Hunters And The Public Can Take An Active Role In Slowing The Spread Of CWD
 Hunting is the primary management tool used to control the size of the white-tailed deer population in Wisconsin, and hunters are a vital piece in efforts to monitor and manage CWD. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR
Deer season is here, and hunters across Wisconsin can play an active role in controlling the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) to keep the state's deer herd healthy.
Hunting
By simply continuing to hunt, hunters reduce deer population densities which slows disease transmission. Hunting is the primary management tool used to control the size of the white-tailed deer population in Wisconsin, and hunters are a vital piece in efforts to monitor and manage CWD.
Refrain From Baiting/Feeding
Additionally, hunters can help keep the deer herd healthy by following baiting and feeding rules. Baiting and feeding encourage deer to congregate unnaturally around a specific location, creating an environment where infected deer can quickly spread diseases like chronic wasting disease (CWD) through direct contact with healthy deer or through indirect contact in the environment.
Infected deer can also leave infectious CWD prions behind in their saliva, blood, feces and urine, creating a risk to any healthy deer that may visit the site in the future. CWD can spread rapidly when these prions remain in an area where more deer are sure to congregate, such as a feed pile.
To mitigate these risks and slow the spread of CWD, state law directs the DNR to impose baiting and feeding bans within any county with a confirmed CWD-positive wild or captive deer or any county within 10 miles of the location of the positive deer.
As directed by state statute, counties fall under a three-year baiting and feeding ban when a wild or farm-raised deer tests positive for CWD in the county. If the CWD-positive deer is found within 10 miles of a county line, the adjoining county will fall under a two-year ban. If additional CWD cases are found during the lifetime of a baiting and feeding ban, the ban will reset for an additional two to three years. Therefore, the date when a baiting and feeding ban is scheduled to expire within a given county may change due to new farm-raised and wild CWD positive detections.
In counties where baiting and feeding bans are in effect, individuals may still feed birds and small mammals provided feeding devices are within 50 yards of a human dwelling and at a sufficient height or design to prevent access by deer.
Find more information on baiting and feeding regulations and a map of counties with active bans on the DNR’s Baiting and Feeding Regulations webpage.
Test Harvested Deer For CWD
Testing your harvested deer, especially if it was taken from a priority area, helps biologists to better understand current disease levels and distribution. There are several ways to submit your deer for testing. To see a map of CWD sampling locations near you, please visit the DNR’s CWD Sampling webpage.
If a hunter receives a CWD-positive test result, a replacement authorization will be issued 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 received for an antlerless harvest registration, an either-sex replacement harvest authorization will be issued 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 2026).
The DNR reminds the public that there have been no reported cases of CWD infection in humans to date. However, public health officials recommend against consuming meat from deer that test positive for CWD and to consider testing deer prior to consumption, especially in areas prevalent with CWD.
For more information, please visit the DNR’s Chronic Wasting Disease Test Results webpage.
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