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The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission 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). 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 accep samples in Stokes, Surrey, Forsyth, Davie, Yadkin and parts of Wilkes, Alleghany and Iredell counties. The Commission has located another 15 freezers throughout those counties where hunters can submit samples: the head of the 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). 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 accept samples:

• Alleghany Meat Center, 2440 US 21, Sparta, 336-602-4808;

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

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

• Reavis Skull Works, 176 Pennington Rd., North Wilkesboro, 336-469-1357;

• Knight’s Taxidermy, 1203 Walter Summers Rd., Westfield, 336-403-0473;

• Arrowhead Taxidermy, 1105 Woodbury Rd., King, 336-970-0298;

• Hilltop Deer Processing, 1030 Hilltop Farm Rd., Walnut Cove.

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

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

ˆWoman’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 Rd., Union Grove, 704-929-2341;

• Gary Myers Taxidermy, 2152 Flint Hill Rd., East Bend, 336-712-5952;

• Fisher Farms Processing, 4225 Old US 421 E, Yadkinville, 336-469-3680;

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

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

• Glade Valley Market and Grill, 4580 US 21 South, Glade Valley;

• Mountain View Hardware, 4511 Rock Creek Rd., Hays;

• Francisco VFD, 7100 N 89 West, Westfield;

• Betty’s Outdoors, 3701 NC 89 East, Walnut Cove;

• Devotion, 110 Devotion Estate Way, Dobson;

• New Earth Company, 475 CC Camp Rd., 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 Rd., East Bend;

• Rockford General Store, 104 Old Rockford Rd., 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

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 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.