A deer hunt will be held in the Cranbrook area from Jan. 5 to 31, 2026, as part of efforts to contain chronic wasting disease (CWD).
The province said the additional hunt is meant to reduce deer density, limit the risk of the fatal disease spreading and increase the number of animals tested. Chronic wasting disease, which affects deer, elk, moose and caribou, was first confirmed in British Columbia in 2023.
Hunters in the designated Cranbrook zone will be allowed to harvest one extra deer on top of the region’s regular two-deer bag limit. The extra harvest will be limited to January and will apply to both antlered and antlerless mule deer and white-tailed deer, regardless of sex.
Officials estimate fewer than one per cent of deer in the area are infected. Six cases have been confirmed in the province, all in the Kootenays.
The Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship said the hunt builds on more than two decades of surveillance and will complement other measures in the region, including mandatory testing of harvested animals, carcass transport restrictions, and the targeted removal of urban deer in Cranbrook and Kimberley.
Anyone who sees a deer, elk, moose or caribou showing signs such as weight loss, drooling or poor co-ordination is urged to report it to the province’s 24-hour Report All Poachers and Polluters Line at 1 877 952-7277 or the B.C. Wildlife Health Program.
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