North Dakota Outdoors and beyond

Samples taken from North Dakota deer during the 2012 hunting season have all tested negative for chronic wasting disease, according to Dr. Dan Grove, wildlife veterinarian for the State Game and Fish Department.

Last fall, samples for CWD testing were taken from more than 1,300 deer harvested by hunters in the western third of the state.

“As always, the success of our surveillance program could not be accomplished without the cooperative efforts of hunters, meat processors and taxidermists,” Grove said.

Since the Game and Fish Department’s sampling efforts began in 2002, more than 23,000 deer, elk and moose have tested negative for CWD. Three mule deer, one each in 2009, 2010 and 2011, taken from unit 3F2 in southwestern North Dakota tested positive. All three were within 15 miles of each other.

The hunter-harvested surveillance program annually collects samples taken from hunter-harvested deer in specific regions of the state. The Game and Fish Department also has a targeted surveillance program that is an ongoing, year-round effort to test animals found dead or sick.

CWD affects the nervous system of members of the deer family and is always fatal. Scientists have found no evidence that CWD can be transmitted naturally to humans or livestock.

CWD Surveillance Continues

The state Game and Fish Department will continue its Hunter-Harvested Surveillance program during the 2012 hunting season, by sampling deer for chronic wasting disease and bovine tuberculosis from 17 units in North Dakota. In addition, all moose and elk harvested in the state are eligible for testing.

Samples from hunter-harvested deer taken in the western portion of the state will be tested from units 3A1, 3A2, 3A3, 3B1, 3B2, 3D1, 3D2, 3E1, 3E2, 3F1, 3F2, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E and 4F.

Every head sampled must have either the deer tag attached, or a new tag can be filled out with the license number, deer hunting unit and date harvested.

Hunters are encouraged to drop off deer heads at the following locations:

• ·         Alexander – Old School Meat Processing
• ·         Bismarck – Game and Fish Department headquarters, M&M Sausage and Meats, West Dakota Meats, Call of the Wild Taxidermy
• ·         Crosby – Crosby Water Plant
• ·         Dickinson – Dickinson Game and Fish district office, Dean’s Meat Market
• ·         Dunn Center – Lake Ilo National Wildlife Refuge
• ·         Elgin – Gunny’s Bait and Tackle, Melvin’s Taxidermy
• ·         Foxholm – Upper Souris NWR
• ·         Glen Ullin – Kuntz’s Butcher Shop
• ·         Hazen – Hazen Meats
• ·         Hettinger – Dakota Packing
• ·         Kenmare – Des Lacs NWR, Lostwood NWR, Seykora’s Meat Processing
• ·         Mandan – Butcher Block Meats
• ·         Mohall – Engebretson Processing
• ·         New Leipzig – Hertz Hardware
• ·         Parshall – Myers Meats
• ·         Riverdale – Riverdale Game and Fish district office
• ·         Roseglen – Giffey Taxidermy
• ·         Scranton – Hettich Salvage, Wolf’s Processing
• ·         Stanley – Stanley High School
• ·         Williston – Williston Game and Fish district office, Mertin Kirschbaum, Scenic Sports, Bickler Taxidermy, Zerr’s Taxidermy.

Moose and elk heads should be taken to a Game and Fish office.

CWD affects the nervous system of members of the deer family and is always fatal. Scientists have found no evidence that CWD can be transmitted naturally to humans or livestock.

The 2012 proclamation establishing guidelines for transporting deer, elk and moose carcasses and carcass parts into and within North Dakota is now in effect as a precaution against the possible spread of chronic wasting disease.

Dr. Dan Grove, State Game and Fish Department wildlife veterinarian, said three consecutive years of surveillance in deer hunting unit 3F2 have resulted in a total of three CWD positive animals. “The harvest locations of these animals are clustered within an area in 3F2 along major waterways and extend close to surrounding units,” Grove said. “Using a combination of data from winter surveys in 2009, 2010 and 2011, new research into the spread of CWD on the landscape conducted in Alberta and Nebraska, and a proactive approach to managing disease, it has been decided to extend the baiting ban into the deer hunting units surrounding 3F2. This ban will help curb the potential spread of CWD and artificial movement of deer via man-made causes.”

