Whether you’re a hunter or someone who just enjoys seeing deer while hiking one of Ohio’s State Parks, a Metropark, or on your own property, Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) remains a concern. CWD is a fatal neurological disease that affects all members of the deer family. It happens when naturally occurring proteins, called prions, become misfolded, leading to holes in the brain tissue, eventually culminating in death of the animal.
Ohio confirmed its first positive case of CWD in wild deer in Wyandot County in 2020. Today this disease has spread to the neighboring counties of Marion, Hardin, and a few townships within Allen, Hancock, Crawford, Morrow, Union and Delaware counties. All deer harvested in this growing Disease Surveillance Area (DSA) must be submitted for testing for CWD in the effort to further gauge the extent of this disease.
The ODNR Division of Wildlife has sampled and tested a little over 38,000 white-tailed deer for CWD since 2017. As we near the end of 2025, the total number of confirmed CWD-positive wild deer stands at 98.
A lot of folks question as to how widespread throughout the state is CWD going to get? With the ‘crystal ball’ being a little cloudy, it’s incredibly difficult to tell, as optimistic as we’d like to be. Nevertheless, efforts will continue in the effort to keep our “finger on the pulse” of what’s going on and do what we can to at least slow the spread, if we can’t contain it.
The National Deer Association (NDA) recently shared a few tips on what hunters and others can do to help fight the spread of CWD. First and foremost, strictly adhere to all the regulations and deer carcass movement stipulations. Secondly, submit your harvested deer for testing. Even the healthiest-looking deer could test positive for CWD! The DOW provides relatively easy and economical ways to have your deer tested.
For you hunters, fill more deer tags. By helping to manage the overall deer population, this could also counter the spread of CWD, at least that’s what we’re hoping. Freezer’s full and no more room, then donate your harvested deer to the Farmers and Hunter’s Feeding the Hungry Program (FHFH) through a participating processor. And if you happen to observe any deer that appear to be ‘sick’ or are acting uncharacteristically, report the sighting to your county Wildlife Officer or the DOW.
More information about CWD or tracking the testing status of Ohio’s wild deer can be found on the DOW’s website at: https://ohiodnr.gov/discover-and-learn/safety-conservation/wildlife-management/wildlife-disease/chronic-wasting-disease