North Dakota Game and Fish Department says with most chronic wasting disease (CWD) testing completed, 26 deer tested positive during the 2021 hunting season.

Fourteen were from unit 3F2, eight were from unit 3A1 and one was in 3B1. Positive deer were also found in 3C, 3D1 and 3E2 where CWD hadn’t been detected, according to a press release.

Game and Fish says it will use the 2021 data to guide its CWD management strategy moving forward.

CWD is a fatal disease of deer, moose and elk that can cause long-term population declines.