The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is urging hunters to take precautions to prevent chronic wasting disease from entering the state, warning that the fatal disease poses a serious threat to wild deer and moose populations and is nearly impossible to eliminate once established.
Hunters who pursue deer, elk, moose or caribou outside New York must follow restrictions on bringing carcasses and animal parts back into the state to help prevent the spread of chronic wasting disease, commonly known as CWD.
Only deboned venison and permitted parts may be imported, including cleaned skullcaps or antlers, raw or processed hides, cleaned teeth or lower jaws, and finished taxidermy products. The DEC will confiscate and destroy illegally imported carcasses and parts.
Hunters who harvest an animal in an area where CWD is known to occur are encouraged to submit samples for testing in that state before consuming the venison. If a test is positive, hunters should contact the DEC for instructions on proper disposal.
The DEC recommends several additional precautions to help keep New York free of the disease:
• Use synthetic deer scents. Avoid natural deer urine-based attractants and lures, which could contain CWD.
• Hunt wild deer. Support fair-chase hunting practices. The spread of CWD has been linked to the movement of deer and deer products between captive deer facilities.
• Avoid meat from sick animals. Do not consume venison from deer that appeared ill or diseased.
• Do not feed wild deer. Feeding deer is illegal in New York and can concentrate animals in one area, increasing the risk of disease transmission.
• Dispose of carcass waste properly. Take waste to a landfill or leave it at the harvest site to avoid spreading the disease to new areas.
