Wyoming Game and Fish seeks lymph node samples

As hunters bag their harvest of deer and elk this fall, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department is asking them to collect lymph node samples from the animals for chronic wasting disease testing in hunt areas across Wyoming.

No samples are being requested from hunt areas in Sheridan County, but Game and Fish personnel say hunters outside the focused surveillance areas can submit a sample from their animals for testing.

Hunters can learn how to take a sample by watching a how-to video on the Game and Fish website. Hunters can also have animals sampled at any game check station or by stopping at the Game and Fish headquarters or regional offices from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Results from chronic wasting disease testing are available online within three weeks. Game and Fish personnel say hunters also need to be aware of Wyoming carcass transport and disposal rules to prevent the spread of chronic wasting disease within Wyoming and other states. Whole deer, elks and moose carcasses cannot be transported outside of Wyoming.

Wyoming Game and Fish has been monitoring the distribution and prevalence of chronic wasting disease since 1997. The disease has now been identified in most deer hunt areas across Wyoming.

Game and Fish is targeting the following areas for lymph node sampling this year:

Deer hunt areas 7-15, 19, 21, 29-34, 61, 74-77, 88, 89, 96-97, 105, 10-6, 109, 121-124, 132, 133, 157, 163, 165, 168, 169 and 171.

Elk hunt areas 55, 56, 58-61, 66, 75, 77, 79, 84, 85, 88-91, 97, 98 and 102-105.