The Wyoming Game & Fish Department collected 815 brucellosis samples during the 2021 season. These 815 samples were all submitted from elk hunters within the state. Likewise, these 815 samples will be used to monitor whether brucellosis is spreading among elk.
Currently, brucellosis is only found in the northwestern part of Wyoming. However, the WGFD takes samples from across the state. As stated above, by gathering these samples from across the state, officials can try and keep brucellosis from spreading to other areas in Wyoming.
The WGFD has entered all hunters into a raffle as a thank you for submitting their samples. This raffle was for high-quality outdoor and hunting equipment.
Below we will list a few of the winners of these items:
- Blaine Saunders, winner of Benelli Lupo Rifle, .300 Win Mag, donated by Benelli USA; Vortex Viper Gen II Rifle Scope, donated by Vortex; and Sig Sauer Oscar8 Spotting Scope donated by Sig Sauer.
- Jesse Webb, winner of Browning X-Bolt Rifle, 7mm Rem Mag, donated by the Cody Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.
- Steve Geertson, winner of Badlands clothing package with nine items including a base layer, pants, hoodies, jacket, backpack, and a binocular case, donated by Badlands.
- Jose Morales-Wade, 10×42 Maven binoculars donated by Maven.
“It’s sometimes difficult to remember to take a blood sample during the excitement of a hunt. But, many people made a difference for the health of wildlife by submitting blood samples to help Game and Fish monitor brucellosis in Wyoming. Thank you to our generous raffle sponsors who provided the prizes and to each hunter who submitted a sample.” – Eric Maichak, Game and Fish Disease Biologist
You can read more about these samples by clicking here. Likewise, you can rea more Wyoming hunting news by clicking here.