Therefore, hunting big game over bait is prohibited in deer units 3C, 3E1, 3E2, 3F1 and 3F2. Bait, in this case, includes grain, seed, mineral, salt, fruit, vegetable nut, hay or any other natural or manufactured food placed by an individual. Bait does not include agricultural practices, gardens, wildlife food plots, agricultural crops, livestock feeds, fruit or vegetables in their natural location such as apples on or under an apple tree, or unharvested food or vegetables in a garden.

In addition, hunters harvesting a big game animal this fall in North Dakota deer unit 3F2 cannot transport a carcass containing the head and spinal column outside of the unit unless it’s taken directly to a meat processor. The head can be removed from the carcass and transported outside of the unit if it is to be submitted to a State Game and Fish Department district office, CWD surveillance drop-off location or a licensed taxidermist.

If the deer is processed in the field to boned meat and the hunter wants to leave the head in the field, the head must be legally tagged and the hunter must be able to return to or give the exact location of the head if requested for verification.

Hunters are prohibited from transporting into North Dakota the whole carcass, or certain carcass parts, of deer, elk, moose or other members of the cervid family from areas within states and provinces with documented occurrences of CWD in wild populations, or from farmed cervid operations within states and provinces that have had farmed cervids diagnosed with CWD. Only the following portions of the carcass can be transported:

• Meat that is cut and wrapped either commercially or privately.
• Quarters or other portions of meat with no part of the spinal column or head attached.
• Meat that has been boned out.
• Hides with no heads attached.
• Clean (no meat or tissue attached) skull plates with antlers attached.
• Antlers with no meat or tissue attached.
• Upper canine teeth, also known as buglers, whistlers or ivories.
• Finished taxidermy heads.

The following game management units, equivalent wildlife management units, or counties have had free-ranging deer, moose or elk diagnosed with CWD, and importation of harvested elk, white-tailed deer, mule deer, moose or other cervids from these areas are restricted.

• ·         North Dakota – Deer unit 3F2. Gutted/eviscerated carcasses being taken to a North Dakota meat processor are exempt, as are heads removed from the carcass and taken to a licensed taxidermist or provided to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department for submission for CWD surveillance purposes.
• ·         Alberta – Wildlife management units 150, 151, 163, 234, 236, 256, 728.
• ·         Colorado – All game management units.
• ·         Illinois – Counties of Winnebago, Boone, McHenry, DeKalb, Ogle, LaSalle, Stephenson.
• ·         Kansas – Counties of Cheyenne, Decatur, Rawlins, Sheridan.
  • ·         Minnesota – DPA 602.
  • ·         Nebraska – Upper Platte, Platte, Plains, Sandhills, Frenchman, Buffalo and Pine Ridge units, which include the counties of Cheyenne, Kimball, Sioux, Scotts Bluff, Morrill, Sheridan, Box Butte, Dawes, Banner, Cherry, Hall, Garden, Keith, Red Willow, Deuel, Grant, Arthur.
  • ·         New Mexico – White Sands Missile Base (GMU 19), GMU 28, GMU 34.
  • ·         New York – Any deer taken within the CWD containment areas of Oneida and Madison counties.
  • ·         Saskatchewan – All wildlife management units.
  • ·         South Dakota – Prairie units WRD-21A, WRD-27A, WRD-27B; Black Hills units BHD-BH1, BHD-BD3, BHD-BD4.
  • ·         Utah – 16A, 16B, 16C, 13A, 13B, 8A, 8B, 8C, 9A, 9B, 9C, 9D.
  • ·         Virginia – Frederick County.
  • ·         West Virginia – Hampshire County.
  • ·         Wisconsin – Any deer registered with a Wisconsin DNR Red Registration Tag from the area designated as the Disease Eradication Zone or Herd Reduction Zone including deer management zones 54B-CWD, 70-CWD, 70A-CWD, 70B-CWD, 70C-CWD, 70D-CWD, 70E-CWD, 70F-CWD, 70G-CWD, 71-CWD, 73B-CWD, 73E-CWD, 75A-CWD, 75B-CWD, 75C-CWD, 75D-CWD, 76-CWD, 76A-CWD, 76M-CWD, 77A-CWD, 77B-CWD, 77C-CWD, Washburn County.
  • ·         Wyoming – All deer and elk units.

In addition, the following states and provinces have had farmed deer, elk, moose or other cervids diagnosed with CWD, and importation of farmed deer, elk, moose and other cervid carcasses or their parts are restricted: Alberta, Colorado, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New York, Oklahoma, Saskatchewan, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Additional areas will be added as necessary and listed on the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov.

