Decision expected on CWD in Panhandle Management Zone

A decision on a Panhandle chronic-wasting disease management zone is expected at next week's meeting of the Idaho Fish and Game Commission.

"Staff recommend designating a permanent CWD Management Zone comprised of the portion of the Game Management Unit 1 within Boundary County and east of the Selkirk Mountains crest and require the mandatory check of all deer harvested in the GMU 1 CWD Management Zone," a Fish and Game report said.

"Sample submission from any deer harvested in the GMU 1 CWD Management Zone would be required with 10 days of harvest," the report said.

Chronic wasting disease was detected in a white-tailed deer in North Idaho in August. That prompted the Idaho Fish and Game Commission to announce a nine-day “surveillance hunt” beginning Aug. 24. 

The commission’s goal was to collect 200 samples from harvested white-tailed deer to gain a better understanding of the disease's prevalence and spread. 

This surveillance efforts yielded 169 samples from white-tailed deer, with two samples testing positive for CWD and 167 testing negative. CWD-positive samples were taken from deer harvested within 1 mile of the initial CWD-positive deer, a Fish and Game report said.

According to the report, Unit 1 is a popular hunting destination for white-tailed deer. An estimated 7,100 Idaho resident hunters harvested an estimated 2,918 white-tailed deer in Unit 1 in 2023. 

"Many of those hunters travelled from other parts of Idaho to hunt in Unit 1. Exact numbers are unknown, but undoubtedly successful hunters travel to homes in other parts of Idaho with whole white-tailed deer carcasses or heads and/or spinal material," the report said. "Additionally, an estimated 730 nonresident hunters harvested and estimated 400 white-tailed deer in Unit 1."

The Fish and Game Commission will hold a public hearing and business meeting at the Fish and Game Regional Office at 99 Highway 93 N. in Salmon. A public hearing will begin Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. MST at the same location. 

The business meeting will resume at 8 a.m. MST on Nov. 7 at the same location. Public comments are not accepted during the business meeting, but it is open to the public and available via Zoom.

The commission is also scheduled to get an update from the Hunting and Technology Working Group, which includes a few North Idaho residents.

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