The Wyoming Game and Fish Department needs help from hunters this fall to collect samples from mule deer and elk in certain hunt areas so they can be tested for chronic wasting disease (CWD).

In the Big Horn Basin, Game and Fish aims to collect samples from at least 200 adult mule deer bucks or adult elk from four different herd units.

They’re seeking samples from adult mule deer bucks in the North Bighorns herd (Hunt Areas 50-53), the Paintrock herd (Hunt Area 41, 46 and 47) and the Greybull River herd (Hunt Areas 124 and 165). The department also wants samples from adult elk in the Medicine Lodge herd unit (Hunt Areas 41 and 45).

Samples collected from mule deer and elk harvested from targeted areas help Game and Fish to track CWD as part of a long-term, state-wide monitoring plan. CWD is widely distributed across Wyoming and is fatal to deer, elk and moose.

“Our goals with collecting samples and monitoring CWD are to better understand and manage the health of wildlife populations,” said Cody area Wildlife Management Coordinator Corey Class. “Hunters and volunteers are very important to helping us understand the disease and achieve our goals.”

To help understand prevalence (the proportion of infected animals versus all animals tested), impacts to deer herds and possible management options, Game and Fish is monitoring prevalence of CWD over many years. Strategically focusing on specific herd units within a given year will help Game and Fish obtain more samples, which allows changes in CWD prevalence to be detected over time. As CWD monitoring goals are obtained within targeted herd units, new herd units are added for targeted surveillance using a scheduled rotation.

While the Game and Fish is most interested in the specific herds listed above, samples from does, white-tailed deer, elk and moose harvested throughout the Big Horn Basin will be tested for CWD if requested by hunters.

“Although it’s an additional benefit to hunters, Game and Fish does not CWD test deer and elk for the purpose of helping hunters make an informed decision on whether or not to consume the animal,” Class said.

Hunters can have animals sampled at any game check station this season or at the Cody Regional office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Hunters can call the regional office at 307-527-7125 for tentative check station locations and hours.

Additional options for testing include select processors and taxidermists throughout the Basin, drop barrels for heads at the Cody regional office and in Powell at Northwest College on the south side of the Science and Math Building at Sixth and Division streets. Hunters can also call the Northwest College CWD hotline at 307-754-6018 to schedule a time during regular business hours for a sample to be collected from a harvested deer, elk or moose.

To watch a video on how to collect a sample, visit youtu.be/eX382bKzj-I?t=402. Hunters who submit a usable sample will be entered into a raffle for quality outdoor gear.