CDFW is encouraging hunters to participate in the state’s chronic wasting disease (CWD) surveillance program. With deer hunting season already underway throughout the state, the department says when a deer is taken you should stop by a CWD sampling station to have samples taken for testing or ask your local meat processor or taxidermist if they are participating in the program.
The department says the disease doesn’t exist in California, yet through surveillance, early detection will lead to better options if it is detected. This disease is 100% fatal, manifests slowly, and can remain in an infected environment for years, affecting the nervous system in deer and elk. The disease remains prevalent throughout the Midwest, in Canada, and around the Great Lakes.
A list of CWD sampling stations can also be found on the CDFW website.
