STONE COUNTY, Ark. (KAIT) – With the modern armed deer season set to begin Saturday, Nov. 9, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has warned hunters that two more deer have tested positive for a deadly disease, including in northeast Arkansas.

AGFC said Friday that a deer in Conway County and another in Stone County tested positive for chronic wasting disease.

“Both deer were harvested during the recent alternate firearms season,” AGFC said in Friday’s press release.

The Stone County deer was taken on private land near the Sylamore Wildlife Management Area. AGFC said the county is already included in the existing CWD Management Area because it is near positive cases in Searcy, Van Buren and Independence counties.

The Conway County deer was harvested on the Ed Gordon Point Remove Wildlife Management Area.

AGFC Deputy Director Brad Carner said there are no rule changes for the current deer season.

“Prior to the modern gun deer season, we want to encourage hunters to test their deer at any of free test locations around the state,” he said.

CWD is a fatal neurological disease that was first detected in Arkansas in February 2016. Since then, AGFC has tested more than 61,000 deer and elk. To date, 1,769 deer and 56 have tested positive.

Visit //www.agfc.com/CWD for more information. To report sick or dead animals, please call 833-356-0824.

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