Here’s everything you need to know about testing your fall harvest for a deadly disease.
Texas deer need your help.
Why? Hundreds of captive or free-ranging deer in 17 Texas counties have tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD) over the past decade. If left unmanaged, CWD can have catastrophic, long-term impacts on the most beloved game animal in the state.
How? If you’re deer hunting in Texas this fall, test your harvest for CWD. It’s mandatory in CWD zones and voluntary elsewhere. With your participation, biologists can gather statewide data to aid in CWD management strategies to reduce the risk of CWD spread.
Where? CWD containment and surveillance zones are found in various areas across the state. These zones have special rules, including mandatory testing. See map below.
You can find everything you need to know at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department or Outdoor Annual websites.
Here are quick answers to common CWD questions.
Why sample for CWD?
Surveillance is an essential part of managing CWD. Testing for CWD allows wildlife biologists and animal health officials to get a clearer picture of the prevalence and distribution of the disease across Texas. Proactive monitoring improves the state’s response time to a CWD detection and can reduce the risk of the disease further spreading to neighboring deer populations. With each discovery of a new CWD-positive area in the state, CWD zones are established as a strategy to manage and contain the disease.
Which counties have mandatory testing?
So far, the only areas in Texas where CWD has become established within native deer populations are in the northern portions of El Paso and Hudspeth counties in far West Texas and in western Dallam and Hartley counties in the northwest Texas Panhandle. CWD has also been detected in multiple deer-breeding facilities across the state, and on some properties neighboring those CWD-positive deer-breeding facilities in Medina and Uvalde counties. Testing within established CWD zones will help determine the geographic distribution and prevalence of the disease, or in some cases, confirm that the disease has not been established outside of captive-deer facilities.
To see if your hunting location is in a CWD zone, check the map at the TPWD website.
Where is the nearest check station?
There are approximately 30 check stations and drop boxes across the state in Kimble County, far West Texas, South Central Texas, the northwest Panhandle, Val Verde County, Hunt County, Lubbock County, Gillespie County, Limestone County and Duval County. Check the map at the TPWD or Outdoor Annual websites for locations and hours. Too far from a check station? Call your local TPWD biologist.
What do I need to bring to the check station?
TPWD staff will collect a tissue sample from the head of the deer for testing purposes. The head may be attached to the carcass or separated. If you separate the head from the carcass, it is very important to include the first two to three vertebrae to keep the necessary samples intact. Place the head in a plastic trash bag and keep it cool (but not frozen) until you get to the station.
Can I take my deer out of a CWD zone?
There are restrictions on which parts of a harvested deer may be transported outside of a CWD zone to help prevent the unnatural spread of CWD.
Parts that may be transported from a zone include:
- cut quarters with all brain and spinal cord tissue removed
- boned-out meat
- cut and wrapped meat
- caped hides with skull not attached
- skull plate with antlers attached and cleaned of soft tissue
- finished taxidermy products
- the skinned or unskinned head of a deer for transport to a taxidermist (A Deer Head Waiver form must accompany the head to the taxidermist.)
Is testing free?
Yes, TPWD will provide free CWD testing for all your hunter harvest samples.
How long does it take to get results?
About two weeks.
How can I tell if a deer has CWD?
Only through testing. Both healthy and sick-looking deer can be CWD positive as visible symptoms do not become apparent until the terminal end-stage of the disease. An animal may be shedding infective prions well before symptoms become apparent. The disease cannot be diagnosed by symptoms alone since other diseases or conditions can cause the animal to exhibit similar symptoms.
What other precautions should I take?
Properly dispose of carcass parts. Leave inedible parts at the site of harvest, or preferably, dispose of them in a landfill or bury them on the property of harvest in any CWD zone.
Is CWD dangerous for humans?
Researchers have found no evidence that CWD poses a serious risk to humans or domestic animals. However, as a precaution, it is strongly advised to test susceptible species harvested in known CWD areas and to not eat meat from CWD positive animals or any sick animal regardless of the disease.
Protect Texas Deer: Test4CWD
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This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteMap needs counties on it
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteYes, need to have specific counties listed
ReplyDeleteTwo weeks for test results but don't eat any meat from a positive test result. In the meantime get the deer processed just in case it is OK. Definitely need a faster turnaround.
ReplyDeleteI agree need faster turnaround time most animals are harvested for the meat to feed our families. Who covers processing cost if that animal test positive? Some can barely feed their families now with the cost of food, so they pay for processing and get no meat. Testing definitely needs to be quicker.
DeleteNeed faster turnaround time because when you take an animal for processing they cut all grinding meat from all the animals there and grind it all at the same time which could mix a positive effected animal with good meat which you could inadvertently get when you pick your meat up. If one of those are positive no one knows who got that meat.
DeleteCost per pound for processing is usually much more expensive than just going to the grocery store.
