
An adult cow elk in the Pinedale region of northwest Wyoming is the first documented case of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Elk Hunt Area 93 and the first case of an elk with the fatal neurologic disease on the Black Butte Feedground, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) said in a news release this week.
Elk Hunt Area 93 is bordered by CWD-positive elk hunt areas 87 and 92. WGFD operates 21 feedgrounds in the Jackson and Pinedale regions, where it has supplied supplemental winter elk feed for over a century.
The discovery of CWD on feedgrounds in 2025 has been anticipated as the disease has continued to spread across the state.
"The discovery of CWD on feedgrounds in 2025 has been anticipated as the disease has continued to spread across the state," the department said. "Game and Fish is actively working on Feedground Management Action Plans, a public process exploring short- and long-term strategies to reduce elk dependence on feedgrounds and minimize disease transmission risks."
The plans, WGFD said, will align with the guidelines established during the development of the Wyoming Feedground Management Plan.
CDC, WHO advise against eating the meat of CWD-positive cervids
Caused by infectious misfolded proteins called prions, CWD spreads among cervids such as deer, elk, and moose through direct contact or environmental contamination. No people have been diagnosed as having the disease, but the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization caution against consuming meat from infected animals.