The Lone Star State’s most prominent wildlife species saw its first recorded case of chronic wasting disease (CWD) earlier this summer in Medina County.
It put many Texas wildlife experts on alert. And prompted state officials to temporarily restrict the sale and movement of white-tailed deer in July.
But hunters and landowners shouldn’t see a change this fall.
“What hunters can expect is we’re really not anticipating any mandatory check stations like we have out in West Texas, because we believe the Texas Animal Health Commission herd plan for the site where we know CWD exists will provide the appropriate controls,” Clayton Wolf, Wildlife Division director for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), said.
TPWD staff will want to collect samples from adjoining areas and focus on Medina County. That’s where the large network of hunters and landowners will come into play, being part of the solution and disease management effort.
“By just simply making their harvest available and allowing us to collect samples, they’ll be doing a big part,” Wolf said.
Hunters can also play a role in distributing facts. CWD information is available on the TPWD website.
Listen to the full report on the TFB Radio Network: http://bit.ly/1hlMIeD.