The Wyoming Chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers is partnering with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) to host a chronic wasting disease workshop in Cody next week.

The event will take place from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 26 at the Game and Fish’s Cody Region office, located at 2820 Wyo. Highway 120 south of Cody.

Eric Maichak, a disease biologist at the department, will be present to discuss anything and everything wildlife disease-related and to walk attendees through the process of removing lymph nodes from deer and elk. It’s an all-ages event and open to the public.

“We, as hunters, have a unique opportunity to help actively support CWD management in Wyoming so let’s make it happen!” the Backcountry Hunters and Anglers said in a release promoting the event.

Chronic wasting disease, or CWD, affects deer and elk herds and has been spreading across Wyoming in recent years.

CWD is fatal to deer and elk and there are currently no treatments. CWD is spread through body fluids, such as saliva or urine, and can be contracted by direct contact with an infected animal or environmental exposure. Elk and deer in Wyoming congregate, especially during winter months, which increases the likelihood of CWD spreading. 

“The result of increased CWD spread is a decrease in deer and elk numbers, which should be of utmost concern to Wyoming hunters,” the Backcountry Hunters and Anglers said. “Recent research has shown that both white-tailed and mule deer populations have decreased near Douglas due to CWD.”

Chronic wasting disease continues to expand across the state of Wyoming. A look at the Game and Fish Department’s interactive CWD map shows cases detected in most hunt areas around the state.

The Wyoming Chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers says a lack of data on the prevalence of CWD in under-sampled areas is preventing effective management decisions. Those units typically have earlier season hunts, with most animals found in the backcountry — making it hard for Game and Fish personnel to obtain samples from hunter-killed animals.

“This is where you, the hunter, can play a vital role in CWD management in the state of Wyoming!” the Backcountry Hunters and Anglers said. “How? By taking and submitting samples from deer and elk you kill in the backcountry.”

For more information about next week’s event, visit www.backcountryhunters.org/cwd_workshop_20210826 or email Brien Webster at webster@backcountryhunters.org.