Hunters in parts of Herkimer and Otsego counties can submit their harvested deer heads for Chronic Wasting Disease testing, and a chance to win a lifetime hunting license.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has been monitoring the deer herd in these areas since 2024, when captive red deer from a facility in the town of Columbia, Herkimer County, were found to have CWD. It was the first case of CWD in NY in almost 20 years.
No cases of CWD have been detected in the state since 2024, but DEC continues to test the wild white-tail deer herd in Herkimer and Otsego counties to determine whether CWD has spread and to detect a potential outbreak as early as possible…