Wisconsin: Free CWD Surveillance Harvest Permits Available To Deer Hunters In Lincoln And Oneida Counties
Category: article
Nov 11th, 2020 by Keith Worrall
Modified Nov 11th, 2020 at 4:23 PM
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is issuing free chronic wasting disease (CWD) surveillance permits to deer hunters on select parcels of private land in Lincoln and Oneida counties. These harvest permits are property-specific and are available on select private land within the CWD surveillance areas pictured below. Hunters must use the weapon that corresponds to the season(s) currently open at the time of harvest. The authorizations are valid for any adult deer, either antlered or antlerless, but not for fawns.
The permits are free to hunters, and all deer harvested with a surveillance permit must be tested for CWD. Surveillance permits are one way that hunters can help monitor CWD and deer herd health. By issuing these permits, the DNR hopes to get more hunters involved in this important work.
How To Obtain A Surveillance Permit
Hunters interested in obtaining a CWD surveillance permit should contact Jaqi Christopher at 715-401-2871 and have their Go Wild customer ID ready.
How To Have Your Adult Deer Tested For CWD
CWD testing is free of charge. Hunters who harvest an adult deer using a CWD surveillance authorization are responsible for having their deer tested for CWD. In addition to self-service kiosks, local cooperating meat processors and taxidermists can assist with CWD sampling. Hunters can contact local DNR staff to schedule an appointment for sampling or pick up a kit to collect their own CWD sample and return it to local DNR staff for testing.
New this year, hunters may submit the required information for their CWD sample online rather than using a paper form. Hunters can find a link to the new digital form in their registration confirmation email and in their harvest history in Go Wild. Hunters will need to be at a CWD sampling location in order to complete their online submission.
Getting Your Test Results
CWD results are uploaded to the DNR website, where hunters can find them as soon as they become available. To view CWD results for a harvested deer, hunters will need to enter a customer ID or CWD sample barcode number. Results are also sent to the hunter via email, mail, or visible in Go Wild (if data was submitted online). This year, hunters will likely experience delays due to complications from COVID-19, and we estimate that results will be available 2-3 weeks after the deer head or tissue sample is received. To protect the health of Department staff, the DNR has reduced the number of staff per shift at our sample processing center. Despite adding shifts, the daily volume of processed samples will be reduced from previous years. We thank you for your patience as we seek to provide our services during these unprecedented times.
