Hunters continue to battle CWD in state deer herds

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Chronic wasting disease, or CWD, continues to spread in deer in Mississippi, but efforts by hunters, landowners and wildlife managers are keeping the numbers in check.

The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, or MDWFP, tested 128 deer positive for CWD from July 2024 to June 2025. That number is up from 110 deer that tested positive during the same period from 2023 to 2024.

According to the MDWFP website, the agency has tested 58,854 deer since July 1, 2018. There has been a total of 446 positive tests since 2018 in Mississippi. About 270,000 deer are harvested each year in the state from a deer population estimated at 1.75 million.

Along with the increase in number, Union County in north Mississippi was added to the list of counties in the state with positive CWD cases. There are 18 counties with recorded CWD cases, with most in the northernmost Mississippi counties. Another area with several occurrences is in the lower Delta from Warren County extending south into Claiborne County.

“The highest prevalence area is in Benton and Marshall counties along the Tennessee line,” said Jacob Dykes, wildlife specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. “This is part of a larger regional outbreak covering multiple states.”

CWD is a prion disease that is easily transmissible to deer. A prion is a type of protein that can trigger normal proteins in the brain to fold abnormally. CWD has been found in white-tailed deer populations in 36 states as of May 2025

“The disease spreads through saliva, feces, urine or a contaminated environment,” Dykes said. “If left unmanaged, chronic wasting disease can devastate the deer population as it is 100% fatal to any deer that contracts the disease.”

Although CWD has never been known to transmit to humans, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that deer infected with this disease should not be eaten. One challenge of detecting the disease is that until deer enter the last stages of CWD, they often appear completely healthy.

Kamen Campbell, MDWFP assistant deer program coordinator, said hunters are encouraged to have the head of deer they harvest tested via drop-off freezers or participating taxidermist programs.

“The test is free, and results are usually available within two to three weeks outside of peak harvest times,” Campbell said.

Wildlife experts recommend hunters test all harvested deer for CWD if they hunt in or near an area that has the disease.

“Deer density is correlated with the rate of transmission. Therefore, harvesting more deer reduces the number of deer in the landscape that can become infected while increasing the likelihood of removing positive infectious deer from the landscape,” Campbell said.

To combat the spread of CWD, wildlife experts advise against using feeders for deer.

“Research on supplemental feeders proves that they can be a source of infection in as little as one month of use,” Campbell said. “Any action to limit this unnatural congregation at feeders or mineral licks reduces the likelihood of transmission to other deer.”

Additionally, bucks tend to contract the disease at a higher rate than does, so increasing buck harvest and taking younger bucks increase the chances of removing positive deer.

“An adequate doe harvest is also important to maintain deer density,” he said.

For several years, MDWFP has offered the CWD Deer Management Assistance Program, known as DMAP, for hunters on private land within 3 miles of a positive detection. This program allows hunters to take as many deer of either sex as they like with no weapon restrictions during any open deer season.

Deer taken under this program are tested for CWD and do not count against daily or seasonal bag limits.

“This initiative is focused on increasing CWD sampling around areas where the disease is known, helping to monitor its spread and manage local deer populations through targeted harvest,” Campbell said. “Participation in the CMAP program is a valuable way to support CWD deer management and protect the future of Mississippi’s deer herd.”

Even if an area has not yet reported any CWD cases, Campbell said limiting carcass movement and supplemental feeding is beneficial.

“The disease is always beyond the farthest known location,” he said. “It takes years for the disease to become prevalent enough to be detectable. Proactive measures like stopping feeding can reduce the spread in areas where the disease is present but has yet to be detected and areas where positive deer may go.”

The best time to manage for CWD is while prevalence is still low. Mississippi hunters have shown a willingness to participate in CWD-mitigating efforts despite national research that suggests most hunters do not understand or see the impact of the disease until 1 in 10 deer in that area has CWD.

“We have had multiple areas of the state placed in CWD zones where prevalence appears to be low,” Campbell said. “Some of these areas have gone years with few or no subsequent detections. When detected early, proactive management appears to have the potential to limit spread.”

For more information on CWD or to find locations of the nearest testing drop box, visit https://www.mdwfp.com/wildlife-hunting/chronic-wasting-disease.