GREAT FALLS — A mule deer buck harvested in the Moffat Bridge Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Special Hunt Area has tested positive for CWD. A follow-up test will be conducted to confirm the presence of the disease.
The Moffat Bridge area is in Liberty County south of Chester.
A press release from Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks says the deer was taken on private land the first week of November. The Moffat Bridge CWD Special Hunt Area is in hunting district 400.
Samples from the animal were collected by FWP at the Moffat Bridge collection station and testing was performed by Colorado State University. The hunter has been notified.
Because the mule deer was taken within the current CWD management zone, there will be no changes to regulations. In FWP Region 4, transportation restrictions apply to any deer, elk, or moose harvested in HDs 400 and 401. Specifics can be found on FWP’s website – http://fwp.mt.gov – or in the printed hunting regulations.
CWD is a fatal disease that can affect the nervous system of mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk and moose. Transmission can most commonly occur through direct contact between cervids, as well as shed in urine, feces, saliva, blood and antler velvet from infected cervids. Carcasses of infected cervids may serve as a source of environmental contamination as well and can infect other cervids that come into contact with that carcass.
- Moose tests positive for CWD in NW Montana
- Five chronic wasting disease cases reported in Libby area
- Chronic Wasting Disease confirmed in Liberty and Carbon counties
- Deer harvested in Blaine County test positive for chronic wasting disease
There is no known transmission of CWD to humans or other animals, including pets or livestock. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 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.
