Arkansas hunters can get free chronic wasting disease testing this deer season

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission announced that free chronic wasting disease testing will be available for hunter-harvested deer statewide as the regular archery season opens on Sept. 27.

The program includes 101 freezers and 36 taxidermists ready to collect samples within an hour’s drive of nearly every location in Arkansas, officials said.

“We have 101 freezers set up around Arkansas for hunters to drop off their samples, and we also have a network of 36 taxidermists who will pull a sample for anyone who brings their deer in,” said AJ Riggs, wildlife health biologist for the AGFC. “We send the majority of our  samples to be tested by the Arkansas Department of Agriculture and will make the results available as soon as the test results come in.”

Hunters are instructed to submit the deer’s head with 4 to 6 inches of neck attached in provided plastic bags with their contact information, and to remove antlers to prevent freezer damage, officials said.

According to a spokesperson, Hunters submitted 8,426 white-tailed deer samples last season, with 246 testing positive for CWD.

114 deer have already been collected this year, with four positive cases identified.

Testing locations and hours are available at AGFC.com/cwd.