A high-profile post-season hunt designed to give better insights into the prevalence of Chronic Wasting Disease in south-central Montana led biologists to decide no substantial immediate changes are coming in deer management.
Of the 400 deer harvested by hunters in the area during the general 2017 hunting season and a special hunt that ended in February, 2 percent tested positive for the disease. Biologists generally consider management action to control the disease if at least 5 percent of the herd is infected.
CWD is a progressive, fatal neurological disease that effects deer, elk and moose. It has been present for some years in states and Canadian provinces north, east and south of Montana, but was first found in wild deer in the state this fall during focused surveillance throughout south central Montana.
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(Photo source: Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks)