CWD testing options to keep euro?

[Nyksta]

As Chronic Wasting Disease mandatory testing continues to creep west through WMUs, and the instructions for testing advise that submitted skulls will not be returned to the owner after testing. Just looking for some info on submitting tissue to the lab that would still allow a euro mount.

I have read the Alberta CWD instructions:
https://www.alberta.ca/chronic-wasti...ers.aspx#toc-2

For so-called ‘European’ mounts, submit the following tissues:
All tissues from the roof of the mouth at the back of the throat (this must contain the necessary lymph nodes), and
The part of the brain that contains the connection between the spinal cord and the brain (this lies ~5 cm inside the big hole at the back of the skull)
Bag the two samples separately and then put the two bags together in a third bag. This keeps all tissues from one animal together.


Does anyone have some experience in submitting tissue as per these instructions? specifically what the lymph nodes at the back of the throat look like.

[Nova316]

This was a video I watched last year, super informative since they show you diagrams and actually perform the extraction.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxxTjaVS4v8

[Nyksta]

Thanks!

[3blade]

I did it with my elk last year. Used a fillet knife with a bent tip to remove the brain stem- very easy, just reach in deep and core it out. Recommend putting it in a ziplock bag then in a non-crushable container (washed out yogurt tub). Then removed the lower jaw starting at the back of the roof of the mouth, working through the joints on each side. Submitted the whole thing, figured let them pick what they want, lymph nodes can be hard to ID if you don’t have training.

Got negative results in a couple weeks.

The important part is the brain stem and lymph nodes can’t be crushed or cut or otherwise wrecked. IIRC read that on a Wyoming F&W site.

Edit - just watched the video, that pretty much nails it. I see they included the container thing, our f&w should add that