Hunters Help FWP Collect Most CWD Samples Since Testing Began

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks submitted 9,066 samples for chronic wasting disease testing in 2024-2025 hunting season to date. This is the largest number of CWD samples ever to be collected in a single year in Montana. Many of these samples were collected by hunters themselves. Of those samples, 335 tested positive for the disease, including 202 white-tailed deer, 127 mule deer and six elk. “We’re very excited about the number of samples we collected this season,” said Wildlife Health Program Biologist Bevin McCormick. “Hunters are a huge part of CWD surveillance and monitoring, and we thank everyone who had their animals sampled this year.” More than 4,521 samples were submitted from FWP’s 2024 priority sampling areas, which included southwestern, central and central-eastern Montana. FWP asks hunters who harvest a deer, elk or moose in these areas to voluntarily submit their animal for sampling. Hunters are a vital part of CWD monitoring and management in the state. Hunters can visit FWP offices and CWD sampling stations to have their samples collected or they can collect and submit their samples themselves. This year, approximately 1,138 samples were collected and submitted by hunters themselves. They sent their samples through the mail or dropped off the samples at one of the check stations. Samples are collected by removing the retropharyngeal lymph nodes and sending them to the FWP Wildlife Health Program in Bozeman so they can be prepared for testing at the Montana Veterinary Diagnostic Lab. These lymph nodes are where much of the infectious protein first accumulates in infected animals. The data collected helps FWP identify where CWD is, estimate its prevalence and update its management strategies. These strategies sometimes include increasing total tags or either sex/antlered tags in certain CWD-positive hunting districts, with the goal of reducing herd densities. Since 2017, when CWD was first discovered in the wild in Montana, FWP has tested an estimated 51,556 samples statewide. CWD is a fatal disease that can affect the nervous system of deer, elk and moose. Transmission can occur through direct contact between animals or through contact with bodily fluids of infected animals, including urine, feces, saliva and blood. Carcasses of infected animals likely serve as a source of environmental contamination, allowing animals that come into contact with them to also become infected. There is no known transmission of CWD to humans; however, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that hunters who harvest an animal in an area where CWD is known to occur have their animal tested. If the animal tests positive, the CDC advises against eating the meat. Although the main sampling season is over, FWP will continue to collect samples from animals throughout the year.