Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
Chronic Wasting Disease keeps showing up in headlines, camp talk, and state regulations, but panic has a way of outrunning facts. Here’s the straight answer on what CWD is, how it spreads, what it looks like, and what hunters actually need to worry about.
Table of contents
- Chronic Wasting Disease in Deer: Panic, Hype, or a Real Threat?
- Quick CWD Facts Hunters Should Know
- What Is Chronic Wasting Disease, Really?
- How Do Deer Get CWD and How Does It Spread?
- What Does CWD Look Like in Deer?
- Can Humans Get CWD from Deer?
- How Bad Is CWD, Really, for Wild Deer and Hunters?
- Could Chronic Wasting Disease Make Deer Endangered?
- Should Hunters Actually Worry About CWD?
- Useful Sources and Further Reading on CWD
- Related Reads from GunsAmerica Digest
Chronic Wasting Disease in Deer: Panic, Hype, or a Real Threat?
It’s been decades since CWD, or Chronic Wasting Disease, began stealing headlines during deer season. For some hunters, it’s gotten to the point where they simply ignore the random outcries of CWD outbreaks, but for others, it remains a serious concern. So what’s the truth about chronic wasting disease? Is it a major problem that’s threatening to wipe out deer hunting as we know it, or is it a case of the-sky-is-falling reports? Here’s what we know now.
Quick CWD Facts Hunters Should Know
| Disease | Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) |
|---|---|
| Type | Prion disease |
| Fatality Rate | 100 percent mortality rate |
| Common Hosts | Deer, elk, moose, and other cervids |
| Visible Symptoms | Weight loss, ataxia, hypersalivation, tremors, teeth grinding |
| Estimated Time to Death | One to two years |
| Environmental Persistence | Up to three years in soil, possibly longer |
| Human Guidance | Do not eat meat from obviously sick or CWD-positive deer |
What Is Chronic Wasting Disease, Really?
Chronic Wasting Disease, or CWD, is a prion disease with a 100 percent mortality rate, according to pretty much every source out there, from the Centers for Disease Control to the National Deer Association to the Emerging Pathogens Institute. Keep that number in mind, because we’re going to mention it again later.
Prion diseases are neurodegenerative disorders, with the prions themselves being misfolded proteins. The prions are infectious and build up in the brain, where they cause irreversible damage to nerve cells. Normal prions in an affected brain also become infected, meaning they start misfolding as well and spread further damage. There’s currently no cure or even a treatment protocol for prion disease in animals or humans.
How Do Deer Get CWD and How Does It Spread?
Deer that catch CWD are exposed to the abnormal prions either through direct contact with sick animals or environmental contact. According to the National Institute of Health, CWD is technically airborne as well through minute infected droplets from infected animals. However, evidence shows direct contact is the most common and likely form of transmission.
What this boils down to is that deer can catch CWD by licking or grooming an infected animal or by eating in a contaminated area. Once prions are in the soil, they remain infectious for up to three years, although there are some smaller studies out there that suggest it’s even longer. Prions can’t be burned or frozen out of existence by extreme temperatures, and the plants that grow from infected soil can also transmit the disease to deer.
What Does CWD Look Like in Deer?
Infected animals look totally normal at first. In fact, it’s entirely possible for a deer carrying CWD to look normal for quite some time. Just like with any disease, the time it takes from incubation to the terminal stage varies by animal. From start to finish, it takes anywhere from one to two years for CWD to kill deer. It’s a slow-spreading disease with visible symptoms that take time to show up, which is why areas with known CWD issues go ahead and test deer taken during hunting season.
The most obvious symptom of CWD is extreme weight loss, but even that doesn’t appear until the disease reaches the terminal stage. Other symptoms include confusion, ataxia, meaning stumbling around as though they’re drunk, hypersalivation, tremors, and grinding of teeth. These issues can also be connected to other diseases, which is why testing is the only way to definitively diagnose CWD.
Can Humans Get CWD from Deer?
There’s no evidence that people can be infected with CWD by sick deer, and scientists have looked. It also doesn’t appear to be transmissible to domestic animals like cats and dogs. Despite that, the general rule is not to eat meat from an obviously sick deer or one that’s been diagnosed with CWD. It’s also advised not to consume brain or spinal tissue at all, meaning you can’t include a deer’s spine when you’re cooking bone broth. Brain tanning using brains from deer is also discouraged, partly because there’s simply not enough information about infectious rates or prion presence when it’s used in that way. Common sense says brain tanning could easily result in prions being present in the finished hide.
Even though current studies show you’re not going to catch CWD from eating an infected deer, these things tend not to be worth the risk. So if you know for a fact the deer you shot was sick, consider not risking it. And whether your deer appears healthy or not, skip utilizing the brain or spine.
How Bad Is CWD, Really, for Wild Deer and Hunters?
Here’s the part that’s probably going to irritate some people, but it’s all fact-based, so take it up with science. Although CWD does sometimes occur in wild deer, it’s a significantly worse problem on high-fence and otherwise contained deer farms and ranches. Studies also show that wild deer catch CWD from those deer farms. Ground zero is often the farm itself, and wild deer get it through exposure to infected animals on the other side of the fence. Then there’s the fact that hunters who frequent high-fence outfitters then spread the disease by removing an infected, but healthy appearing, carcass from that area and transporting it elsewhere.
