Harvest a deer? Better get it checked for chronic wasting disease

SALT LAKE CITY — Successful deer hunters on many of Utah's hunting units are being asked to stop at check stations during fall hunts.

Officials across the state will be checking for chronic wasting disease, a transmissible condition that affects the nervous systems of deer, elk and moose. Infected animals develop brain lesions, appear listless, have droopy ears and will eventually die. In the early stages of the disease, deer appear healthy (including animals that may be harvested by hunters), so the only way to know whether your deer is infected is to test it.

The data collected at check stations is crucial to helping the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources monitor chronic wasting disease and maintain healthy deer populations in Utah. A total of 435 mule deer and 11 elk have tested positive for the disease in Utah, according to the division. The disease is found primarily in the northeastern and southeastern parts of the state.

If you shot a deer this year that was extremely thin, walking in tight circles or had excess saliva, the DWR encourages you to get it tested. There are technicians in every region of the state who can test deer for chronic wasting disease.

For more information, visit wildlife.utah.gov.

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