The Department of Natural Resources asks hunters to submit deer from select parts of Michigan to be tested for chronic wasting disease, a fatal neurological disease impacting deer, elk and moose.
Each year, CWD surveillance goals are created to help biologists understand the extent of the disease in the local deer herd. Deer heads are still needed for testing from Jackson, Isabella and Gratiot counties and the CWD core surveillance area in the Upper Peninsula to meet the DNR’s 2019 CWD surveillance goals.
Thanks to participating hunters, surveillance goals have been met in Clinton, Ingham, Ionia, Kent, Mecosta, Montcalm, Newaygo and Shiawassee counties.
The DNR will test any deer for disease at the request of a hunter; however, once surveillance goals have been met in a specific area, the number of deer collected from that area will be limited.
Keep track of whether we still need deer from your hunting area on our CWD testing results page.
Hunters should be prepared to wait about a month for CWD test results, especially during the firearm deer season, when sample volume is high.
