The Wisconsin DNR reminds hunters to test their deer for CWD this fall. You can test anywhere in the state. However, the DNR wants samples from priority areas near recent CWD detection locations.
CWD is a contagious, fatal neurological disease that affects the nervous system of deer, elk, moose, and caribou. Prions are misshaped proteins that can spread the disease through direct animal-to-animal contact or in the environment through bodily substances or the carcass of infected deer.
Prions are extremely resilient and capable of remaining in the soil for years, potentially infecting several deer from a single source. Common signs of infected deer in the later stages of the disease are drastic weight loss, drooped head and ears, loss of coordination, excessive salivation, and reduced fear of humans.
For the 2024-2025 deer seasons, the DNR wants more samples from the 2024 Fall Priority Areas: https://widnr.widen.net/s/fd8xcmxgnl/cwdsamplingareas
Additional samples in these areas will help the DNR better understand disease levels and distribution. In addition to the desire for additional testing within the priority areas, testing is again available statewide this hunting season.
How To Test
The DNR offers free and accessible options to test deer for CWD. Hunters can find the nearest location using the DNR’s CWD Sample and Disposal Locations map: https://wi-dnr.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/c7093298e3be4550b83c69a360a20df3
Other options:
- Self-service kiosks, open 24/7: Kiosks contain supplies for hunters to drop off a deer head with 5 inches of neck attached.
- In-person with cooperating partners: Meat processors and other businesses can collect the deer head for sampling or remove the lymph nodes at the time of drop-off. This is a convenient option for hunters who intend to mount their deer. If a taxidermist is not a cooperator, ask for the caped-out head back to submit at a kiosk.
- At-home lymph node extraction: Hunters may pick up a kit ahead of time, extract the retropharyngeal lymph nodes using the provided instructions and return the lymph nodes to the DNR or a kiosk for testing.
- By appointment with local DNR staff: Hunters can contact their local wildlife management staff to schedule an in-person appointment.
Replacement Harvest Authorizations
If a hunter receives a CWD-positive test result, a replacement authorization will go to their Go Wild account within two to four days. A positive result from an antlered harvest authorization will result in a replacement antlered harvest authorization for the hunter (valid statewide). If the positive result was for an antlerless harvest registration, an either-sex replacement harvest authorization will be for the same DMU and land type.
The replacement authorizations aren’t weapon-specific and are valid for the remainder of the current hunting season and next year’s hunting seasons (starting in September 2025).
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