The B.C. government has posted the following new requirements for ungulate hunters in the Kootenay Region (4-1, 4-2, 4-3, 4-4, 4-5, 4-6 and 4-7) because of the appearance of a case of Chronic Wasting Disease across the border in Montana.
The provincial Wildlife Health Program is calling on all hunters, especially those in the Peace and East Kootenay, to bring deer, moose and elk heads to drop-off locations for testing. Starting September 1, 2019 and ending December 20, 2019, hunters will be required to submit the heads of mule deer and white-tailed deer harvested in specific wildlife management units along the southern BC border in the Kootenay Region.
Anyone encountering an animal exhibiting the symptoms of Chronic Wasting Disease (thin, drooling, poor coordination, stumbling) should report it to the provincial Wildlife Health Program at 250-751-3219 or the Report all Poachers and Polluters hotline at 1-877-952-7277.
For more information on Chronic Wasting Disease in B.C., and for drop-off locations and instructions, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/chronicwastingdisease.ca