Three CWD positive deer have been detected in an area near Bonners Ferry

After three white-tailed deer tested positive for chronic wasting disease near Bonners Ferry, the portion of Unit 1 within Boundary County and east of the Selkirk Mountains crest (see map below) in the Panhandle Region has been designated as a new CWD Management Zone. As of October 1, hunters within the new Unit 1 CWD Management Zone must follow these additional rules.

• CWD testing is required for all hunter-harvested deer from the CWD Management Zone portion of Unit 1.
• It is unlawful to transport any carcass of a deer, elk, or moose out of the defined portion of Unit 1.

Carcass transport rules for a CWD Management Zone

There are now CWD Management Zones in the portion of Unit 1 in Boundary County and east of the Selkirk Mountains crest and in all of Units 14 and 18, between Riggins and Grangeville. The following apply to all of these areas:

• It is illegal to possess or transport a full carcass or any part of a deer, elk, or moose taken from a CWD Management Zone in any part of the state outside of these zones. Exceptions for meat and some other parts include:
  • Head or lymph nodes if taken to IDFG for sampling.
  • Meat that is cut and wrapped
  • Quarters or deboned meat that does not include brain or spinal tissue
  • Edible organs that do not include brains
  • Hides without heads
  • Upper canine teeth (ivories)
  • Finished taxidermy
  • Dried antlers
  • Cleaned and dried skulls or skull caps
  • Skull caps that do not include brain or spinal tissue
• Caped animals (with the skull) may be taken to a taxidermist or meat processor, but may not leave the CWD Management Zone. The head or lymph nodes must still be presented to IDFG for CWD testing.
• Heads or lymph nodes must be submitted within 10 days of harvest.
• To see all rules pertaining to a CWD Management Zone, go to IDFG’s CWD webpage or page 96 of the big game rule book.

How to submit your deer for CWD sampling in the Panhandle

In response to the new CWD Management Zone in a portion of Unit 1, Fish and Game staff in the Panhandle will provide additional drop-off locations for heads and lymph nodes and expand check stations to accommodate hunters during deer season. Check Fish and Game’s CWD webpage for updates.

Why the change?

An adult white-tailed doe found dead in July tested positive for CWD about 3 miles north of Bonners Ferry. This was the first CWD positive animal detected in North Idaho. Fish and Game held a CWD surveillance hunt in the area in late August and sampled 172 deer, of which two more tested positive.

What is Fish and Game’s CWD management strategy?

The priority is to maintain healthy big game herds by slowing the spread of CWD. That means keeping the CWD prevalence rate low in deer herds, which is the percentage of animals infected. Biologists need to know where the disease is present, and at what rate, so they can form a management strategy suited to that area.

These goals are not possible without assistance from hunters. Unit 1 is a popular hunting destination for many white-tailed deer hunters, with almost 7,100 Idaho hunters harvesting more than 2,900 white-tailed deer in Unit 1 in 2023. Fish and Game needs hunters' help to learn where CWD might be, and where it’s not, to help keep white-tailed herds healthy in north Idaho.

Fish and Game is also asking hunters statewide to submit the head or lymph nodes from harvested and salvaged deer to test them for CWD. The service is free, and you will be notified if your animal tests positive.