Ag News

CWD confirmed in third deer; Lowndes added to management area

On Oct. 1, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) notified hunting license holders in Berrien, Lanier and Lowndes counties that a 2 ½ year-old buck in Lanier County tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).

The landowner, in cooperation with DNR, collected the deer for disease monitoring (including CWD and Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD)). The location of this new positive deer sample is approximately 5 miles south of the previous two detections of CWD announced in January and April.  

“While the discovery of the third CWD positive deer is not good news, it is still in the same area,” DNR spokesperson Melissa Cummings said. “The proximity of this new positive to the initial positive was less than 5 miles, so that meant our CWD Management Area added only 1 county (Lowndes), but that our efforts to work with hunters, landowners, processors and taxidermists in the area would continue with same objectives.”

In accordance with the agency’s CWD Management Plan, a five-mile radius has been set around this new positive sample and counties that are within the five-mile radius will be part of the CWD Management Area (CMA) for enhanced surveillance. The updated CMA (as of Oct. 1) will include Lanier, Berrien and now Lowndes counties.

The DNR encouraged hunters to continue hunting in those counties, and to have any deer harvested in those counties tested for CWD.

Testing is free and helps DNR’s Wildlife Resources Division (WRD) monitor the deer herd in these counties. Hunters can take harvested deer to a pre-approved processer or taxidermist location or drop the head of the harvested deer off at an established freezer location. For more info and a map of sampling locations at www.GeorgiaWildlife.com/cwd/testing.  

The agency also asked hunters to tell others to keep hunting in the area and that testing is free and provides assistance in monitoring CWD.

For more information about CWD, Visit www.GeorgiaWildlife.com/cwd.

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