Because each state and province has its own set of rules and regulations, hunters should contact the state or province in which they will hunt to obtain more information.

Hunters with questions can contact the North Dakota Game and Fish Department at (701) 328-6300, or email ndgf@nd.gov.

A mule deer taken from unit 3F2 during opening weekend of the deer gun season has tested positive for chronic wasting disease.

Dr. Dan Grove, North Dakota Game and Fish Department wildlife veterinarian, said a hunter shot a doe in western Grant County and submitted the head for testing as part of the hunter-harvested surveillance program. Testing was performed at Michigan State University. As of Tuesday, Nov. 22, Game and Fish was awaiting verification of initial tests results from a lab at Iowa State University.

“According to the hunter, the animal looked healthy,” Grove said. “It showed no visible signs of having any health issues.”

This is the third deer to test positive for CWD, and all three were from taken from unit 3F2 in southwestern North Dakota. The first two were during the 2009 and 2010 deer gun seasons. All three were within 15 miles of each other.

“The latest positive emphasizes the importance of continued monitoring along with current and expanding CWD restrictions in and around this unit,” Grove said.

The hunter-harvested surveillance program annually collects samples taken from hunter-harvested deer in specific regions of the state. In addition to unit 3F2, samples during the 2011 deer gun season were collected from units in the central third of the state.

CWD affects the nervous system of members of the deer family and is always fatal. Scientists have found no evidence that CWD can be transmitted naturally to humans or livestock.

The state Game and Fish Department will continue its Hunter-Harvested Surveillance program during the 2011 hunting season, by sampling deer for chronic wasting disease and bovine tuberculosis from 12 units in North Dakota. In addition, all moose and elk harvested in the state are eligible for testing.

Samples from hunter-harvested deer taken in the central portion of the state will be tested from units 2H, 2I, 2J1, 2J2, 2K1, 2K2, 3A4, 3B3 and 3C. In addition, deer will be tested from units 2C and 2D in the northeast, and unit 3F2 in the southwest.

Every head sampled must have either the deer tag attached, or a new tag can be filled out with the license number, deer hunting unit and date harvested.

Hunters are encouraged to drop off deer heads at the following locations:

• ·         Ashley – Ashley Super Valu
• ·         Bismarck – Game and Fish Department headquarters, Call of the Wild Taxidermy, M&M Sausage and Meats, West Dakota Meats
• ·         Bottineau – Mattern Family Meats
• ·         Carrington – Barton Meats
• ·         Devils Lake – Devils Lake Game and Fish district office, Goldade Processing
• ·         Edgeley – Edgeley Meat Processing
• ·         Granville – S&E Meats
• ·         Harvey – Lonetree Game and Fish district office
• ·         Heaton – Miller Game Processing
• ·         Jamestown – Jamestown Game and Fish district office
• ·         Kulm – Peoples Meat Market
• ·         Linton – Bosch’s Meat Market, Schmaltz Meats
• ·         Mandan – Butcher Block Meats
• ·         Minot – S&K Processing, Hensen’s Fur and Leather
• ·         Moffit – Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge office
• ·         Parshall – Myers Custom Meats
• ·         Riverdale – Riverdale Game and Fish district office
• ·         Sheyenne – Brenno Meats, Wild Things Taxidermy
• ·         Steele – Devore Custom Meats
• ·         Turtle Lake – Barry’s Jack and Jill
• ·         Upham – J. Clark Salyer NWR office
• ·         Westhope – Country Meats
• ·         Woodworth – Chase Lake NWR office.

Drop off locations for deer taken from units 2C and 2D:

• ·         Aneta – Aneta Meats Service
• ·         Edinburg – Market on Main Meats
• ·         Fordville – Fordville Wildlife Club (Baier Body and Glass)
• ·         Grand Forks – Bob’s Oil, Ted’s Taxidermy
• ·         Langdon – Hickory Hut
• ·         Larimore – Glenn’s EZ Stop
• ·         Park River – Jim’s Super Valu
• ·         Reynolds – Weber’s Meats
• ·         Walhalla – Walhalla Co-op

Drop off locations for deer taken from unit 3F2:

• ·         Elgin – Gunny’s Bait and Tackle, Melvin’s Taxidermy
• ·         Glen Ullin – Kuntz’s Butcher Shop
• ·         Hettinger – Dakota Packing
• ·         New Leipzig – Hertz Hardware

Moose and elk heads should be taken to a Game and Fish office.

