Big game hunters' checklist for Chronic Wasting Disease

With the general big game hunting season beginning Saturday, state officials are urging hunters to have a plan when it comes to Chronic Wasting Disease.

Because hunters play a vital role in protecting Montana’s herds from chronic wasting disease. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is asking hunters to help stop the spread by having their harvested animals tested. 

To help FWP manage CWD, follow this checklist:

Check FWP’s CWD Management webpage or the Hunt Planner Map to see if the area you’re planning to hunt is in a CWD priority or surveillance area.

If it is or you just want to take a sample, these same tools can be used to locate sampling locations and carcass disposal sites.

For the Libby CWD Sampling Station, located at the state Department of Transportation shop at 35838 U.S. Highway 2, just south of where Big Cherry Creek crosses the road, it is open between Saturday, Oct. 26 and Monday, Dec. 2. The hours of operation are 10 a.m. to sunset on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. On Tuesday, it is open from 1 p.m. to sunset.

To see a complete map of sampling locations and hours of operation go to https://fwp.mt.gov/conservation/chronic-wasting-disease/management. 

For hunters planning on taking the sample themselves, follow the steps on the Montana CWD Submission Guide and bring the proper instruments including rubber gloves, scalpel, tweezers or pliers, and a small sealable bag for storing the samples.

Have a plan for carcass management: 

- Carcass parts, such as brain, eyes, spleen, lymph glands and spinal cord material, should be left at the kill site when possible. 

- If the animal is transported for taxidermy or meat processing, the brain and spinal tissue must be bagged and disposed of in a Class II landfill.  

If your animal tests positive

- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that you do not eat the meat.

- With a CWD suspect or positive test result, FWP authorizes the disposal of the meat. You must ensure all carcass waste (meat, bones, trimmings, hide, etc.) is disposed of in a landfill. 

- If you have already sent your animal to a commercial processor or donated it to a foodbank, contact the Wildlife Health Lab at: 406-577-7883, 406-577-7895, or 406-577-7881.

- If you choose not to consume the meat and wish to request a new license for this year or next year, call your local FWP Regional Office or the Licensing Call Center (406-444-2950) to coordinate the next steps. You will have to properly dispose of all remaining parts in a landfill, and turn in any antlers associated with your harvest, if you request a replacement license. 

There are also new CWD testing requirements for tags associated with CWD management near Libby within HDs 100, 103 and 104. Hunters should review the 2024 hunting regulations to determine if testing requirements apply.

Hunters play an important part in helping Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks learn where chronic wasting disease (CWD) is and how it spreads. When hunters have their harvested deer, elk and moose tested for CWD, they provide key insights into the effectiveness of CWD management, the disease’s prevalence and its presence.  

Each year, FWP establishes priority sampling areas where we are particularly interested in sampling animals. FWP needs samples not only from hunting districts (HDs) where CWD is known to be, but also in HDs where it hasn’t yet been detected. If we don’t know where it is, we can’t stop the spread. 

“The more we know about the prevalence of the disease and how it spreads, the more we can do to protect our herds and protect the future of hunting,” said FWP Wildlife Division Administrator Ken McDonald. “We need the help of hunters to gain this information. Testing also enables hunters to understand and make decisions about eating the meat of animals they have harvested.” 

FWP strongly recommends that hunters receive a negative CWD test result before bringing their deer, elk or moose to a meat processor or donating it to a food bank. While it is not a requirement, FWP is asking hunters to have a negative CWD test result in hand before bringing their animal to a processor for donation.

If the animal tests positive for CWD, FWP will advise the hunter on proper carcass and meat disposal and give instructions on how to request a replacement license.  

There is no known transmission of CWD to humans. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that hunters harvesting a deer, elk or moose from an area where CWD is known to be present have their animal tested for CWD prior to consuming the meat, and to not consume the meat if the animal tests positive.  

For more information on CWD, go to fwp.mt.gov/cwd.