BONNER COUNTY, Idaho — On October 1 the portion of Unit 1 within Boundary County and east of the Selkirk Mountains crest in the Panhandle Region was designated as a CWD Management Zone.
Hunters within the new Unit 1 CWD Management Zone must follow additional rules and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) has several resources to make the rules easy to understand and follow.
IDFG will be hosting a community meeting on October 8 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the U.S. Forest Service Bonners Ferry Ranger Station to provide updates on new rules and answer questions.
IDFG says the number of freezers and barrels for hunters to drop off heads or CWD samples from harvested deer, elk or moose will be higher compared to previous years to help hunters comply with the new rules.
Within the CWD Management Zone in Unit 1 IDFG will place four freezers and twelve head barrels.
Locations for freezers and head barrels throughout the Panhandle can be found on the IDFG CWD sample drop-off webpage. Locations will be updated as soon as drop-off sites are made available.
Additionally, IDFG staff will be running a CWD sampling site in Bonners Ferry at the Boundary County Search and Rescue overflow boat launch parking area. The sampling site will be open from 11 a.m. to one hour after sunset on each of the following days:
- Oct. 12, 13, 20 and 27
- Nov. 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24 and 30
- Dec. 1
IDFG says hunters can drop by during hours of operation to have their harvest sampled for CWD.
IDFG will also run regular check stations with staff available to collect CWD samples from harvested animals. The dates and locations of the check stations have not yet been released.
Hunters can also collect and submit their own CWD samples. Sample kits can be requested by contacting your nearest Fish and Game Regional Office or by filling out the request form at https://idfg.idaho.gov/cwd/sampling-kit-request.
IDFG has a webpage to learn how to collect a sample for CWD testing here.
IDFG says testing for CWD takes approximately four to six weeks after samples are submitted. For animals sampled at the sampling site, check stations or the regional office, hunters will be given a business card with a unique barcode number on it. This number can be entered into the Fish and Game sample results website where status updates and final testing results will be posted. Hunters will only be contacted if a sample is positive.
