With the conclusion of the 2023-24 deer hunting season several months ago, the Pennsylvania Game Commission has released new information on their efforts to monitor and research Chronic Wasting Disease. The new numbers are all testing results after July 2023.
Since July, the Game Commission collected nearly 11,000 CWD samples, with over 7,000 samples from hunter-harvested deer. Out of the hunter-harvested samples, 291 tested positive for CWD. So far, the total number of CWD-positive deer for the 2023-24 period in all 11,000 samples has exceeded 440, which is a slight increase from 426 positive cases in the 2022-23 period.
“Monitoring CWD is vital for managing its spread,” stated Andrea Korman, CWD Section Supervisor. “CWD is a significant threat to our deer and elk populations. Knowing where it exists helps us target our efforts to prevent more infections.”
The CWD Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) has been one of the key strategies, focusing on targeted deer harvesting and monitoring. For the 2023-24 season, there were 10 designated CWD DMAP units across Pennsylvania.
The Game Commission also established three Containment Zones (CZs) last fall. These zones, roughly one mile in radius, are centered around locations where high-priority CWD-positive deer were found, helping to limit the spread of the disease.
During the 2023-24 hunting season, most CWD-positive cases were identified in DMA 2, located in south-central Pennsylvania. This area, which includes parts of Bedford, Blair, Franklin, Fulton, and Huntingdon counties, has reported nearly 90% of Pennsylvania’s CWD cases since the disease was first detected there in 2012.
Furthermore, an ongoing CWD research project in Bedford and Fulton counties is in its second year. This study, which involves capturing and collaring deer, has collared 95 deer to date. It is a collaborative effort with the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Penn State University and the Wildlife Futures Program at Penn Vet.
The CWD Surveillance Dashboard, which is updated weekly, provides the public with ongoing and historical data about the disease in Pennsylvania.
