DES MOINES, Iowa -- The Iowa Department of Natural Resources wants help from hunters in tracking a deadly, contagious disease among deer herds.
The DNR says there are already five known cases of chronic wasting disease--or CWD--in Iowa.
"Shotgun seasons are when we get, really, the bulk of our statewide surveillance samples for chronic wasting disease. We're just processing those and getting those to the diagnostic lab at Iowa State" says State Wildlife Veterinarian Dr. Rachel Ruden.
She says the DNR expects at least as many cases of chronic wasting disease in deer as the 44 it saw last year--and possibly more.
"Once it starts increasing it really does increase quite dramatically--exponentially, even. If we exceed that number this year it would not be surprising" Ruden says.
Ruden says CWD has been detected in eight Iowa counties--in the northwest, south-central and western parts of the state.
"We need hunters help to get those samples in areas where we have those really high quotas because of proximity to known positives" she says.
Ruden says there have been 90 cases of chronic wasting disease in Iowa since 2013.