CWD affects the nervous system of members of the deer family and is always fatal. Scientists have found no evidence that CWD can be transmitted naturally to humans or livestock.

Proclamation Includes Hunting over Bait, Transportation Restrictions in Unit 3F2

North Dakotans hunting big game in other states and provinces are familiar with chronic wasting disease and the proclamation established for transporting deer, elk and moose carcasses and carcass parts into the state. However, this year’s proclamation has additional safety measures for hunters within the state, specifically the area in southwestern North Dakota known as deer hunting unit 3F2.

Greg Link, assistant wildlife chief for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, said because a mule deer taken last fall in unit 3F2 tested positive for CWD, guidelines were established to prohibit hunting big game over bait in unit 3F2. Also included in the proclamation is carcasstransportation guidelines for animals harvested within the unit.

“Unfortunately, a hunter-harvested deer tested positive for CWD in 2009, and this required the state to implement prevention measures within North Dakota as well,” Link said. “These measures are intended to reduce the likelihood of spreading CWD within North Dakota.”

This means hunters harvesting a big game animal in deer unit 3F2 cannot transport a carcass containing the head and spinal column outside of the unit unless it’s taken directly to a state-inspected meat processor. The head can be removed from the carcass and transported outside of the unit if it is to be submitted to a CWD surveillance drop-off location or a licensed taxidermist. Upon arrival at a drop-off location, paperwork will be available for transporting the meat to its final place of storage.

“A letter will be mailed to all hunters with a 3F2 deer gun license with additional details and instructions,” Link said. “Bowhunters hunting in unit 3F2 should contact the Game and Fish Department with any inquiries, including where to submit heads for CWD testing purposes. Drop-off locations for CWD testing during the deer gun season will be announced in late October.”

The second provision within North Dakota, consistent with South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks and Standing Rock Game and Fish Department regulations, prohibits hunting big game over bait in deer unit 3F2. Bait, in this case, includes grain, seed, mineral, salt, fruit, vegetable nut, hay or any other natural or manufactured food placed by an individual. Bait does not include agricultural practices, gardens, wildlife food plots, agricultural crops, livestock feeds, fruit or vegetables in their natural location such as apples on or under an apple tree, or unharvested food or vegetables in a garden.

As in the past, the proclamation still prohibits hunters from transporting into North Dakota the whole carcass, or certain carcass parts, of deer, elk, moose or other members of the cervid family from areas within states and provinces with documented occurrences of CWD in wild populations, or from farmed cervid operations within states and provinces that have had farmed cervids diagnosed with CWD. Only the following portions of the carcass can be transported:

• Meat that is cut and wrapped either commercially or privately.
• Quarters or other portions of meat with no part of the spinal column or head attached.
• Meat that has been boned out.
• Hides with no heads attached.
• Clean (no meat or tissue attached) skull plates with antlers attached.
• Antlers with no meat or tissue attached.
• Upper canine teeth, also known as buglers, whistlers or ivories.
• Finished taxidermy heads.

The following game management units, equivalent wildlife management units, or counties have had free-ranging deer, moose or elk diagnosed with CWD, and importation of harvested elk, white-tailed deer, mule deer, moose or other cervids from these areas are restricted.

• North Dakota – Deer unit 3F2. Gutted/eviscerated carcasses being taken to a North Dakota state-inspected meat processor are exempt, as are heads removed from the carcass and taken to a licensed taxidermist or provided to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department for submission for CWD surveillance purposes.

• Alberta – Wildlife management units 150, 151, 163, 234, 236, 256, 728.
• Colorado – All game management units.

