CWD-positive deer leads to 2020 expansion of Disease Management Area 4 by Game Commission
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Game Commission will expand Disease Management Area 4 (DMA 4) next year after a deer recently tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).
DMA 4 currently covers parts of Berks, Lancaster and Lebanon counties. The southward expansion will place most of Lancaster County in that area.
Although the expansion will take place in 2020, the Game Commission says hunters who harvest deer in Lancaster County can help now by submitting their deer heads in collection containers provided by the Game Commission.
“Deer heads submitted by hunters help the Game Commission determine the infection rate and spatial distribution of CWD,” the news release stated. “Hunters also benefit by knowing whether CWD is detected in the deer they harvest. While CWD is not known to affect people, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends never consuming the meat of CWD-positive animals.”
The Game Commission says hunters can help prevent the spread of CWD by “limiting the movement of and properly disposing of high-risk deer parts,” which include: the head (more specifically the brain, eyes, tonsils, and lymph nodes); spinal cord/backbone; spleen; and any object or article containing visible brain or spinal cord material.
Hunters are also asked to properly dispose of these parts by double-bagging them and allowing a commercial trash service to take them to a lined landfill.
There are several head-collection containers within DMA 4. They can be found here.
