CWD shows up in a new Wyoming elk zone — and Game and Fish wants hunters paying attention

The original story by Floyd Whiting for Sheridan Media.

Chronic wasting disease has officially turned up in a new corner of Wyoming’s hunting map.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department says it has confirmed CWD for the first time in Elk Hunt Area 2 in the Sheridan Region. The agency’s Wildlife Health Lab verified the disease in a bull elk that was euthanized after showing signs consistent with illness.

If that area sounds familiar, it’s because it sits in the neighborhood of places where CWD is already established. Elk Hunt Area 2 is surrounded by CWD-positive Elk Hunt Area 129, which recorded its first confirmed CWD case back in 2021.

Game and Fish says it publicly announces these first-time detections so hunters and residents know when the disease spreads into a new hunt area — basically, a heads-up that the map just changed.

CWD is a neurological disease that affects deer, elk and moose — and it’s always fatal once an animal is infected. There’s no treatment, no recovery, and no “it might pull through.”

That’s why Game and Fish keeps stressing monitoring. Tracking where CWD shows up and how it spreads helps wildlife managers understand what it could mean long-term — not just for individual animals, but for herd health and future hunting management decisions.

The agency is also leaning on hunters for data. Game and Fish encourages people to submit samples for free CWD testing, especially if they’re hunting in priority or mandatory testing areas.

If you’re not sure how to do that, the department says instructions and details are available on the Game and Fish website.

Game and Fish is also asking the public to report wildlife that looks sick or injured. If you see an animal acting strangely, contact the nearest Game and Fish office.

For anyone tracking the spread, the department has a map of CWD endemic areas and more information posted on its CWD webpage.