CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is set to monitor Chronic Wasting Disease prevalence in several mule deer and elk hunt areas within the Laramie Region this year.
This effort is part of the department’s ongoing initiative to track and understand the spread of CWD, a fatal neurological disease affecting deer, elk and moose populations.
Hunters harvesting mule deer in hunt area 70, the Shirley Mountains, are required to submit samples for CWD testing, while those harvesting elk in the Snowy Range — areas 8–12, 110 and 125 — are strongly encouraged to do so voluntarily.
These hunt areas in the Laramie Region are just a handful of the total units being monitored statewide for CWD in deer and elk this year, Game and Fish said in a news release.
Acceptable samples for CWD testing include removed lymph nodes or the animal’s head with at least 4 inches of neck attached. For directions on how to identify and remove lymph nodes, please watch the Lymph Node Removal training video, available on the Game and Fish website.
Game and Fish personnel will be available at various locations to assist hunters with sample collection and submission. Additionally, head drop boxes will be stationed around these hunt areas for convenient sample drop-off. These drop boxes will have a short form to fill out and leave with the animal’s head, allowing Game and Fish to collect information about where the animal was harvested. A list of drop box locations can be found below.
Hunters can access their test results online within three weeks, free of charge. Expedited CWD testing is also available through the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory for a $40 fee. Hunters who do not wish to receive test results can notify the Game and Fish staff receiving the sample or write a comment on the submitted paperwork, the release said.
If CWD is detected, hunters are permitted to discard the meat without violating wanton waste laws. While there’s no evidence of CWD transmission to humans, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization recommend against consuming meat from infected animals.
Hunters are reminded to dispose of all big game carcasses responsibly to prevent the spread of diseases. A map of approved disposal locations is available on the Game and Fish website.
For questions about CWD monitoring in the Snowy Range or Shirley Mountains, contact one of the following:
Contact Area/Topic Covered Phone Number Teal Cufaude Saratoga Wildlife Biologist 307-321-7087 Lee Knox Laramie Wildlife Biologist 307-721-1386 Wildlife Health Laboratory CWD Monitoring and Testing Efforts 307-745-5865 Laramie Regional Office General CWD Questions 307-745-4046
Head Drop Box Locations are as follows. They are unstaffed and are available 24 hours a day unless otherwise noted.
Area Served Location Dates Available Shirley Mountains Kortes Road (CR 291; 42.24151, -106.80151) 10/15–21 Snowy Range Rattlesnake Pass Road at the Junction with Highway 130 10/1–31 Saratoga U.S. Forest Service 10/1–31 Arlington at the Junction of CR 402 and FS 111 10/1–31 Medicine Bow River Guard Station (CR 101) 10/1–31 North Brush Creek Road at the Junction with Highway 130 9/1–10/31 Junction of Highway 230 and Six Mile Road (CR 492) 10/1–31 All Laramie Region Game and Fish Office – 1212 S. Adams St., Laramie 9/1–10/31 Casper Region Game and Fish Office – 3030 Energy Lane, Casper 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Mon.–Fri., 9/2–10/31 Game and Fish Headquarters – 5400 Bishop Blvd., Cheyenne. 9/1–10/31
Staffed Field Check Station Locations are as follows and are available 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
| Area Served | Location | Dates Available |
| Shirley Mountains | Hanna (CR 291; 41.88627, -106.54145) | 10/15–21 |
| Junction of US 30 & Highway 487 (Medicine Bow) | 10/15–21 | |
| Highway 287 North (42.44678, -106.4277) | 10/15–18, 21 | |
| Bessemer Bend (Highway 220; 42.74791839, -106.5202877) | 10/19–20 | |
| Snowy Range | Highway 130 North (41.733941, -106.825355) | 10/5, 15 |
| Saratoga U.S. Forest Service | Sat.–Mon., 10/5–31 | |
| Highway 130 Snowy Range Road | Sat.–Mon., 10/5–31 |
NOTE: AI tools assisted in the publication of this news release.
