Hunters can help monitor for CWD
Hunters can help monitor for CWD
The Arizona Game and Fish Department is asking deer and elk hunters for assistance in monitoring for chronic wasting disease (CWD) this season.
CWD is a wildlife disease that is fatal to deer and elk. It has not yet been found in Arizona, but has been detected in three bordering states—Utah, New Mexico and Colorado. Currently, there is no evidence that CWD poses a risk to humans.
Hunters can help the monitoring effort by bringing in the head of their recently harvested deer or elk to any Game and Fish Department office between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Place the head in a heavy plastic garbage bag for delivery, and keep it cool and out of the sun. If the weather is warm, it is best to either bring in the head within a day of harvest or keep it on ice in a cooler before delivery.
To better assist the surveillance efforts, you’ll be asked to fill out a form with your drop-off. Please include the following information: county, game management unit in which the animal was harvested, hunt and permit number, and a contact address and phone number. If this information is not provided, the department will be unable to test the head.
The department is increasing its sampling in certain parts of the state that border Utah and New Mexico.
“In particular, we’re looking for assistance from deer and elk hunters in Game Management Unit 12B, which borders Utah, as well as from hunters in Units 1 and 27, which border New Mexico,” says Clint Luedtke, department research specialist on CWD.
A check station at Jacob Lake on the Kaibab Plateau will be operational from Oct.31-Nov.9, Nov.14-17 and Nov. 21-30. The department will conduct sampling on the weekends of Oct. 31-Nov. 3, Nov. 8-10, and Nov.14-17. Additional sampling will be available throughout the week. A voluntary check station will be in place in Alpine in Unit 27 from 8 a.m. through 5 p.m. on Nov.7-9.
However, Luedtke added, samples from all regions of the state are still needed. Test results to those providing samples will be sent by postcard within six to eight weeks. There is no charge for the testing and notification.
Here are some guidelines for hunters when out in the field:
Don’t harvest any animal that appears to be sick or behaves oddly. Call the Arizona Game and Fish Department at 1-800-352-0700 if you see an animal that is very thin, has a rough coat, drooping ears and is unafraid of humans.
When field-dressing game, wear rubber gloves and minimize the use of a bone saw to cut through the brain or spinal cord (backbone). Bone out the meat. Minimize contact with and do not consume brain or spinal cord tissues, eyes, spleen, or lymph nodes.
Always wash hands thoroughly after dressing and processing game meat.
If you hunt in another state, don’t bring back the brain, intact skull or spinal column. It’s OK to bring back hides and skull plates that have been cleaned of all tissue and washed in bleach. Taxidermied heads, sawed-off antlers and ivory teeth are also OK to bring home.
If you intend to hunt out of state, contact the wildlife agency in the area you intend to hunt. Several states have regulations on carcass movement.
For more information about chronic wasting disease, visit www.azgfd.gov/cwd or www.cwd-info.org.
