What To Know About Cwd Sampling
Author: Fish, Wildlife and Parks
What to Know about CWD Sampling
Fish, Wildlife and Parks
Hunters play an important part in helping FWP learn where CWD (Chronic Wasting Disease) is and how it spreads. When hunters have their harvested deer, elk and moose tested for CWD, they provide key insights into the effectiveness of CWD management, the disease’s prevalence and its presence.
Hunters can have their animals sampled at CWD sampling stations or most FWP offices. It’s best to call ahead to check on availability. Hunters can also collect the samples themselves, fill out the online hunter submission form and mail the samples to the Wildlife Health Lab in Bozeman.
The sampling process at a station takes about 10 minutes at the beginning of the season, and later on, it's closer to about 5 minutes. In 2024, on average, results were available in seven days.
If you are planning to have your animal sampled, it’s important to remember that a gunshot to the animal’s head/skull can make sample collection very difficult and sometimes can destroy the tissue FWP needs for testing.
To submit a sample at an FWP regional office or CWD sampling station, bring the following items:
Animal’s head: Leave 2 to 4 inches of the neck below the lower jawbone and base of the skull to ensure lymph nodes are present and not inadvertently left with the carcass. Samples cannot be collected from frozen heads.
Location of harvest: GPS coordinates (lat/long) of where you harvested your animal.
Testing is voluntary, except for in some hunting districts near Libby, and free. There are CWD testing requirements in HDs 100, 103 and 104; please review the 2025 Hunting Regulations to determine if testing requirements apply.
If an animal tests positive, public health agencies recommend that people do not consume the meat. If the hunter chooses not to consume the meat, they can request a new license for this year or next year. To request a new license and coordinate next steps, hunters should call the local FWP regional office or the licensing call center at 406-444-2950. In Montana, the carcass will need to be disposed of in a Class II landfill and antlers will need to be turned in to FWP.
For more information on how to take your own samples or the location of sampling stations, visit fwp.mt.gov/conservation/chronic-wasting-disease/get-your-animal-sampled.
To watch a video about the FWP CWD surveillance program, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEGe_I_o3n0
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