Department of Natural Resources Director Rebecca A. Humphries today announced plans to amend the regulations concerning handling deer in the nine-township surveillance area in Kent County surrounding the captive deer facility where chronic wasting disease (CWD) was detected.

In making the announcement at the monthly meeting of the Natural Resources Commission, Humphries said the DNR will have refrigerated trucks at the check stations in the zone and that hunters will be allowed to store their deer in those trucks while waiting for CWD test results. Once the hunter receives notification from the DNR Wildlife Disease Lab that their deer is negative, the deer may be picked up at the check station.

"We originally used the same regulations we have in place for bringing dead deer and elk into Michigan from states with CWD," Humphries said. "But hunters have made a reasonable request that we amend the order so as long as there is a negative CWD test for the animal, there is no reason to require it to be boned out on the spot.

Hunters are reminded that all deer killed in the CWD surveillance zone -- Tyrone, Solon, Nelson, Sparta, Algoma, Courtland, Alpine, Plainfield, and Cannon townships - must be taken to a deer check station.

For information on check stations in the CWD surveillance zone, visit www.michigan.gov/chronicwastingdisease.