For Release: May 9, 2022
Contact: Andy Malinoski ,
SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.VA. — Deer hunters in Hampshire County will be surveyed in May about their experience with and opinions on Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources announced today.
A total of 1,200 resident and non-resident hunters who harvested and checked in a deer in Hampshire County between 2003 and 2020 will be contacted by Responsive Management, a survey research organization that specializes in gathering feedback from hunters about conservation issues. The agency conducted a similar survey in 2011, six years after the initial discovery of CWD in West Virginia.
“When we conducted a similar survey in 2011, CWD cases were far less common in Hampshire County than they are right now,” WVDNR Wildlife Resources Chief Paul Johansen said. “There’s a need for us to determine how concerns over CWD have affected hunter participation in the area.”
Hunters can choose to complete the survey in a brief telephone interview or online. The survey is scheduled to start in May and will be completed before the end of July.
Understanding hunters’ concerns about CWD may help the WVDNR more effectively communicate with hunters and identify public needs, such as providing more information about CWD and increasing voluntary testing of deer harvested in CWD-positive counties in the future.