• Illinois – Counties of Winnebago, Boone, McHenry, DeKalb, Ogle, LaSalle, Stephenson.
• Kansas – Counties of Cheyenne, Decatur, Rawlins, Sheridan.
• Nebraska – Upper Platte, Platte, Plains, Sandhills, Frenchman, Buffalo and Pine Ridge units, which include the counties of Cheyenne, Kimball, Sioux, Scotts Bluff, Morrill, Sheridan, Box Butte, Dawes, Banner, Cherry, Hall, Garden, Keith, Red Willow, Deuel, Grant, Arthur.
• New Mexico – White Sands Missile Base (GMU 19), GMU 28, GMU 34.
• New York – Any deer taken within the CWD containment areas of Oneida and Madison counties.
• Saskatchewan – Wildlife management zones 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 24, 25, 29, 43, 45, 46, 47, 49, 50, 68 South and Fort a la Corne Wildlife Management Unit.
• South Dakota – Prairie units WRD-21A, WRD-27A, WRD-27B; Black Hills units BHD-BH1, BHD-BD3, BHD-BD4.
• Utah – 16A, 16B, 16C, 13A, 13B, 8A, 8B, 8C, 9A, 9B, 9C, 9D.
• Virginia – Frederick County.
• West Virginia – Hampshire County.
• Wisconsin – Any deer registered with a Wisconsin DNR Red Registration Tag from the area designated as the Disease Eradication Zone or Herd Reduction Zone including deer management zones 54B-CWD, 70-CWD, 70A-CWD, 70B-CWD, 70C-CWD, 70D-CWD, 70E-CWD, 70F-CWD, 70G-CWD, 71-CWD, 73B-CWD, 73E-CWD, 75A-CWD, 75B-CWD, 75C-CWD, 75D-CWD, 76-CWD, 76A-CWD, 76M-CWD, 77A-CWD, 77B-CWD, 77C-CWD.
• Wyoming – All deer and elk units.

In addition, the following states and provinces have had farmed deer, elk, moose or other cervids diagnosed with CWD, and importation of farmed deer, elk, moose and other cervid carcasses or their parts are restricted: Alberta, Colorado, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New York, Oklahoma, Saskatchewan, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Additional areas will be added as necessary and listed on the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov.

Because each state and province has its own set of rules and regulations, hunters should contact the state or province in which they will hunt to obtain more information.

Hunters with questions can contact the North Dakota Game and Fish Department at (701) 328-6300, or e-mail ndgf@nd.gov.

Most will shrug off a post about chronic wasting disease, aquatic nuisance species, West Nile or bird flu discussion. Even if you don’t see a direct impact or night and day change in how you spend time hunting, fishing, trapping or other outdoor activity it does. So when the news comes out on expanded CWD efforts, take note, please. Maybe not for the direct hunter activity, but understand these issues take time, energy, resources and money. Money agencies could be putting to work on game management, habitat improvement or species research. Yep, it all adds up…the good and the bad. 

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Game and Fish, and South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks are coordinating efforts to increase surveillance in and around the location where a mule deer taken last fall in southwestern North Dakota tested positive for chronic wasting disease.
According to officials, all three agencies will sample hunter-harvested deer, elk and moose, road kills and sick-acting animals.
The increased surveillance area includes North Dakota deer hunting unit 3F2 (eastern Adams County, southeastern Hettinger County, southern Grant County, south central Morton County and all of Sioux County), the Standing Rock Reservation, and South Dakota deer units 53A (northern Perkins County) and 20A (Corson County).
The majority of collections will occur during each agency’s deer rifle season, with coordinated collection efforts from hunter harvested animals planned for November. Additional details regarding collection points will be distributed prior to this fall’s deer rifle seasons.
North Dakota Game and Fish officials were notified in March that a sick-looking mule deer taken last fall in western Sioux County tested positive for CWD, the first time an animal has tested positive in North Dakota.
Since the location is near the South Dakota border, SDGFP will expand their monitoring efforts to the northwest. CWD efforts had been concentrated in southwestern South Dakota where the disease is established – the Black Hills and Custer and Fall River counties. In addition, SDGFP has a statewide surveillance program that samples sick deer when they are reported.
In addition to targeted surveillance, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department has sampled the entire state twice by annually collecting samples taken from hunter-harvested deer in specific regions of the state. Since sampling efforts in North Dakota began in 2002, more than 14,000 deer, elk and moose have tested negative for CWD.
CWD affects the nervous system of members of the deer family and is always fatal. Scientists have found no evidence that CWD can be transmitted naturally to humans or livestock.
For additional information regarding CWD sampling in these areas, or to report a sick acting deer, contact the appropriate agency: North Dakota Game and Fish Department, Bismarck – (701) 328-6300; Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Fort Yates – (701) 854-7236; South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, Rapid City – (605) 394-2391, or Mobridge – (605) 845-7814.

