DEER HUNTERS: CWD watch is HERE

Marathon County is one of four Wisconsin counties earmarked for a plan to detect chronic wasting disease during the fall deer hunting seasons, officials say.

Hunters who harvest deer can submit an adult deer head or lymph node sample for testing at participating local businesses. The Department of Natural Resources will test the samples for CWD in its efforts to deal with the spread of the neurological disease.

CWD, first detected in 2002 in Wisconsin, can lower animal survival rates and destabilize the long-term population of the herd, DNR officials say. Eating the meat from an animal with a known CWD infection is not recommended.

For information on how to submit samples and a list of participating businesses, visit dnr.wi.gov and search for CWD.