North Dakota Outdoors: Chronic wasting disease fatal if left unchecked

Submitted Photo
Chronic wasting disease is a fatal disease of deer, moose and elk that can cause long-term population declines if left unchecked. Photo from NDGF.

Even if you don’t hunt, I hope you’ve at least heard about chronic wasting disease. If you haven’t, let’s start today.

Chronic wasting disease is a fatal disease of deer, moose and elk that can cause long-term population declines if left unchecked. There is no treatment or cure, and once established in an area, it remains indefinitely. For these reasons, CWD poses a major threat to North Dakota deer, elk and moose and the future of hunting these animals.

Combating CWD is a long-term endeavor that requires committed, diligent effort from all North Dakotans who value these big game animals. Through our cooperative dedication to the cause, we can protect these important species and North Dakota’s hunting heritage.

A deer with CWD will only begin to look sick in the late stages of the disease, several months after it has been infected. Most positive deer found in North Dakota appeared healthy when they were harvested. The only way to determine if your animal is infected with CWD is by getting it tested. Testing information is also critical for determining the distribution of CWD and evaluating the success of the Department’s management strategy.

With the 2023 chronic wasting disease surveillance season completed, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department reported 11 deer tested positive.

“The good news is that all these cases came from units where CWD has already been detected. None came from the southeastern part of the state where we were focusing our surveillance efforts,” said Dr. Charlie Bahnson, department wildlife veterinarian. “However, CWD was detected right across our border in eastern Manitoba near Winkler, and again near Climax, Minn., where it was first found in 2021.”

Positive cases detected in 2023 came from units 3A1, 3A2, 3E1, 3E2 and 3F2.

Casey Anderson, department wildlife division chief, said that despite lower harvest success, the department met its surveillance goal in units 2B, 2G and 2G1. The objective is to achieve a sampling goal of 10% of the allocated deer gun licenses for a given year.

Game and Fish will use its 2023 surveillance data to guide CWD management moving forward.