WYG&F: Check Stations and Testing

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is reminding hunters traveling to and from hunting areas this fall are reminded that they are required by law to stop at department check stations, even if they have not harvested an animal.

Check stations allow Game and Fish personnel to collect information used to manage local wildlife populations. For successful hunters, personnel may record the sex and age of harvested animals and, depending on the hunt area, request samples for chronic wasting disease or brucellosis testing.

Public Information Specialist Christina Schmidt said several hunt areas in the Sheridan Region are being targeted for CWD and brucellosis sampling this year. Testing takes only a few minutes and may include collecting a lymph node from the neck for CWD testing or a blood sample for brucellosis. Participation in disease sampling is voluntary and helps Game and Fish meet regional sampling goals.

C. Schmidt

Hunters who are not contacted in the field but would like their animal tested for CWD can bring the harvested animal or its head to the Game and Fish Sheridan Regional Office for sampling.

Game and Fish are also asking hunters to further assist wildlife management by reporting sick animals, having harvests tested in designated focus areas and adhering to Wyoming’s carcass transport and importation regulations. More information about CWD, and interactive maps, can be found at the Game and Fish website.