The first case of CWD was found in 1967 in a captive mule deer in Colorado. After that, it showed up in the wild in 1981, also in Colorado. As of April 2025, the CDC reports cases in 36 states and 543 counties within those states. If you look at a map, you’ll see CWD is most common in a concentrated area in the middle of the country, with Colorado at its center. Neighboring states such as Wyoming, Kansas, Montana, Utah, and South Dakota are also impacted more heavily. There are some outliers with high infection rates, like Wisconsin, as well.
It’s impossible to know how widespread CWD is due to how healthy infected deer appear until they hit the terminal stage. There’s also no way to know if it’s present but not fatal in several deer, without cutting off heads and testing brains. The assumption that it’s always fatal comes from, well, the dead deer. What science knows about prions makes it a logical assumption that deer infected with CWD will unequivocally die, eventually, but it’s also not possible to know that for sure. Come at me for that, but science is constantly changing and evolving as more information becomes available and technology advances. All you can do is work with the information currently available.
Could Chronic Wasting Disease Make Deer Endangered?
The odds of deer becoming endangered over CWD outbreaks are slim. It’s not impossible that deer numbers can decline dramatically in areas with major outbreaks, but thus far, it’s more of an assumption than anything else. It’s important to note that when CWD is diagnosed at a high-fence deer operation or deer farm, the entire herd is euthanized. That’s led to what appears to be a decline in deer numbers, and when you combine that with some deer farms getting out of the business because of it, well, it can cause some confusing statistics. There are a lot of factors to consider when it comes to decline.
What studies are showing is that there are ways to slow and fight the spread.
A study by the U.S. Geological Survey and Wyoming Fish and Game titled “The effectiveness of harvest for limiting wildlife disease: Insights from 20 years of chronic wasting disease in Wyoming” was released in January 2025, and it presents some interesting details. According to the study, hunting bucks is an effective tool for reducing the spread of CWD.
Wynne Moss, lead author and USGS scientist, stated, “We found that harvesting a high proportion of the adult males in the herd – around 40% every year for 20 years, is expected to keep chronic wasting disease infections at low numbers.”
Paul Cross, co-author of the study and USGS scientist, added, “Our results suggest that the use of hunting is a promising, scientifically supported way to manage chronic wasting disease; however, it is important to note that this approach is more likely to slow the disease down than eradicate it. This study provides important evidence about the effects of hunting on wildlife disease management for deer.”
USGS is quick to point out that the real-life implications aren’t fully understood yet due to a lack of more evidence, but the study itself is promising. The study did report that shorter spans of time with a high harvest rate of bucks are also effective, but sticking to it beyond just a few years yields the greatest results. Data provided by Wyoming Fish and Game showed that increased hunting pressure is an effective tool, albeit a controversial one for those who dislike hunting in general.
And in a study published in 2021 that didn’t get nearly enough attention, it was discovered that a previously endangered deer’s genes might protect it from prion disease like CWD. That study was led by the University of Illinois and focused on the Pere David’s deer, a Chinese species once reduced to just 18 animals. Today, careful breeding has brought the population up over 3000. Here’s the cool part.
Tolulope Perrin-Stowe, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, led the research during her doctoral program. She reported: “The gene variants we found in Père David’s deer have been linked to reduced susceptibility to CWD in other species. Studies would have to be done in this species to know if the gene variants really have the protective effect, but this is a good starting point to understand potential susceptibility.”
Should Hunters Actually Worry About CWD?
It’s a good idea to be well-informed and aware of potential problems when you hunt, especially if you’re hunting in a heavily impacted region. Take care to follow regulations such as providing heads for testing, and understand that the reason baiting isn’t allowed in those areas is an attempt to stop the spread. But take heart in the reality that studies are showing CWD isn’t necessarily a disease without management possibilities, maybe better if the Pere David deer study leads to something more.
Keep hunting. Fill your buck tags. And don’t consume or otherwise utilize brains and spines from harvested deer.
Useful Sources and Further Reading on CWD
Related Reads from GunsAmerica Digest
- How to Remove Deer Lymph Nodes for Chronic Wasting Disease Testing
- How to Easily Debone Venison for Travel in CWD Zones
- Can Dogs Detect Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in Deer?
Kat Ainsworth Stevens is a prolific outdoor writer based in North Texas. Her love and enjoyment of firearms extends to both self-defense and hunting, and she’s driven to teach safe gun handling. Kat’s the author of several books and thousands of articles as well as a successful editor with more than a decade of experience in marketing. With experience in everything from defensive handgun use to field dressing a deer, Kat’s background is varied and extensive. She firmly believes in the importance of protecting the Second Amendment as well as the First.
When she’s not behind a gun or processing her own game meat, Kat can be found trapping, boating, doing yoga, and mudding. The outdoors and the Lone Star State are where she belongs.
Experience
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Year-round enthusiast of hunting, trapping, and fishing.
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