Chronic Wasting Disease Found for First Time in Wild Flathead Valley Deer

Wildlife officials on Thursday announced they have detected chronic wasting disease (CWD) in a white-tailed deer in Kalispell, marking the first time CWD has been detected in a wild herd in Hunting District 170, which encompasses most of the Flathead Valley. The detection occurs just days before general hunting season is set to begin Oct. 26.

According to a press release, FWP received reports of a symptomatic buck at the Flathead County Landfill. Wildlife biologists euthanized the animal and submitted samples for testing. The first test indicated that the deer was positive for CWD and a second follow-up test has been submitted for confirmation, following testing protocol.

FWP is working with Flathead County and will survey the landfill for any other potentially symptomatic deer on the property, where wildlife managers encourage game carcass disposal.

CWD is a contagious neurological disease that infects members of the deer family, including elk, moose, mule deer, and white-tailed deer. It is always fatal, and there is no known cure. It was first detected in Montana’s wild herds in 2017.

Dillon Tabish, FWP’s information and education specialist for the region, said agency officials are encouraging hunters in HD 170 to submit their harvested deer and elk for testing, but are stopping short of requiring it. Testing will aid FWP’s assessment of CWD’s potential prevalence in the Flathead Valley.

“It’s really critical for hunters to get their harvested deer and elk tested for CWD this season, especially from Hunting District 170,” Tabish said. “Testing isn’t mandatory like it is in Libby, but right now we are trying to make it as easy and convenient as possible for hunters to submit their samples to help us assess the situation. Hunters can bring their animals directly to our office in Kalispell and we’ll collect the sample.”

Hunters can bring their harvested animal to the FWP office in Kalispell from Monday through Friday, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. for sample collection during the general hunting season. Visit FWP’s website for more details on how and where to get harvested animals tested.

Concerns over CWD shouldn’t stop hunters from enjoying hunting season, Tabish said. Rather, hunting is the primary tool for monitoring and managing the spread of CWD, and hunters are critical to conservation efforts across the state and protecting our wildlife heritage.

Tabish said hunters whose harvested deer or elk test positive for CWD are eligible for replacement tags, as long as they turn over the animal and its head.

“We’re also trying to remind landowners to not feed wildlife,” Tabish said. “It causes wildlife to congregate which is precisely the kind of environment in which the disease can spread.”

In 2020,  livestock officials reported the disease was detected in a captive game farm animal in the Flathead Valley, signaling the first time CWD had been confirmed in northwest Montana outside of the Libby area, where it has been gaining prevalence since 2019.

The local detection was made at a game farm in the Flathead Valley, though the Department of Livestock withheld the precise location and the type of animal that tested positive to protect the property owner’s identity.

CWD was first detected in captive game farms in Montana in 1999. The following year, a voter’s initiative passed banning new game farms, prohibiting existing game farms from being sold or transferred, and outlawing “canned” hunts inside game farms. Montana’s remaining game farms are “grandfathered in,” including the “alternative livestock producer” in the Flathead.

There is no known transmission of CWD to humans. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that hunters harvesting a deer, elk, or moose from an area where CWD is known to be present have their animal tested for CWD prior to consuming the meat and do not consume the meat if the animal tests positive. 

Other CWD reminders from Montana FWP:

• Carcass disposal requirements: Carcass parts, such as brain, eyes, spleen, lymph glands, and spinal cord material, should be left at the kill site when possible. If the animal is transported for taxidermy or meat processing, the brain and spinal tissue must be bagged and disposed of in a Class II landfill. A carcass may be transported within the state regardless of where it was harvested if the carcass parts are disposed of in a landfill after butchering and processing. Dumping carcasses is illegal, unethical, and can spread diseases, including chronic wasting disease. This requirement applies to all deer, elk, and moose carcasses wherever in the state they are harvested by hunters or as vehicle-killed salvage. 
• CWD sample submission is voluntary in most places in Montana. There are new mandatory testing requirements for tags associated with CWD management near Libby. Testing is required for all animals harvested using the Deer B License 199-20 in HDs 100, 103 and 104, or Deer Permit 103-50 in HD 103. All hunters who want their harvested animal sampled can submit samples themselves by following steps on the Montana CWD Submission Guide or by visiting a CWD Sampling Station.
• If you intend to use scents to either mask human odor or as an attractant for deer and elk, you should be aware of the regulations regarding which can legally be used. You are safest if you use artificial scents, but you can also use scents certified by the Responsible Hunting Scent Association. You can identify these with the DPP✓ or RtQUIC✓ labels on them.
• Don’t feed wildlife. Feeding wildlife places wildlife at risk and puts them on a collision course with humans. Wild animals being fed by humans may congregate in unnaturally high numbers, which can lead to disease spread. 

For more information on CWD in Montana, visit https://fwp.mt.gov/cwd.

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