MISSOULA — Most hunting has wrapped up for 2024.
But how is Montana doing with the ongoing problem of chronic wasting disease (CWD)?
CWD, a fatal contagious disease that impacts ungulates like mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk and moose, was first detected in Montana in 2017.
So far, this season it was found in three Montana elk and a number of deer.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) runs an extensive testing program to check for the disease, including a dashboard on their website filled with information.
“We definitely got more positive samples back and that map is going to be continually updating here over the next few weeks as the rest of the samples get updated. That's really the best spot to see the latest info on where we've seen CWD this year,” said FWP spokeswoman Vivaca Crowser.
The diseased elk were found in southeastern and southwestern Montana this fall.
“It’s not the first time, but we haven't had a lot of lk test positive and I think probably a big part of that is just not having nearly as many samples for elk as we do for deer. But, also, just not as prevalent in elk,” she said.
In October, FWP biologists euthanized a buck with CWD at the Flathead County landfill in October. This instance was the first time the disease was found in wild deer in the Flathead Valley.
But, CWD is not new to Western Montana. The Libby area has some of the highest rates of CWD in the state.
“There is kind of an extra emphasis in some of the places up there. Especially in the Libby area, where we are requiring sampling for deer hunters up there to get a better sense of what's going on,” Crowser said.
Except in Libby and a few other spots throughout the state, participating in sampling is optional for hunters.
“Asking hunters to submit those samples of deer and elk primarily, it really helps us and it helps as a hunter because ideally if you harvest an animal that does test positive for CWD, you don't want to consume that meat just to be extra safe,” said Crowser. “We get a lot of hunters that help us out that way.”
FWP designates “priority surveillance areas,” in spots where they either are not sure if CWD is present or have confirmed just a few cases. Here, they look to get more samples and learn more about the prevalence in the area.
“We have different research questions that we're looking at. After hunting season, we take a look at that and then set priorities for the upcoming year. So, that's something we'll be working on soon,” Crowser said.
Data from this year’s season is still rolling in. More information on CWD, how hunters can help prevent it and 2024 updates can be found at https://fwp.mt.gov/cwd.
