On Nov. 4, 2024, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department announced that it had confirmed the presence of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Deer Hunt Areas 31 and 94 and Elk Hunt Area 126 through hunter-harvested surveillance.  CWD was first identified in 1967 in a privately owned herd of mule deer in contiguous portions of northeastern Colorado.

The disease is 100% fatal to deer, elk and moose that have been infected. In 2023, Game and Fish personnel tested more than 5,000 CWD lymph node samples from deer and elk — primarily submitted by hunters — and continued to evaluate new recommendations for trying to manage the disease.

The Centers for Disease Control recommended hunters do not consume any animal that is obviously ill or tests positive for CWD.