While the deer shotgun seasons have come and gone in Iowa, the Department of Natural Resources is still looking for deer samples to test for chronic wasting disease (CWD).

The DNR’s wildlife staff has a goal of collecting 5,465 samples, the bulk of which come during the aforementioned shotgun seasons. While Guthrie and Adair counties are not considered target areas by the DNR, each county still has a quota of at least 15 samples. Since testing began in 2002, the DNR has collected more than 62,500 tissue samples to study the presence of CWD in Iowa‘s wild deer herd.

CWD is a neurological disease that attacks the brain of infected deer and elk causing weight loss, abnormal behavior, loss of bodily functions, and death. The disease first appeared in Iowa’s wild deer herd in 2013. Since then the DNR has placed extra emphasis on studying the disease’s effects and slowing its spread among the deer populations.

Contact: Saylorville Wildlife Management Unit- (712)-330-6685

Biologist: Bill Bunger (515)-975-8318