Starting next deer season, hunters in south Georgia will have the option to drop off the heads of deer they take to be tested for a fatal and infectious brain-eating disease sometimes called “zombie deer disease.”
“We’re going to set up self-serve freezer drop-off locations, where a hunter, someone like me and you that wants to process their own deer, when we leave our lease or our property, we can stop at this freezer location, cut that head off or take the skull cap off, put your information on a card, you put in your freezer and our staff will come by and pick those up and get them tested,” said Tina Johansson, assistant chief of game management at the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
Johansson was briefing state House members on Chronic Wasting Disease Monday morning at a hearing of the state House Game, Fish and Parks Committee. The department announced last week that a deer harvested in south Georgia tested positive for the disease, the first time it has been found in the state. She said DNR’s goal will be to keep the prevalence of the disease below 5%, but unlike in some other states, Georgia does not plan to require hunters to have their deer tested.
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