Hunting News

Test results show no evidence of CWD in state

Test results show no evidence of CWD in state

By New Hampshire Fish and Game Department

New Hampshire’s white-tailed deer population again showed no evidence of chronic wasting disease based on monitoring data gathered during the 2019 and 2020 hunting seasons.

The Fish and Game Department is asking hunters to do their part in the effort to keep the state CWD-free by not using natural urine-based deer lures and following state restrictions on importing carcasses from CWD-positive jurisdictions.

Dan Bergeron, Wildlife Program supervisor, recently received results from a federally certified veterinary diagnostic laboratory which indicated that CWD was not detected in any of the deer tissue samples taken during the 2019 and 2020 New Hampshire fall hunting seasons.

Between 2019 and 2020, 735 tissue samples from hunter-killed deer were tested by the Fish and Game Department with significant support from USDA Wildlife Services in Concord. New Hampshire’s monitoring program is part of a nationwide effort to stop the spread of CWD. Since 2002 when the monitoring program began, 7,402 deer have been tested in the state.

“While it is good news that New Hampshire remains CWD-free, we are asking hunters to help our herd by not using natural urine-based deer lures when hunting, because these products can potentially spread CWD,” Bergeron said. Fish and Game recommends hunters choose from among the many effective synthetic lures available on the market today.

CWD is a neurological disorder always fatal to white-tailed deer, moose, mule deer, elk and other cervids. It is not currently believed that CWD is transmissible to humans, however hunters are still advised not to consume animals that may potentially have CWD.

To view a map of CWD-positive locations, and information about keeping New Hampshire free of CWD, click here.

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Copyright 2020 by Buckmasters, Ltd