The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) recently confirmed that a deer in Stone County has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD). The deer was harvested during the recent alternative firearms season.
The deer was taken on private land adjacent to Sylamore WMA. Stone County is already included in the existing CWD Management Zone due to the close proximity of positive samples from Searcy, Van Buren and Independence counties. AGFC Deputy Director Brad Carner says no regulation changes to the current deer season are planned.
AGFC Director Austin Booth says the agency will evaluate the need for any expansion of the CWD Management Zone and regulations concerning deer hunting during the hunting regulations setting process once the season is over. He says “Local hunters can help us a great deal by taking advantage of the free testing facilities and getting their deer tested for CWD. More hunter-harvested samples means more chances to find any new concentrations of the disease and give our staff a better picture of the landscape so they can make better informed decisions moving forward.”
CWD is a fatal neurological disease which affects deer, elk, caribou and moose. It was first detected in Arkansas in 2016. Since the first detection, AGFC has tested more than 61,000 deer and elk from across the state with 1,769 deer and 56 elk having tested positive for the disease.
For more information, visit www.agfc.com/CWD. To report sick or dead animals, call 833-356-0824.
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