MOUNT HOREB – U.S. Reps. Mark Green (R-Green Bay) and Paul Ryan (R-Janesville) today took part in a successful hunt during the first day of the September special deer hunt to help combat Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). The week-long special hunt is being held September 7-13.

The congressmen began their hunt early Saturday in the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ designated CWD containment zone in parts of Dane, Iowa and Sauk Counties, and their hunting group came away with a doe. Afterwards, they held a press conference on CWD in Mount Horeb and urged other Wisconsin deer hunters to use their skill and experience to help battle the threat of CWD.

"First and foremost, we're out here today for personal reasons. As hunters, we feel a responsibility to do our part to help combat Chronic Wasting Disease. Thankfully, we had some success in that today," Green said. "But we also want to use this chance to encourage every other hunter in the state to get out and do their part during the rest of this special hunt and during the regular season too. That's the best way for hunters to defend the deer hunting tradition that is so important to us in Wisconsin. As congressmen, we're also going to keep pushing for the funding and other resources we need to protect our hunting heritage from the CWD threat. In particular, we need to expand testing capacity, and today's successful hunt demonstrates once again how important that is. These days it's not long after those shots are fired that all the unsettled questions about CWD start to surface in a hunter's mind. Hunters deserve answers, and testing is the most important way to get them those answers."

"I’m glad we were able to get out there this morning," Ryan said. "I’ve been hunting deer in Wisconsin for most of my life. Specifically, I’ve hunted in and around the CWD zone for years and plan to keep doing so. As Wisconsin hunters, we need to do our part to help track, control and contain CWD. Deer hunting is a huge part of our heritage. On top of that, many Wisconsin businesses depend on a strong hunting season to sustain them. We’ve got to preserve this important part of our culture and economy and make sure that our deer are healthy and that our venison is safe to eat. Hunters will either be part of the solution or part of the problem if they don’t go out and hunt."

The doe was shot by Patrick Durkin, a Wisconsin outdoor writer who was a member of the hunting party.