As a result of the Department of Wildlife Resources’ (DWR) ongoing chronic wasting disease (CWD) surveillance efforts, a CWD-positive deer was confirmed for the first time in Madison County. This adult buck was harvested during the regular firearms season. Madison County is already included in Disease Management Area 2 (DMA2). DMA2 was created after CWD was confirmed in a single hunter-harvested deer from Culpeper County during the 2018 – 2019 deer season.
The DWR is grateful to all cooperating hunters, processors, and taxidermists for their continued support of DWR’s efforts to monitor the deer population for CWD and prevent the spread of the disease across the landscape. Working cooperatively with avid outdoor enthusiasts is a crucial component of effective CWD surveillance. One of the most important things that hunters in CWD disease management areas can do to help fight this fatal disease is to submit harvested deer for CWD testing. Testing helps the DWR monitor the infection rate of the local deer populations and map the geographic spread. This information is critical to helping the DWR slow the spread of this disease.
In Madison County, and in all other DMA counties, the DWR has set up at least one refrigerator drop site for voluntary CWD testing. Information on voluntary CWD testing collection sites can be found here: dwr.virginia.gov/wildlife/diseases/cwd/voluntary-chronic-wasting-disease-testing-in-disease-management-area-2/. For the remainder of the season, a hunter may drop off the head plus 4 inches of attached neck of a harvested deer at one of the drop sites for testing. Some local taxidermists and processors are authorized by the DWR to collect and submit samples on behalf of hunters. Please call your local processor or taxidermist to inquire if they are working with the DWR to assist with CWD surveillance. Whichever way hunters decide to submit deer for CWD testing, the DWR recommends waiting to receive test results before eating the meat. There is no evidence that CWD can infect humans; however, to keep risk of exposure as low as possible, experts advise not eating the meat from CWD-positive deer.
A summary of all statewide CWD surveillance and monitoring efforts will be released in winter 2021. Best management practices for hunters, taxidermists and processors, and additional information about CWD, can be found on the DWR website at: dwr.virginia.gov/wildlife/diseases/cwd/.
