News Release- Deer from Racine County has tested positive for CWD
December 3, 2012
by:The Southeast Region
Contact(s): Tim Lizotte, CWD Operations Supervisor, 262-574-2120
Jennifer Pelej, Public Affairs Manager, 608-264-9248
MADISON -- A deer from Racine County has tested positive for chronic wasting disease, the first known CWD-positive in the county. The 3 1/2-year-old doe was harvested near Bohners Lake and volunteered to the Department of Natural Resources for sampling by a bow hunter when it was registered, Nov. 12.
“It’s disappointing but not unexpected to have a CWD-positive in Racine County. The county has been included in the CWD management zone for years due to the potential for the disease in the area,” said DNR’s Tim Lizotte, CWD operations supervisor.
The south-western Racine County positive is about seven miles from the nearest positive in Walworth County and about eight miles from the nearest positive in Kenosha County, Lizotte said.
DNR has focused sampling in Racine and Kenosha counties to look for the disease. Sampling enables the department to better document the distribution of this disease. DNR surveillance will continue, in an ongoing effort to identify presence of the disease in the periphery areas of southeast Wisconsin.
“We thank this hunter, and all hunters, who bring deer in for voluntary CWD testing,” Lizotte said. “We will continue to sample deer in the area and encourage hunters who want their deer tested to bring them to sampling locations throughout the muzzleloader, late archery, and Holiday Hunt in the CWD management zone. “
Hunters participating in the remaining deer seasons in the CWD management zone, can bring harvested deer in for sampling at the cooperating sampling stations [PDF].
This sampling result does not change any remaining hunting seasons nor does it change the current CWD management zone boundary. Baiting and feeding of deer is already banned in the county and will continue to be illegal.
For more information on CWD in Wisconsin, and to view CWD management zone maps, please visit dnr.wi.gov and search keyword “CWD.”