DeleteIf you're taking your deer to the processing plant then you definitely could afford to go to the grocery store. Nobody is feeding their family out of financial needs with a deer that was taken to a processing plant. Not to mention the cost of your hunting lease.
DeleteWho is testing the dead deer that are being hit by vehicles along I 10 and other roads across the areas listed? Should these be tested?
ReplyDeleteGreat idea. I hope this is happening. You would have thousands of samples every year across the entire state.
DeleteProps to whoever has the counties and their locations memorized. For those who don’t can you please list them?
ReplyDeleteThey are listed in the article under Which counties have mandatory testing.
DeleteWhy are we doing all this to “help protect Texas deer from CWD”, when TPWD won’t take the very obvious step of stopping the transport of live deer by breeders that has been responsible for nearly 100% of the spread of CWD in whitetails? TPWD has a duty to protect Texas wildlife, not deer breeders, and the current live testing program used is a failure. All it is doing is telling us where we have allowed it to spread next. Please stop allowing transport of live deer until such time as you have a way to be sure that they are not carrying CWD with them to new locations. The current live tests are clearly not adequate enough for the task.
ReplyDeleteYou are 100% correct. This problem was created by TPWD.
DeleteDitto.
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DeleteAgree the first step should be to ban the sale and transport of live deer. All other steps comptemplated are bandaids.
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DeleteYou can thank the deer breeders for many of these testing zones. Get rid of deer pens and the problem will not get worse.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteYep. And what about the ranches nearby that get contaminated from transported deer as well?
ReplyDeleteSeems to me some of these folks are making very well informed comments that shine a light on "Penned Deer" and the fact that TPWD has the responsibility to protect this population. I think TPWD should share the "science" that either supports or debunks the accusations that TPWD is in part the cause of the problem. If not at the very least TPWD should state the reason for withholding this information.
ReplyDeleteThe science does not back up the claims.
DeleteAccording to the map, it appears that it may be coming from out of state.
ReplyDelete"No evidence that CWD poses a serious risk to humans or domestic animals." Dispose of inedible parts properly. What the heck is the big deal? As far as transparency goes the issue is how big are the donations from the big breeders that are being allowed to transport known infected deer?
ReplyDeleteYou are getting the idea, but don’t blame the breeders for TPWD ‘s incompetence. Follow the money trail. Who benefits most from this propaganda abd who benefits most when they put breeders out of business.
DeleteAll deer have to be tested before they're moved. No one is moving live infected deer... look at the hot zones on the map.
Deletehttps://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2018/08/23/cdc-tse-mad-cow-chronic-wasting-disease-linked-fort-collins/878097002/
DeleteSeen 2 does and 1 spike at my lease in Hebronville TX 4 miles south of the BP checkpoint with a chunky ball looking meaty hanging around their necks and 1 Doe very skinny with hair coming off
ReplyDeleteWow! That’s pretty close to home!! Have you called tpwd? Maybe they can kill and get it tested.
DeleteTPWD is not reporting the hole story is simply it’s about money , it’s away about money and it will bit us all in the butt in the end !
ReplyDeleteYou are spot on! How many TPWD Decision makers are from A&M and who tests 100% of the deer in Texas by mandate ? What is the difference between scrapie and CWD? Scrapie has been around for 100s of years and CWD is B.S.
DeleteIt says to not eat meat from positive animals, so do you get another tag if your deer tests positive?
ReplyDeletedoes CWD also infect Mule deer too?
ReplyDeletethis is concerning to each of us that participate in deer hunting in texas. now i have this thought; this seems a bit like closing the door after the animals are out...this season has been a bust for many of us and i wonder why TP&W is just now publishing this story with only a couple weeks roughly left in the gun season for texas. seems to me this should have been made public front and center prior to the season so many more could have been aware of it. myself and the hunters i hunt with in the edwards plateau heard stories of some monitoring for this before the season, but never a big push by the TP&W to the public before the season.. just now.
ReplyDeleteplease, keep up the good work and vigilance, just a bit earlier.
sg
What about Axis
ReplyDeleteSeems the county and ranch names should be published as infected areas. I'm guessing it would get cleaned up really quick.
ReplyDeleteCan you vaccinate our feed dear something to keep them from getting chronic wasting disease
ReplyDeleteWow! I didn't know so many people in Texas had a biology degree and were experts in deer management. You all should put your money where your mouth is and help out instead of whine and complain about things you have no idea. Where is your data to back up all of your absurd claims. You should all be thanking the TPW for all of their hours of hard work to protect your resources and sport. Maybe volunteer? Get your boots on the ground and help instead of whining and blaming others. Walk a mile in their shoes.
ReplyDeleteAlso for those of you who want to judge others for why they hunt. To feed family etc. It's none of your business. We all hunt for our own reasons. Last I looked we all still live in a free country so just stay in your own lane.
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