Hunters take issue with Saskatchewan's plan to end chronic wasting disease testing

Saskatchewan's government is ending a program that tests chronic wasting disease in deer and similar animals, a decision some hunters say they were blindsided by.

A bulletin on the province's website says the program is to be eliminated at the end of this month.

Don Gordon, president of the Saskatchewan Trappers Association, said Thursday the move could result in less hunting, because hunters might not want to eat untested meat.

"It's a step backward for the people who have become accustomed to ensuring that, in their minds, what they're consuming as wild game is free of chronic wasting disease," he said from Nipawin, Sask. 

“(Another) concern that I might hear from our organization would be how much of these animals or how many of these are going to be dumped because of the uncertainty."

Chronic wasting disease affects the brains and nervous systems of cervids, such as deer, elk and moose.

Health Canada says there have been no reported cases of the disease in humans, but it recommends people don't eat meat from infected animals.

Saskatchewan's program requires hunters to submit animal heads for voluntary or mandatory testing, depending on where the animals were hunted.

In its bulletin, the province says uptake from hunters has been low and that ending the program provides an opportunity to find efficiencies.

It says even though head testing will stop, environment ministry staff would continue to monitor wildlife health and population using other methods. 

"Saskatchewan continues to recognize chronic wasting disease as an important wildlife-health issue," the bulletin says.

"The decision to end government-funded testing does not mean (the disease) has disappeared or that it is no longer important to wildlife management decisions."

Darrell Crabbe, executive director of the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation, said the province informed him of its decision Wednesday night – catching him off guard.

“This was kind of a bombshell for us."

Crabbe declined to provide the federation's opinion on the decision, because the organization is still developing its position.

The province’s bulletin says hunters who are uncomfortable consuming untested meat can stop hunting, gift meat to those who are fine eating it or feed it to their animals as long as it's been thoroughly cooked. 

It says the province won't provide refunds to those who have already purchased licences and that edible flesh from cervids are not allowed to be wasted, destroyed, spoiled or abandoned. 

Gordon said if the decision results in more hunters leaving animals to rot on the land, that could cause the disease to spread more easily.  

"If these carcasses of these animals are all of a sudden starting to be moved from one area to the other, it is a known way of expanding the range of this disease," he said.

"And I can see some people just saying, 'Well, I guess I'm not going hunting then.' And that is a loss all the way around. That's the fuel and the food and the family time that's not going to be spent."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2026.

By Jeremy Simes | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.