Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been confirmed in 36 states across the continental United States. The disease, a fatal brain infection caused by misfolded proteins called prions, affects deer, elk, and moose. It has spread steadily since it was first identified in Colorado in the late 1960s, and new states continue to report their first cases.
All 36 States With Confirmed CWD
The following states have reported CWD in either free-ranging or captive deer and elk populations, based on CDC tracking data:
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Florida
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Not every county within these states has detected CWD. In many cases, confirmed cases are concentrated in specific zones or management areas. Your state wildlife agency will have county-level maps showing exactly where cases have been found.
CWD Outside the United States
CWD is not limited to the U.S. In Canada, the disease was first detected on a Saskatchewan elk farm in 1996 and has since spread to wild and farmed deer, elk, and moose in Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Manitoba, and one red deer farm in Quebec. Internationally, CWD has been found in wild deer populations in Norway, Finland, and Sweden, and in farmed deer in South Korea.
Which Animals Are Affected
CWD infects members of the deer family. The known susceptible species are white-tailed deer, mule deer, black-tailed deer, Rocky Mountain elk, and moose. The disease is always fatal. Infected animals gradually lose weight, become lethargic, drool excessively, and lose coordination. Because symptoms can take over a year to appear, an animal can carry and spread the disease long before it looks sick.
The prions that cause CWD spread through saliva, urine, feces, and contact with contaminated soil. Unlike bacteria or viruses, prions are extraordinarily durable. They can persist in soil for years, which is one reason the disease is so difficult to contain once it reaches an area.
What This Means for Hunters
No human case of CWD has ever been reported. However, the CDC treats it as a potential risk because a related prion disease in cattle (mad cow disease) did jump to humans. Some studies in primates have also shown that monkeys can become infected by eating tissue from CWD-positive animals. If CWD were to spread to people, eating contaminated meat would be the most likely route.
The CDC recommends several precautions if you hunt in areas where CWD has been detected:
- Do not shoot, handle, or eat animals that look sick or are behaving abnormally.
- Do not eat meat from animals found dead.
- Wear latex or rubber gloves when field-dressing a deer.
- Avoid handling internal organs, especially the brain and spinal cord.
- Use dedicated tools for field dressing rather than your kitchen knives.
- Have your deer or elk tested for CWD before eating the meat. If it tests positive, do not eat it.
- If your animal is processed commercially, ask that it be processed individually so the meat isn’t mixed with other animals.
Some states require mandatory testing in certain zones. Virginia, for example, requires hunters who harvest deer in several specific counties on designated dates to bring them to a sampling station for CWD testing. Requirements like these vary widely, so check your state’s wildlife agency before hunting season.
Carcass Transport Restrictions
Because prions concentrate in the brain, spinal cord, and lymph nodes, many states restrict how you can transport harvested deer. The goal is to prevent infected tissue from reaching new areas. Whole carcasses from CWD zones are typically prohibited from crossing state lines.
What you can generally transport:
- Cut and wrapped meat (commercially or privately processed)
- Quarters or portions with no spinal column or head attached
- Boned-out meat
- Hides without heads
- Clean skull plates with antlers (no tissue attached)
- Finished taxidermy mounts
Some states, like Colorado, also regulate moving carcasses out of CWD management zones within the state itself. These rules change as new detections occur, so checking regulations before you transport a harvest across any state or zone boundary is worth the few minutes it takes.