DEER HUNTERS ASKED TO AID DISEASE RESEARCH

  

Local deer hunters are being encouraged to help with a statewide monitoring effort by voluntarily submitting samples this fall for CWD testing.

Chronic Wasting Disease was recent found in two captive deer breeding facilities in south-central Texas.  The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is stepping up efforts to sample hunter harvested deer during the upcoming season.

Tissue samples from the heads of harvested deer must be collected within 24 hours of harvest, up to 48 hours if kept chilled. It is important the deer head not be frozen.

TPWD biologists will collect and submit samples to the Texas A&M Veterinary Diagnostic Lab at no cost to the hunter.

To date, CWD has not been found in Texas free-ranging white-tailed deer.

The sampling strategy for the upcoming season is being refined to target disease risk levels within the state’s 33 Resource Management Units.

Hunters wishing to submit samples can go online to find their local TPWD biologist, listed by county at http://tpwd.texas.gov/landwater/land/technical_guidance/biologists/.

For Washington County, TPWD biologist Stephanie Damon is located at 1305 East Blue Bell Road. The telephone number is 277-6297.

More information about CWD, including safe carcass handling tips and precautions, can be found online at http://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/diseases/cwd/.