DOUGLAS - The Wyoming Game and Fish Department will establish chronic wasting disease (CWD) collection sites during deer and elk seasons this fall in the Douglas area to continue to monitor CWD in the Laramie Range.

The primary purpose of collecting these samples will be to monitor the prevalence of CWD in deer and elk populations. The Game and Fish encourages elk and deer hunters to take advantage of these sampling opportunities throughout the hunting season to help collect valuable data for wildlife management. While this CWD surveillance also enables hunters to find out whether their harvested deer or elk has CWD, hunters should know that their test results may not be available until a few weeks after submission (well after meat processing). Hunters should refer to the information below regarding CWD surveillance.

Dates and locations for CWD sample collection sites in the Douglas area:

Oct. 15 - 21: Douglas - Tom's Meat Processing
Oct. 22 - Dec. 15: Douglas - Douglas Feed, head collection barrel* - weather dependent

*Refer to instructions on the head collection barrel prior to submission to ensure samples can be properly acquired. In addition, the head collection barrel may not be available during warm weather periods to ensure viable samples and avoid decomposition.

For more information about CWD surveillance in the Glenrock and Douglas areas, call Sean Cooley at 307-259-7250 during regular business hours.

For more information about CWD in Wyoming, visit the WGFD website at:wgfd.wyo.gov For more information about CWD in North America, visit the CWD Alliance website at: www.cwd-info.org

(Contact: Al Langston (307) 777-4540)