Chronic Wasting Disease found in 3 new Wyoming hunt areas

The Wyoming Game and Fish wildlife disease laboratory in Laramie has confirmed the presence of chronic wasting disease in three new hunting areas across the state.

Presence of CWD was found in a bull elk from hunt area 12, northeast of Saratoga, in a white-tailed buck from deer hunt area 112 southwest of Cody, and a white-tailed doe in deer hunt area 171 north of Lander. The National Park Service also recently found CWD at Devils Tower National Monument.

The hunt areas are all near or overlap areas where the disease has been detected before.

“We continue to work hard to monitor CWD, research its impacts and potential vaccines,” said Scott Edberg Deputy Chief of Game and Fish’s Wildlife Division. “By the end of the year, we will be releasing a draft updated CWD management plan for public review and comment. We look forward to hearing from the public about this proposed plan.”

The plan will be brought to the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission for approval sometime in early 2016.