Recent confirmation of a CWD-positive deer north of Felt has prompted the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation to expand the existing Selective Surveillance Area for chronic wasting disease in Cimarron County.
Additional area has been added northwest of the original SSA. The new boundaries now stretch from the Oklahoma-New Mexico line near Mexhoma eastward to Boise City, then southeast following U.S. 287 to the Oklahoma-Texas line near Kerrick, Texas. All land in Cimarron County south and west of those boundaries are included in the SSA.
Hunters who harvest deer or elk within the SSA must comply with added restrictions in transporting the animal outside the SSA as a way to slow the spread of the always-fatal neurological disease that creates holes in the brains of deer, elk, moose, and other members of the cervid family. It’s important to note that CWD does not affect pronghorn antelope, and natural CWD transmission from wild animals to humans or livestock has never been documented.
In total, 35 states have now detected CWD in free-ranging cervids within their borders.
The Wildlife Department has conducted CWD monitoring on hunter-harvested deer and elk and road-killed deer since 1999 following the discovery of the disease in a private, commercial elk herd in 1998. A second CWD-positive commercial elk herd was discovered in 2019.The first in-state CWD case in free-ranging deer was confirmed in June 2023 in Texas County.
There are currently three active SSAs, all in northwestern Oklahoma. ODWC has established voluntary testing sites in each SSA where hunters may choose to leave the head of their harvested deer or elk to be tested for CWD. For full details about SSAs, voluntary testing, and cervid transport rules within an SSA, go to wildlifedepartment.com/hunting/resources/deer//cwd/ssa.
In accordance with a CWD Response Strategy jointly produced by ODWC and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, the wildlife department will continue monitoring for evidence of CWD within Oklahoma’s borders and will release additional information, including ways deer and elk hunters can help with detection and mitigation.
Additional guidelines or management plans will be distributed and well-advertised if determined necessary to further protect Oklahoma’s deer and elk populations.
For more information on the disease, hunting regulations, and proper disposal of infected animals, go to wildlifedepartment.com/hunting/resources/deer/cwd. Hunters should also be aware of rules concerning importing cervid carcasses or carcass parts from outside of Oklahoma.
Additional human health information relating to CWD is available at usgs.gov/centers/nwhc/science/chronic-wasting-disease#publications.