for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) testing. Hunters are asked to collect lymph node samples from deer and elk as an important component of helping the department understand the disease and monitor its spread.

For the first time, two deer hunt areas will be requiring mandatory lymph node and submission. Both hunt area 96 and 97 are in Fremont County.

Crook County’s Deer Hunt Areas 1 through 6 are on the target list for sampling this year. No elk hunt areas in the county are targeted for the 2021 season.

“The samples hunters submit are critical to monitoring CWD within Wyoming’s deer and elk populations,” said Edwards.

Hunters outside the targeted areas are still able to submit a sample. Instructions for doing so can be found on the Game & Fish website.

Results are generally available online within three weeks or can be expedited for a fee.