Pennsylvania Game News - November 2017 - 47

monitor progress of the disease and
the effectiveness of future management
actions.
"CWD is an increasing threat to
Pennsylvania's deer and elk, and our
hunting tradition," said Wayne Laroche,
Game Commission Special Assistant
for CWD Response. "So far this year,
the number of CWD-positive deer
detected in DMA 2 has increased at a
faster rate; the first free-ranging CWDpositive deer has been found within
DMA 3; and three new deer farms have
turned up positive within DMA 2.
"Still, prevalence of the disease in
Pennsylvania is low," Laroche said.
"There's still a chance to minimize the
disease's impacts on wild deer. And
it's a win-win scenario for the hunters
who bring the heads of their harvested
deer to a collection bin. Not only do
they help protect wild deer against
the disease's spread, if they shoot a
diseased animal, they'll know about it
and can discard the meat."
The white-colored bins are for the
collection of deer heads only, and all
heads submitted for testing must be
lawfully tagged, with the harvest tag
legibly completed and attached to the
deer's ear.
The information on the tag is needed
in order to notify the hunter with test
results.
Because the collection bins are
secure and will be emptied regularly,
hunters can feel comfortable in leaving
the tag attached to the ear - a legal
requirement for all deer harvests.
All heads deposited in collection
bins should be placed in a plastic bag
and tied shut.
This will help ensure the tag remains
with the head, which is important for
test-notification purposes.
NOVEMBER 2017	

LOCATING A BIN
Bins for collecting the heads of harvested deer
were placed within both DMA 2 and DMA 3
in early October. Their exact locations can be
found on the Chronic Wasting Disease page
at www.pgc.pa.gov. Additionally, those who
purchased Deer Management Assistance Program
Permits for Units 2874 and 2875 within DMA 2 and
Unit 3045 within DMA 3 were mailed a letter with
the locations. The bins all are within these units.

The head can be bagged before being
brought to the bin, or hunters can use
the bags provided at bins.
The skulls and antlers from heads
submitted for testing will not be
returned.
Hunters who harvest antlered deer
within a DMA may remove the antlers
before depositing the head.
Game Commission Executive
Director Bryan Burhans encouraged
all hunters who harvest deer within a
DMA to deposit the heads of those deer
inside one of the bins.
Other than taking a deer head to a
lab for testing, dropping it in a bin is
the only way to ensure a deer is tested
for CWD, Burhans said.
While Game Commission staff
performs CWD tests on a sample of
the deer brought to meat processors
statewide, not every deer brought to
a processor is tested. But every deer
brought to a bin that can be tested,
will be tested, and each hunter will be
notified of the test results, he said.
"It's a great opportunity for hunters
to be sure CWD is not detected in the
deer they harvest," Burhans said. "And
by getting these free tests, hunters also
are helping the Game Commission to
take action that could prevent CWD's
spread, and preserve many more deer
seasons, and many more healthy deer
harvests to come."
47
http://www.pgc.pa.gov
Pennsylvania Game News - November 2017

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