Hunters whose deer, elk or moose test positive for chronic wasting disease this fall will be reimbursed only for the cost of their license and game processing, if the test meets federal approval.The Colorado Wildlife Commission unanimously approved a regulation requiring approved tests at a September meeting in Durango.”Tests have become available in the private sector that have not been validated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture,” said Mike King, regulations manager for the Colorado Division of Wildlife. “In Wisconsin last year, hunters had deer tested positive for the disease under unapproved tests.”Subsequent tests using approved procedures found that the animals were actually negative for the disease, causing confusion for hunters and Wisconsin wildlife officials.”Chronic wasting disease, or CWD, is a fatal, brain-wasting disease that was first found in deer and elk for more than two decades in portions of northeastern Colorado and southeastern Wyoming. The contagious disease has now spread to northwestern Colorado, central Wyoming and portions of six other states and one Canadian province. It has also been found in captive elk in a number of other states and Canadian provinces, and as far away as South Korea. There is no cure for CWD and infected animals die.The DOW provides hunters with an opportunity to have deer, elk and moose they harvest tested through Colorado State University’s diagnostic laboratory. Hunters need only take their animal to one of more than a dozen DOW locations this hunting season where a sample will be taken. The test results will be made available within two weeks. The cost is $15 per animal.For details on the location where samples will be collected, check the DOW Web site at www.wildlife.state.co.us.The commission also approved a regulation temporarily closing mountain lion hunting in portions of game management units 61, 62 and 70 to allow a mountain lion study to take place on the Uncompahgre Plateau. The southern portions of 61 and 62 and the northern part of 70 will be closed to lion hunting for five years, from Nov. 11, 2004, through March 31, 2009. Hunting will then resume in November 2009.The 10-year study will allow DOW researchers to research lion behavior, populations and the impacts of hunting. The information will be used by DOW wildlife managers responsible for lion management.
