A recent confirmed case of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) south of Ninepipes Lodge has led the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Wildlife Program to increase hunter check stations to better understand how widespread it is across the reservation.

A white-tailed deer harvested in the Mission Valley tested positive on Nov. 12 according to a sample sent to the FWP Wildlife Health Lab. A previous positive test in January 2024 caused the CSKT Wildlife Program to activate its Chronic Wasting Disease Surveillance and Emergency Response Plan.

“We modeled this plan pretty closely after Montana's Chronic Wasting Disease Management Plan,” said CSKT wildlife biologist Payton Adams during a recent presentation. “We did that for one main reason, because a lot of what we do, particularly with Chronic Wasting Disease, is in conjunction with the state tests.”

CWD is a fatal neurological disease that affects deer, elk and moose and is spread by animal-to-animal contact. It can also be spread by dumping carcasses in unaffected areas because it stays on the landscape. Animals with CWD display droopy ears and excessive drooling, walk in circles, or look weak and skinny.

Adams gave a talk on CWD at Ninepipes Lodge on Nov. 19 and explained that the first case was further north leaving them to believe that deer came from an affected herd outside of the reservation. With this new case more centralized, they are increasing sampling efforts.

Adams said the first documented case in Montana was in 2017 and seemed to be spread between captive herds. He explained game farms or areas where deer are eating from the same location can increase the rate of infection.

Samples are sent to the state lab in Bozeman, and during the opening season it can get bogged down, taking three to four weeks to get results, according to Adams. So far this year test results are taking one or two weeks.

This timeline is the most frustrating aspect for hunters, as best practice is to freeze the entire carcass instead of sending it to be processed, which could cause further contamination. Adams explained that creating their own lab is not feasible due to equipment costing $90,000 and needing to hire lab personnel. 

“For me, personally, I might go get a deer later this year. Wait until it's cold enough outside where I can hang it in my shed. That's where it will be until I get a result back,” Adams said.

Currently there are no cases of CWD transferring to humans, but Adams said that is what was said about Mad Cow Disease before it spread to humans. Eating an animal with CWD is not a gamble he would take. He explained it is best to take steps to avoid contamination by taking a carcass that has tested positive to the Lake County Transfer Station for disposal.

Tribal hunters can harvest another deer, and non-tribal hunters can show the state the positive test and get their tag reissued. 

Historically tribal people use every part of the animal including the brain to soften the hide to make buckskin. However, the brain is primarily where the prions that cause CWD are concentrated in the deer's body, Adams said.

“Historically, our tribe has used what we can, if there's bones or if there's guts or whatever part of the animal that we don't utilize, we give it back to the land and let the wild animals that depend on that as a food source complete that cycle for us,” Adams said. “That's a huge issue with Chronic Wasting Disease. If we have a potential positive that we're giving back into the land, it's not breaking down. It's staying on the landscape.”

Tribal member hunters can take animals at any point during the year, so they do not report locations as a hunter does when taking an animal with a state tag. He said the lack of documentation is another huge hurdle, and they are encouraging tribal hunters to document that information, as well as to hunt and turn in samples.

Some state wildlife programs are reducing populations that have CDW. However, Whisper Means, head of the CSKT Division of Fish, Wildlife, Recreation & Conservation, explained they are unsure if there is an outbreak on the reservation.

The CSKT Wildlife Program has been able to sample most of the reservation, but they are continuing efforts with this positive case.

“We are fielding a lot of calls from other people wanting to increase hunting on the reservation and increase removal of deer on the reservation,” Means said. “Enrolled CSKT members are the only ones who are allowed to take big game within the reservation boundaries, and we're not planning to change that anytime soon, especially if there becomes a reduction in those wild game populations.”

Means explained that with Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) killing off some of the population this year and now CWD possibly affecting the population, it will be even more important for tribal members to harvest animals within the reservation boundaries.

In the emergency response plan, Means said they do not have a population reduction plan and “mass eliminating white tail in the valley would not be beneficial to anybody.”

Four big game check stations are open every Thursday through Sunday for hunters to have animals sampled at no cost. Sample kits are available at check stations if hunters are comfortable taking their own samples. 

Check station locations on the reservation include: the CSKT Wildlife Office on 406 6th Ave East in Polson; Elmo at the intersection of U.S. Highway 93 and Montana Highway 28; Ronan on Round Butte Road across from Westland Seed; Red Horn Road across from the Post Creek 44 Bar; Ravalli located at the AIS/Boat Check lot on Buffalo Street; and Lonepine at the General Store parking lot. Lonepine is temporarily closed but check station operation updates can be found at https://cskt.org/natural-resources/wildlife-management/cwd-check-stations/. 

Adams noted that they are hoping to have these stations open seven days a week once more seasonal help is hired.

“It is such a detrimental and sad infection, because there are a lot of impacts, not only to cultural take of animals, but just the health of the herds and the health of the tribe in general,” Means said.