Game commission warns Pa. hunters of harvesting in high-risk CWD states
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WJAC) — Those who travel out of state to hunt deer, elk, mule deer or moose are being reminded they may not be able to bring the animal back without first removing carcass parts that are at high risk for chronic wasting disease.
According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, by doing this, there is a reduced risk for spreading CWD to new areas in Pennsylvania.
The Game Commission says there are now 25 states and three Canadian provinces from which high-risk parts cannot be imported into Pennsylvania.
According to the Game Commission, they are: Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming; as well as the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Quebec.
High-risk animal parts are the head, spinal cord, spleen and the skull plate with attached antlers if there’s no visible brain or spinal cord tissue.
Officials say hunters are still able to transport the meat from the animal as long as the backbone is not present.
Pennsylvania hunters in high-risk CWD states should check with that state’s local wildlife agency to find out how and where they can have their animal tested, the Game Commission says.
For more information on Pennsylvania’s Disease Management Areas, you can visit www.pgc.pa.gov.
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