CDFW tells San Benito commissioners: no chronic wasting disease detected; expanded surveillance, mountain‑lion and bobcat work planned
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Summary
California Department of Fish and Wildlife staff briefed the San Benito County Fish and Game Advisory Commission on expanded deer and elk monitoring, near‑term mountain lion capture efforts, a planned bobcat study and increased disease surveillance; staff reported no detected chronic wasting disease in the district to date.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife district staff told the San Benito County Fish and Game Advisory Commission on Dec. 15 that the agency has stepped up sampling and monitoring of deer, elk and large carnivores across the county and has not detected chronic wasting disease (CWD) locally so far.
"There's no chronic wasting disease in this district at this point in time," said Zach Mills, the district wildlife biologist, saying the nearest confirmed positives were in Madera County and on the eastern Sierra. Mills told commissioners the agency expects nearly 100 CWD samples this year from the county through participation in private land management programs and statewide surveillance efforts.
The briefing summarized three linked monitoring efforts. For deer, CDFW has begun collaring does to feed an integrated population model that combines aerial surveys, hunter harvest data and tooth‑age information to estimate survival and recruitment. "We deploy these collars on deer effectively to know when and how they die," Mills said, describing how mortality signals trigger field investigations and tissue sampling.
On bobcats, Mills said CDFW has limited research to date but will start a dedicated bobcat project in the Monterey area and is open to expanding it into San Benito County if landowners collaborate. Mills urged residents to use CDFW's Wildlife Incident Report (WIR) platform to submit sightings and depredation reports; he said submitted reports are routed to staff and can be mapped to show spatial patterns.
Mills also described upcoming mountain‑lion work. "We're actually days away from starting a large mountain lion capture exercise," he said, noting the primary focal areas are the U.S. 101 corridor and lands near the Clear Creek Management Area. He cautioned that capture work is labor‑intensive, seasonally constrained and sensitive to road access and early rains.
On elk, Mills and scientific aide Acacia Martinez Dragomir described helicopter surveys and collaring in the Gavilan hunt zone that spans parts of Monterey and San Benito counties, and they said the work will inform long‑term monitoring of movement and survival across adjacent herds.
Commissioners asked whether residents should expect wolves; Mills said genetic testing on a large animal in the county returned 100% domestic dog and he has no proof of wolves in San Benito County at this time. "When people see a big domestic dog and they assume it's a wolf, I understand where that information comes from," he said.
Mills closed by offering to return with updates. Commissioners thanked CDFW staff for the detailed briefing and asked the agency to keep the commission informed as sampling and collaring expand.
The commission scheduled follow up and encouraged county residents who encounter wildlife issues to submit them through the CDFW Wildlife Incident Report system so staff can compile spatial data and respond as needed.
Ending: CDFW staff said they will return with further results from the big game digest and local sample counts; commissioners requested an update in about three months.
