CWD pops up in new Wyoming elk hunt area for the first time

Chronic wasting disease has turned up in Elk Hunt Area 116 — a first for that corner of Wyoming, according to the Game and Fish Department, the Outdoor Wire reports.

Biologists confirmed the fatal prion disease in an adult elk from the Casper Region, near the state’s northeast edge.

Area 116 sits next to two spots that have battled CWD for years: Area 117, where it was first detected in 2008, and Area 129, added to the map in 2020. All three are part of the Black Hills Elk Herd, which also includes Area 1 (CWD detected there in 2020). When CWD shows up in a new hunt area, Game and Fish puts out an alert like this to keep hunters and locals in the loop.

CWD is always deadly to infected deer, elk and moose. That’s why the agency keeps testing and tracking it over time — to gauge impacts and decide what management steps come next. Hunters can help by submitting free samples for CWD testing, especially if they’re in priority or mandatory testing areas. Instructions, drop-off locations and a map of endemic zones are all on the department’s CWD webpage.

See an animal acting sick or injured? Call your nearest Game and Fish office. The sooner they know, the better the chances of staying ahead of the spread.