The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry released a statement yesterday morning asking Ontario hunters to help fight the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).
The statement was prompted after Manitoba reported its first-ever case of the disease, meaning that all states and provinces surrounding Ontario have now seen positive cases. At the time of writing, Ontario is still CWD free but the Ministry is asking for your help to keep it that way. In their statement, they reminded hunters to do the following:
- “Have your deer tested if you hunt in one of the annual CWD testing areas.
- Only use plant based or synthetic lures. Natural lures are illegal in Ontario as they may contain infectious material.
- Leave high-risk parts behind after out-of-province hunts. When hunting cervids out of province, you can only bring back butchered, deboned, and packaged meat; a cleaned skull plate and antlers; tanned hides and capes and finished taxidermy mounts. It’s illegal to bring any other body parts from deer species into Ontario.
- Only use local bait or feed. Imported bait and feed may contain infectious material that could spread CWD to cervids. Local sources are safer and benefit local farmers and business owners.”
For those curious if your hunting area falls within the CWD testing zone, the Ontario government offers the maps below:
Southern Ontario:
Eastern Ontario:
If you are hunting one of these zones, be sure to check with the Ontario Government’s website to see what facilities are offering the testing. A full list of those participating, as well as their hours of operation, can be found here:
**For more information on CWD and the recent case confirmed in Manitoba, check out last week’s article at the link below.