Few people stop and realize the threats of aquatic nuisance species or disease such as chronic wasting disease. It seems we almost feel it’s inevitable we’ll be dealing with them and maybe don’t do enough to put into practice the preventive measures? Here’s another one we MUST take notice of:

June 7–13 has been designated as North Dakota’s “Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Awareness Week.” Several communities around the state are planning events to increase public awareness of the impact this destructive exotic beetle will have on North Dakota’s urban forests. The ND Forest Service and ND Department of Agriculture have also secured a Governor’s Proclamation recognizing the awareness efforts, see the following proclamation.
City foresters will be placing informational flyers on hundreds of publicly-owned ash trees to highlight the tree loss this pest will cause. Green ash is the most common tree species in most North Dakota communities, representing 35-65% of the urban forest. EAB has not been found in North Dakota, but monitoring efforts continue. Purple prism traps, designed for early detection of EAB, are being placed throughout the state to coincide with the time when adult insects emerge.
Emerald ash borer is an insect pest of ash trees that was imported into the United States in the mid-1990s in packing material. Since EAB was first identified in the Detroit, Michigan, area in 2002, the insect has spread to fourteen states and two Canadian provinces. EAB’s rapid long-distance spread has been attributed to human transport of infested firewood, nursery stock or in wood products made with untreated ash wood. The nearest known infestation is in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.

Overall this is pretty good news, look to other states and the extensive resources in time, manpower & money directed towards CWD and we feel fortunate in ND:

The remaining 1,000 North Dakota deer samples that were tested for chronic wasting disease and bovine tuberculosis are negative, according to Dr. Dan Grove, wildlife veterinarian for the State Game and Fish Department.

In all, more than 3,000 targeted and hunter-harvested samples from 2009 were sent to a lab in Minnesota. One mule deer taken last fall in unit 3F2 in western Sioux County tested positive for CWD, the first positive sample taken from a North Dakota animal.

Grove said one positive test result is not cause for alarm as the deer population remains healthy. “We’ve had a plan in place because of the presence of CWD outside of the state’s borders,” he added. “It is of high importance, however, that hunters continue to provide heads for testing.”

The deer population in unit 3F2 is above management goals, Grove said, so sampling efforts and hunter pressure will continue to be put on the population in the unit again this fall.

In addition to sampling 3F2, the Game and Fish Department will continue its three-year rotation of the Hunter-Harvested Surveillance program by sampling deer this fall from units in the eastern third of the state. In addition, all moose and elk harvested in the state, regardless of hunting units, are eligible for sampling.

Since the department’s sampling efforts began in 2002, more than 16,000 deer, elk and moose have tested negative for CWD.

CWD affects the nervous system of members of the deer family and is always fatal. Scientists have found no evidence that CWD can be

CWD Found in Southwestern North Dakota Deer

North Dakota Game and Fish Department officials were notified this morning by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Veterinary Services that a sick-looking mule deer taken last fall in western Sioux County has tested positive for chronic wasting disease. This is the first time CWD has been detected in a North Dakota animal.

Dr. Dan Grove, Game and Fish Department wildlife veterinarian, said a hunter in unit 3F2 shot an adult buck that did not appear to be healthy. “As we do with our targeted surveillance efforts, we collected the sample to test for CWD and bovine tuberculosis,” Grove said.

The Game and Fish Department’s targeted surveillance program is an ongoing, year-round effort that tests animals found dead or sick.

“We have been constantly monitoring and enhancing our surveillance efforts for CWD because of its presence in bordering states and provinces,” said Greg Link, Game and Fish Department assistant wildlife division chief.

In addition to targeted surveillance, the department annually collects samples taken from hunter-harvested deer in specific regions of the state. In January, more than 3,000 targeted and hunter-harvested samples were sent to a lab in Minnesota. As of today, about two-thirds of the samples have been tested, with the one positive result. The remaining one-third will be tested over the next month.

Link said monitoring efforts have intensified in recent years and all units have been completed twice throughout the entire state.

“The deer population in unit 3F2 is above management goals, and hunter pressure will continue to be put on the population in that unit again this fall,” Link said. “We are going to be aggressive with licenses and disease surveillance in that unit.”

Since the department’s sampling efforts began in 2002, more than 14,000 deer, elk and moose have tested negative for CWD.

CWD affects the nervous system of members of the deer family and is always fatal. Scientists have found no evidence that CWD can be transmitted naturally to humans or livestock.