PIERRE – Final Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) test results are in from the 2003 hunting seasons, according to state Game, Fish and Parks officials.

“As of Jan. 27, we have received results of 2,444 game animals from South Dakota for CWD,” said Wildlife Biologist Steve Griffin of Rapid City. “A total of two white-tailed deer and two elk tested positive for CWD this past hunting season.”

All samples are from the Black Hills and prairie hunting units in Fall River, Custer and Pennington counties of western South Dakota, except for 81 white-tailed deer and three mule deer from McPherson County and 113 white-tailed deer from Deuel County in northeastern S.D. Most samples were taken from hunter-harvested animals.

Breakdown of the 2003 and total samplings since 1997 can be found online at www.state.sd.us/gfp/. Once there, click on the link to Chronic Wasting Disease.

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