The discovery of chronic wasting disease in four new areas has prompted Saskatchewan to expand the scope of its control program.
Marv Hlady of the environment department’s fish and wildlife division said new positive tests in wild deer were confirmed in the South Saskatchewan River valley near Dundurn, near Gronlid in the northeast, near Rabbit Lake in the northwest and in the Great Sand Hills.
As well, the province has enlarged the herd reduction areas that it established several years ago.
“We’re hoping to find the scope of the infection in the province,” he said. “We need increased sampling from the areas around the positive cases.”
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Forty-seven positive cases were reported in 2006, bringing the total to 150 since 2000. Of those, 114 were mule deer and 36 were white-tailed deer.
Hunters have submitted more than 32,000 deer heads since the department began its testing program. The number of positive tests has been growing by about 10 a year.
Hlady said the numbers might be different if more hunters turned in samples from all areas of the province.
“Hunters are reluctant to turn in samples outside the Earn-A-Buck areas,” he said.
These areas are the herd reduction areas and wildlife management zones where Saskatchewan hunters are issued two CWD permits, one for an antlerless animal and one for a small buck (three points or less). Hunters who submit the heads from these two animals can buy a big game management licence for $19.81.
