As elk hunting seasons get underway, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is reminding hunters to make plans to get any elk they harvest tested for Chronic Wasting Disease. ODFW will be testing elk and deer at five check station locations in Oregon from Saturday through Monday. One of those check stations is at Celilo Park off Interstate 84 exit 97 west of Biggs Junction, and will be open from 9 a.m. to dusk all three days. Other check stations will be located in Elgin, Baker City, Prineville, and Ukiah. Hunters who drive by one of the check stations while transporting a deer or elk are required to stop. ODFW biologists will take a small tissue sample from lymph nodes in the neck or a portion of the brainstem, a tooth for aging, and general information about where and when the animal was harvested. Hunters who can’t get to a check station can also get their animal tested at a participating meat processor or taxidermist, by dropping the head in a drop bin at an ODFW office or by calling a local ODFW office to make an appointment. While CWD has never been detected in Oregon’s deer or elk, it has been found in California, Idaho, and Washington. It’s possible the disease is already present in the state’s herds as deer and elk can be infected with CWD, and spreading it, for years before showing symptoms.