FWP to discuss CWD

UPDATE: According to FWP, the special CWD B licenses sold out in two hours this morning. Licenses went on sale at 8 a.m. and were all sold by 10:13 a.m.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) is holding public meetings across Sanders County to discuss Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) after a sixth deer was detected with the disease in Libby.

The latest white-tailed deer to test positive was a road-killed doe collected along U.S. Highway 2 near Flower Creek. The Veterinary Diagnostic Lab at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, identified the sample to be suspected of CWD infection and will run a second test for confirmation. The first detection, which occurred in late May, marked the first time CWD was detected west of the Continental Divide in the wild. The positive detections have all involved white-tailed deer.

Through Aug. 7, FWP has submitted 66 samples (59 white-tailed deer, six mule deer, and one moose) of road-killed and symptomatic animals for CWD testing.

In response to the CWD detections, FWP has established the Libby CWD Management Zone, which encompasses roughly 10 miles around the detection sites. Within this Management Zone, the goal is to identify the prevalence and distribution of CWD.

According to Dillon Tabish with FWP, there are no plans for check stations or additional hunting restrictions in Sanders County at this time.

FWP will hold public meetings, including one in Trout Creek on Aug. 22 at the Lakeside Resort, to discuss CWD and a special CWD hunt in the Libby area. FWP will sell 600 white-tailed deer antlerless B licenses that can only be used in the Libby CWD Management Zone, which includes portions of Hunting Districts 100, 103 and 104. The hunt will occur at the same time as the archery and general hunting season and follow the same regulations for dates, weapon restrictions, and access.

The Special CWD B licenses will go on sale at 8 a.m. Aug. 19, at select license providers, including S&S Sports and Big Bull Sports in Thompson Falls, Lakeside Resort in Trout Creek and Aitken’s Quick Stop in Noxon. At 10 a.m. on Aug. 19, licenses will become available for purchase online at fwp.mt.gov. Hunters can purchase up to two Special CWD B licenses.

All deer, elk and moose harvested within the Libby CWD Management Zone, including any harvested with a Libby Special CWD Hunt B license and any harvested with any other type of license, must be checked and sampled within 3 days of harvest. Animals can be checked at either the new Libby Special CWD Hunt Sampling Station (Montana Department of Transportation shop on US Hwy 2, mile marker 35) or the Canoe Gulch Check Station. Hunters who quarter or bone out their animal in the field must bring the head for sampling.

CWD is a progressive, fatal disease affecting the nervous system of mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk and moose. There is no known transmission of CWD to humans or other animals, including pets or livestock. The 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.

For more information, including additional restrictions for the special CWD hunt, visit fwp.mt.gov/cwd.