Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) was recently confirmed in Stanley County after it was detected in an adult female mule deer. Currently, 18 counties in western and central South Dakota are considered CWD endemic areas, including Corson, Meade, Perkins, and Ziebach counties.
The state Game, Fish & Parks Commission has modified carcass transportation and disposal regulations for the entire state that went into effect with the start of the 2021 hunting season. The goal of the new regulations is to help reduce the artificial spread of CWD into new areas of the state.
CWD is a fatal brain disease in deer, elk and moose caused by an abnormal protein called a prion. Most harvested animals with CWD will appear healthy and display no clinical signs. Animals in the later stages of infection may show progressive loss of weight and body condition, behavioral changes, excessive salivation, loss of muscle control and eventual death. CWD is always fatal for the afflicted animal.