CWD Sampling Locations in Place for Lincoln, Langlade, Oneida, Vilas, Forest and Florence Counties

CONTACT: Chuck McCullough, DNR Area Wildlife Supervisor, 715-210-5716, Charles.McCullough@wisconsin.gov

FOR ANTIGO TIMES

RHINELANDER, Wis.- In cooperation with local businesses, CWD sampling options are available to hunters across northern Wisconsin in 2019. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources staff will collect deer heads for disease detection surveillance in an effort to determine if and where CWD occurs on the landscape.

In addition to focused sampling in northern Wisconsin, additional targeted CWD surveillance will continue in two specific areas near Rhinelander. These areas include portions of Lincoln, Langlade and Oneida counties where CWD has been confirmed in three wild deer, as well as in portions of Oneida, Vilas and Forest counties where CWD has been detected on a deer farm.

Hunters who harvest an adult deer in Lincoln, Langlade, Oneida, Vilas, Forest and Florence counties are strongly encouraged to submit a sample from the deer for CWD testing at sampling locations within those counties [PDF]. CWD testing is free of charge to the hunter, and anyone submitting a sample should receive test results typically 10-14 days after the deer is brought to a sampling station.

The health of the deer herd relies on commitment from hunters. Managing CWD begins with knowing where the disease exists on the landscape, and having this knowledge is only possible with a robust sample size. Please make plans to visit one of the following sampling stations to have your deer submitted for testing.

“We’re grateful for hunters making that extra effort to have their deer sampled for CWD, and to support them, we continue to make access to sampling simpler, faster and easier each year,” said Tami Ryan, acting Wildlife Management bureau director. “Each deer sample is important because it contributes to an accurate understanding of the health of Wisconsin’s deer.”