Ontario – The Ontario government is asking hunters to submit white-tailed deer samples as part of its Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) surveillance program to allow for early detection of the disease.
Hunter samples from harvested white-tailed deer are critical in Ontario’s efforts to detect CWD – a fatal, untreatable brain disease affecting members of the deer family, including white-tailed deer, elk, moose and caribou. It has not been found in Ontario wildlife but has been detected in all five U.S. states bordering Ontario, as well as British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Québec.
In 2024, the ministry will be doing surveillance in two target regions throughout the hunting season:
- Zone 1 (Peterborough – Belleville) in Wildlife Management Units (WMUs): 68A, 71, 74A, 74B
- Zone 2 (Owen Sound – Orangeville – Kincardine) in WMUs: 81A, 81B, 82A, 82B, 82C, 84, 85B.
During the fall hunt, wildlife technicians will be canvassing these surveillance areas and asking hunters’ permission to remove a small amount of tissue from the deer head for analysis.
Sampling will not prevent hunters from consuming the meat or having the head mounted.
All hunters within the surveillance areas that do not encounter crews are encouraged to take the head of their deer (preferably within a few days of being harvested) to an MNR freezer depot. Depots will be open from early October to mid-December. Hunters submitting a deer head are asked to provide their contact information, the date and general location of harvest. Hunters can get their test results at ontario.ca/cwd.
If you see a deer, elk or moose showing signs of CWD, such as severe loss of body weight, tremors, lack of coordination or unusual behaviour, please report it to one of the following:
- the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative at 1-866-673-4781
- the ministry’s Natural Resources Information and Support Centre at 1-800-667-1940
- CWD@ontario.ca.
To learn more about how you can help keep CWD out of Ontario, please visit ontario.ca/cwd.