Game and Fish proposes expanding management zone

Benton, Washington counties included in plan after CWD found in four deer

SPRINGDALE — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission proposes to expand the state’s chronic wasting disease management zone to include Benton, Washington, Crawford, Sebastian and Franklin counties

The commission wants to expand the zone after chronic wasting disease was found in four deer last year in Benton, Washington and Sebastian counties. The agency outlined the proposals Thursday evening at a public comment meeting held at Cross Church in Springdale. About 200 people attended.

The disease, commonly called CWD, is fatal to deer, elk and moose infected. It first appeared in 1967 in Colorado and is known in 24 states, including Arkansas.

CWD was first discovered in Arkansas when an elk killed by a hunter near Ponca in October 2016 tested positive. To date, 343 Arkansas deer and 14 elk have tested positive for CWD, said Dr. Jennifer Ballard, state wildlife veterinarian with Game and Fish.

Other proposals include requiring hunters to debone

meat from deer taken in Carroll, Boone, Madison and Newton counties if the meat is transported out of those counties. CWD is most prevalent in those counties.

Deer taken in Benton and Washington and remaining counties in the 16-county CWD management zone must be deboned if meat is transported out of the zone.

Carcasses don’t have to be deboned if they are transported within the 16-county zone.

Ballard emphasized these are only proposals from Game and Fish that will be voted on in May. Until then, the agency seeks public comment through meetings and written comments submitted online by visiting www.arkansascwd.com.

The goal of the proposals is to prevent the spread of CWD into more counties and to minimize it in those where CWD has been found, Ballard said.

“Eradication is not our goal. That’s not attainable at this time,” she said.

Hunters are encouraged keep hunting, but to get their deer tested for CWD when deer seasons open in the fall. CWD check stations are set up to take tissue samples from deer at peak times during hunting seasons. Taxidermists can take samples and samples can be taken at Game and Fish regional offices.

People are advised not to eat the meat of deer testing positive for CWD. Game and Fish will help hunters dispose of any deer testing positive, Ballard said.

A panel of Game and Fish staff took questions from the audience. One questioner proposed expanding the modern gun and muzzle-loader deer seasons to harvest more deer that may have CWD, especially bucks which carry more of the disease than does.

Another asked the panel if CWD testing kits are available to the public. They aren’t, Ballard said. Currently, samples from harvested deer or road kills are sent to Wisconsin for testing.

Game and Fish is working on having testing done within the state, she said.

It would be “an amazing resource to have” if testing kits were available to the public, Ballard said. “The technology is not there at this time.”

Game and Fish will take comments until the proposals are voted on in May.