Wisconsin Hunters: Collect Crucial CWD Data And Help Slow The Spread
Category: article
Sep 6th, 2022 by Keith Worrall
Modified Sep 6th, 2022 at 10:03 AM
Help the DNR collect crucial information on CWD this fall by having your deer tested. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reminds deer hunters to help slow the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD) this season and protect the state’s herd.
Hunters who have their deer tested play one of the most important roles in keeping deer healthy. There are three main ways you can help monitor for CWD and slow its spread: Have your deer tested for CWD, properly dispose of deer carcass waste and follow baiting and feeding regulations.
Getting your deer tested not only provides the DNR with valuable raw data needed to understand how CWD is spreading, but it also keeps hunters informed about the status of their harvest.
Now it is easier than ever to get your deer tested. Hunters can use the CWD form located in their Go Wild harvest history to speed up the process. The form automatically fills in name, contact information, customer ID number and harvest registration number. This online form also makes it easier to find the location the deer was harvested through an interactive map that allows the hunter to tap on the harvest location rather than writing out the county, town, range and section on the paper form.
Four Ways To Submit A Sample For Testing:
Self-service kiosks where hunters can submit their deer’s head for testing;
A network of cooperating meat processors, taxidermists and other businesses who can help with CWD sampling;
By-appointment sampling with your county wildlife biologist; and
Kits for hunters to extract lymph node tissue themselves to submit to the DNR for testing
Check out your local deer carcass disposal options, where you can safely dispose of deer carcass waste. This service is thanks to many partnering individuals and organizations across Wisconsin. Keeping potentially infected deer off the landscape helps slow the spread of the disease.
For even more ways to help slow the spread, hunters are encouraged to check out the DNR’s guide to slowing the spread of CWD.
Hunters can also Adopt-A-Kiosk or Adopt-A-Dumpster to help the DNR provide access to sampling and proper carcass disposal.
Consider choosing not to bait or feed in counties without a ban and know whether your county allows it – over half of the counties in Wisconsin do not. The chance of transmission increases when animals gather in unnaturally high densities. Visit the DNR website for more information.
Thank You, Hunters!
As we set off on another great season of Wisconsin deer hunting, we thank our state’s dedicated hunters for their time and commitment to the health of the deer herd.