ALPINE – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) invites landowners and hunters to join staff at a local meeting to discuss potential changes to chronic wasting disease (CWD) regulations and zones in the Trans-Pecos region. The meeting will take place at 9 a.m. CDT on April 2 at the Van Horn Convention Center.
The first case of CWD in Texas was discovered in free-ranging mule deer in the Hueco Mountains of West Texas in 2012. A containment zone was set up in response to this discovery to monitor and restrict the spread of the disease. CWD has since presented numerous challenges and concerns for Trans-Pecos hunters and land managers.
Mandatory CWD testing and carcass movement restrictions have been in place in the Trans- Pecos CWD zone for the past 10 hunting seasons. This zone currently includes the entirety of El Paso and Hudspeth counties, as well as portions of Culberson and Reeves counties.
Hunters and landowners have expressed concerns to TPWD about the impacts of mandatory CWD sampling on hunting. The upcoming public meeting will allow residents an opportunity to discuss sampling strategies and collaboration options with biologists.
More information about CWD, regulations, and maps of CWD zones can be found on the CWD page https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/diseases/cwd/ of the TPWD website.
