Deer hunters in far western Kentucky will have to abide by special regulations to help slow the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease.
CWD is a fatal neurological disease that affects deer, elk and other related species of the Cervidae family.
Last year, the Commonwealth’s first documented case of CWD was confirmed in a deer harvested in Ballard County.
In response, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources expanded its CWD Surveillance Zone from five counties to eight: Ballard, Calloway, Carlisle, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Marshall and McCracken.
In those areas, deer harvested on specific dates during deer hunting season must be brought to a CWD check station or a CWD sample drop-off site to be inspected for the disease. Those dates include Nov. 9-10, Nov. 16-17 and Nov. 23-24.
There are also other special regulations within the CWD Surveillance Zone. Those include bans on certain deer baiting methods and restrictions on where deer bodies can be transported.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is not currently any evidence that suggests humans can be infected with CWD. However, the agency still advises people not to shoot, handle or eat meat from animals that appear sick or unhealthy.
