New Plans for Chronic Wasting Disease Management

Chronic wasting disease, known as CWD, has been making its way throughout Pennsylvania since its discovery in 2012. In an attempt to control the spread of the disease, the Pennsylvania Game Commission has a CWD response plan. A new phase of the response plan has created eight Enhanced Surveillance Units in which it is offering Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) tags for the 2020-2021 hunting season. The DMAP program is designed to provide landowners with additional means to manage deer on their property as well as hunters with opportunities to harvest deer. The Enhanced Surveillance Units are designed for hunters to use DMAP permits to harvest deer and submit the heads for CWD testing. The units are located at the edge of where the disease occurs or in areas far from other CWD locations. The permits will allow hunters to take antlerless deer within the surveillance units and went on sale on July 30^th.

CWD infectious agents are extremely resistant in the environment and because of this the spread of the disease can be difficult to contain. The infectious agents can be spread through animal to animal contact, bodily fluid and tissue, and contaminated drinking water or food. It is also possible that the disease can survive in the soil of pastures for an indeterminate time and can be contracted through that contact. Because of its persistence in the environment, it is very difficult to eradicate and determine an area to be free of CWD.

Hunting may be used to help control CWD transmission by reducing deer density and removing infected deer. With more deer are in the environment, the rate of contact between deer increases and with it the chance that a deer will have contact with a CWD positive deer which will increase disease transmission. Individuals can also reduce disease transmission by avoiding activities that concentrate animals such as baiting or feeding deer or keeping them in captivity. Hunters within CWD Disease Management Areas (DMAs) designated by the PGC should also deposit their high-risk parts, which include head, spinal cord, spleen, tonsils, and lymph nodes, in a high-risk parts disposal dumpster. Testing is available for free in any DMA for a harvested deer if deposited within a head collection container and hunters will be notified of the results. Hunters should take precautions to avoid harvesting deer that appear sick and should avoid consuming high-risk parts.

For more information, visit the PA Game Commission CWD page or the Penn State Extension article on precautions for hunters within CWD areas.