By Dan Kibler

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has published the sites where deer heads will be collected this season for chronic wasting disease testing throughout eight counties in Northwest North Carolina.

Hunters in the Primary Surveillance Area and Secondary Surveillance Area around a spot in northern Yadkin County where two CWD-positive deer have been discovered in the last 10 months will be required to submit tissue samples for testing during the blackpowder season for deer (Nov. 5-18) and the first 9 days of gun season (Nov. 19-27). In addition, hunters may voluntarily submit a tissue sample from any deer killed during any part of the 2021-22 season.

A total of 17 taxidermists and deer processors will be accepting samples in Stokes, Surrey, Forsyth, Davie, Yadkin and parts of Wilkes, Alleghany and Iredell counties. In addition, the commission has located another 15 freezers throughout those counties where hunters can submit samples: the head of your deer, bagged and left with a completed data tag, which is provided. Freezers will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; processors and taxidermists will be accepting deer samples on different schedules.

This season, it will be illegal to transport parts of deer killed in the SSA areas out of those areas, with a few exceptions noted on the commission’s website (www.ncwildlife.org/Hunting/Chronic-Wasting-Disease/Get-My-Deer-Tested. Also, it will be illegal to transport parts of deer killed in the PSA (an approximate circle with a radius of 5 miles from the area the two infected deer were killed) into the SSA without the head being double bagged and taken directly to a CWD Cooperator in Yadkin or Surry counties.

Here are the meat processors and taxidermists who will be accepting samples:

• Alleghany Meat Center, 2440 U.S. 21, Sparta, 336-602-4808

• Wilson Taxidermy, 2539 S. Center Church Road, Thurmond, 336-835-1187

• D&D Taxidermy, 2206 Pardue Circle, Ronda, 336-957-6675

• Reavis Skull Works, 176 Pennington Road, North Wilkesboro, 336-469-1357

• Knight’s Taxidermy, 1203 Walter Summers Road, Westfield, 336-403-0473

• Arrowhead Taxidermy, 1105 Woodbury Road, King, 336-970-0298

• Hilltop Deer Processing, 1030 Hilltop Farm Road, Walnut Cove

• Rich Dobson Taxidermy, 128 Forest Oaks Dr., Dobson, 336-401-0356

• One for the Wall Taxidermy, 381 Rock Hill Church Road, Ararat, 336-374-8655

• Woman’s Touch Taxidermy, 1185 Bryant Mill Dr., Ararat, 336-648-2140

• Animal Tracks Taxidermy, 107 McCoy St., Kernersville, 336-399-7200

• Renigar’s Taxidermy, 725 Rolling Court, Kernersville, 336-473-3794

• Farmington Meat Processing, 135 Nikkis Way, Farmington, 336-998-7092

• Mike’s Processing, 155 Hog Jam Dr., Statesville, 704-873-0386

• Wild America Taxidermy & Deer Processing, 301 Oak Hollow Road, Union Grove, 704-929-2341

• Gary Myers Taxidermy, 2152 Flint Hill Road, East Bend, 336-712-5952

• Fisher Farms Processing, 4225 Old U.S. 421 E., Yadkinville, 336-469-3680

• Swaim’s Skull Mounts, 1306 Lone Hickory Road, Yadkinville, 336-468-0750

Here are the locations where freezers will be available for sample drop-offs:

• Glade Valley Market and Grill, 4580 U.S. 21 South, Glade Valley

• Mountain View Hardware, 4511 Rock Creek Road, Hays

• Francisco VFD, 7100 N. 89 West, Westfield

• Betty’s Outdoors, 3701 N.C. 89 East, Walnut Cove

• Devotion, 110 Devotion Estate Way, Dobson

• New Earth Company, 475 CC Camp Road, Elkin

• Robby’s, 457 N. Main St., Mount Airy

• Red Oak Outfitters, 108 Lola Lane, Pilot Mountain

• Siloam Recycling Center, 116 Hamilton Way, Siloam

• Webster Brothers Hardware, 2700 Hwy. 66, Walkertown

• Drop Tine Archery, 100 Webb Way, Advance

• Richmond Hill Nature Park, 4641 Law School Road, East Bend

• Rockford General Store, 104 Old Rockford Road, Rockford

• Yadkinville Shell, 700 S. State St., Yadkinville

Chronic wasting disease is a transmissible neurological disease that affects white-tailed deer and other cervids, including elk, moose and caribou. It is always fatal. It is transmitted by bodily fluids.

State-record swordfish confirmed

This has truly been a year for state-record saltwater fish, with the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries recently certified another monster — this time, a state-record swordfish.

Cary Carney of Newport boated the 504-pound, 8-ounce fish about 55 miles off Morehead City on Aug. 21. He was fishing aboard the Willow B, captained by his son, Brandon. The fish came out of 1,300 feet of water.

Carney’s fish was 104 inches long (fork length) and had a 53-inch girth when weighed in at EJW Outdoors in Morehead City.

Carney used albacore belly for bait and was fishing a 6-foot Crowder DDS80 rod paired with a Daiwa MP3000 reel filled with 65-pound test. The reel is normally used for deep-drop bottomfishing and is powered by an electric motor, but Carney hand-cranked the fish up because the reel had a blown fuse. The fish would have been ineligible for a state record had Carney used the reel’s electric motor feature.