Chronic Wasting Disease
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is an incurable, fatal prion disease that impacts and destroys the central nervous system of deer and other cervids. It was originally identified in 1976 and has since spread. It was first identified in Illinois in 2002. To learn more about CWD in Illinois, please visit IDNR’s CWD Management page to view an interactive case map, statistics, annual reports, and more.
Critical CWD Information for Hunters
As a hunter, the main things you need to note are:
- If you are hunting in a county where CWD has been identified, you have special tagging, reporting, and testing procedures.
- There is currently no evidence that eating a CWD-positive deer can transfer CWD to humans, but hunters are strongly encouraged to test their harvested deer for CWD for free.
- You may be eligible to participate in the late winter antlerless/CWD seasons.
- If you find a sick or dead animal (whether or not you suspect it has CWD), please report it.
Resources on CWD
To learn more about CWD, including a dive into some of the myths and misconceptions, we recommend:
- Chronic Wasting Disease Management in Illinois: Fact or Fiction? by Illinois Department of Natural Resources
- Chronic Wasting Disease Surveillance and Management Summary by Doug Dufford, IDNR
- Chronic Wasting Disease Management YouTube Playlist by IDNR
- Chronic Wasting Disease Page by White-tailed Deer Illinois
- What is Chronic Wasting Disease? by USGS
- Legend or Reality: Breaking the code of CWD myths by Nelda A. Rivera and Nohra Mateus-Pinilla (Outdoor Illinois)
Resources on Other Deer Diseases
For information on other deer diseases that impact population levels, we recommend reading:
- EHD in Illinois – Summer 2024 by Kaleigh Gabriel (Outdoor Illinois)
- What is the Difference Between Tuberculosis, Paratuberculosis and Mycoplasmosis in Deer? by Nohra Mateus-Pinilla and Nelda A. Rivera (Outdoor Illinois)