Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a neurological disease that affects the brains of deer, elk, moose, and other members of the deer family, creating holes that resemble those in sponges. It is always fatal to the animal, and no treatment or vaccine against CWD exists at this time. CWD has been confirmed in wild deer in Oklahoma and wild deer and/or elk in surrounding states including Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas.

When a wild deer or elk tests positive for CWD, ODWC activates its CWD Response Strategy. This includes designation of Selected Surveillance Areas (SSA) in Cimarron, Texas, and Woodward counties, and parts of Major and Woods counties.

SSA boundaries in northwest Oklahoma’s Texas Co. have recently expanded.

Hunters who harvest deer or elk within the boundaries of an SSA must process those animals before leaving the SSA.

Hunters who harvest deer or elk within the boundaries of an SSA must process those animals before leaving the SSA. The following items are the only exceptions: • (A) Antlers detached from the skull plate, and antlers attached to a clean skull plate or cleaned skulls (all tissue removed)

• (B) Animal quarters containing no spinal materials, or meat with all parts of the spinal column removed

• (C) Cleaned teeth

• (D) Finished taxidermy products

• (E) Hides or tanned products These rules have been put in place to mitigate the spread of high-risk materials outside of any SSA.