Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been found in some areas of Montana, and Montana fish, wildlife, and parks have processed a considerable number of samples this year. Moreover, they are processing these samples at a faster speed.

In the press release, officials stated that they were able to test samples in the state instead of sending them to facilities outside the state. The average time to get results is 7 days. This work is being carried out at the Montana Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Bozeman. And the number of samples can easily exceed last year's total.

So far, 3147 CWD samples have been collected from July to mid-November. Among them, 1,613 samples came from priority monitoring areas in the Northwest, North Central, Southwest and South Central. Although CWD is known to infect humans, the Centers for Disease Control advises people not to eat meat from infected animals and encourages hunters to test animals caught from areas where CWD is found.

What are the results so far? The FWP reported that 47 white-tailed deer and 16 mule deer tested positive or suspected of having CWD. No samples of elk showed CWD. CWD is a contagious neurological disease that can infect deer, elk, moose and caribou.

In the press release, Hank Worsech, Director of FWP, said: “Hunters hope to get results quickly when testing animals for CWD, and the Department of Livestock has provided this. We are very happy to have this. In-state testing capabilities." You can find more information on the FWP website.

And CWD continues to spread. Chronic wasting disease has now been detected in neighboring Idaho. The Associated Press reported that two deer in north-central Idaho tested positive for CWD. Two mule deer were killed near Lucille, Idaho, and hunters submitted lymph nodes for testing. CWD is now in 25 U.S. states