Idaho Fish and Game staff will be collecting samples from deer at hunter check stations across the Panhandle over two weekends in November as part of a statewide surveillance program for chronic wasting disease (CWD).

Check stations will be operated November 14, 15, 21 and 22 from 10 a.m. to sunset. Check stations will be located at:

• Priest River: along State Highway 57
• Samuels: along US Highway 95
• St. Maries: south on State Highway 3

Chronic wasting disease is a contagious, fatal neurological disease that affects deer, elk and moose. Samples are collected on a voluntary basis by removing lymph nodes from deer, located near the base of the jaw. CWD has not been detected in Idaho. 

Fish and Game also has freezers across the region where hunters can deposit their own lymph node sample or deer heads. For more information on sampling locations or to learn how to collect your own sample, use the links below.