CWD sampling training in Miles City Nov. 8

CWD sampling training in Miles City Nov. 8

MILES CITY – Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will present a chronic wasting disease sampling training and information session in Miles City on Wednesday, Nov. 8 at the Miles City FWP headquarters shop from 6-7:30 p.m. The free training is open to the public.

Hunters of all ages are welcome, and door prizes will be included in the evening’s activities.

FWP staff will be on hand to provide updates on CWD in the state and across the region. People can take part in hands-on demonstrations for collecting lymph nodes. Attendees are encouraged to bring heads from their harvested deer or elk to the clinic for sampling. FWP will also try to bring some roadkill heads for people to practice but cannot guarantee a head for everyone. People without deer or elk heads are also welcome to come and just observe.

For those bringing deer or elk heads, the heads should include about four inches of neck meat in order to extract the retropharyngeal lymph nodes. Frozen heads are difficult to sample and should be well thawed beforehand.

People are asked to pre-register for the event so FWP can get a count for CWD kits and heads. Sign up by the end of Tuesday, Nov. 7 by calling CWD regional coordinator Will Fowler at 540-598-2217 or emailing william.fowler@mt.gov.

The FWP headquarters is located across from the Miles City Livestock Commission.