A Decision Reversed in Days
Saskatchewan has reversed its decision to end chronic wasting disease testing of hunter-harvested deer, elk and other cervids. CTV News reported on October 22, 2026 that the province is "reversing course and keeping its chronic wasting disease testing program for another year." The about-face came a week after the government announced on October 15 that it would shut the program down.
The speed of the reversal says something about how important testing is to the people who rely on it, and how much data the province stood to lose.
What the Province Had Planned
The original plan would have closed the program on October 31, with CWD drop-off kiosks closing on November 2. The province cited low uptake by hunters. It said it would continue clinically suspect animal reporting, carcass-handling and consumption advice, and emergency wildlife health responses, but not routine testing of harvested animals.
Samples from mandatory testing zones submitted before the end date were still to be processed. Saskatchewan had only launched mandatory testing in select wildlife management zones for the 2025-26 season, so the plan to end it came after a single season of that approach.
The Pushback
Hunters and wildlife groups objected quickly. The Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation called for the program to be reinstated, describing it as an important tool for monitoring the disease. It said the testing program costs about $450,000 a year, with more than $300,000 coming from the Fish and Wildlife Development Fund. The Saskatchewan Trappers Association warned that hunters might avoid eating game they could not confirm was free of the disease.
The Government's Reversal
Environment Minister Darlene Rowden apologized and reversed the decision, saying the change reflects what the government heard from hunters, wildlife organizations and other stakeholders. Under the restored approach, the province keeps mandatory testing in designated wildlife management zones, while voluntary testing remains available across the province, a return to the model used last year for the 2026-27 season. Samples already accepted, including those from zones where testing is voluntary, will still be tested.
What the Data Show
The numbers explain the reaction. In the 2025-26 season the province received about 2,900 hunter submissions, up from 2,248 the previous season, largely because mandatory testing began in several zones. Of those, 362 came back positive: 195 white-tailed deer, 125 mule deer, 33 elk and 9 moose. Mule deer submissions fell 62 per cent, so the case counts reflect where and how testing happened. Sixty-six of the province's 83 wildlife management zones have now tested positive.
The prevalence estimates are striking. A 2021-22 report estimated that 87 per cent of male mule deer in the South Saskatchewan River Valley had the disease, and 34 per cent of females, which the government described as among the highest rates reported globally. It warned that where prevalence tops 30 per cent, research links it to decreased survival rates and population declines. I did not find a matching 2025-26 prevalence estimate, so those numbers are the most detailed available, not the newest.
How the Disease Got Here
Surveillance began in 1997, with hunter-killed animals as the main source of samples. Officials said CWD was first detected at a captive elk farm in 1996 and in wild mule deer four years later. A research account says the disease entered farmed elk in Saskatchewan through infected elk imported from the United States in the late 1980s.
Why Testing Matters to Hunters
Chronic wasting disease is a fatal prion disease that affects cervids. It spreads through contact between animals and through contaminated environments, and there is no cure. It appears unlikely that the disease can be transmitted to humans or most domestic animals, but the province advises hunters not to eat or distribute meat from animals that have not been tested. It also encourages hunters to quarter animals in the field and leave the more infectious material behind.
For many hunters, testing is the only way to know whether an animal carried the disease before deciding whether to feed their families from the harvest. Testing data also gives wildlife managers a map of where the disease is spreading, which informs harvest quotas and other decisions. Ending the program would have left a gap in that data heading into winter.
What Hunters Should Do
For this season, hunters in designated zones should plan to submit heads for mandatory testing, and hunters elsewhere can test voluntarily. Check the provincial site for the zone list and drop-off locations before heading out. The reversal covers 2026-27 only, so the long-term future of the program remains an open question for next year's debate, and the numbers above are likely to figure in it.
