Hunter assistance still needed in specific units for CWD monitoring

The Arizona Game and Fish Department is asking for assistance from archery hunters in game management units 37A, 37B and 38M to assist the department’s monitoring efforts for chronic wasting disease (CWD).

The department is still trying to obtain the desired number of samples from these units for testing. Hunters who harvest a deer from these units are asked to contact the department’s Tucson office (520-628-5376) or Mesa office (480-981-9400 or Phoenix headquarters (602-942-3000) to arrange to bring the deer head to the office so a lymph node can be extracted. If you can’t bring the head by the office, please contact us anyway to see if we can make other arrangements.

CWD is a neurological disease that is fatal to deer and elk. It has not yet been detected in Arizona, but it has been found in three neighboring states—Colorado, Utah and New Mexico. The department has tested more than 8,300 deer and elk in Arizona since beginning its monitoring program in 1998. Currently, there is no evidence that CWD poses a risk for humans.

To learn more about CWD, visit www.azgfd.gov/cwd.