Deer With Chronic Wasting Disease Found In 13 Michigan Counties

Michigan's whitetail deer population faces serious challenges, with Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) posing a significant threat to the state's enormous herd. Addressing this disease is crucial to the overall health of Michigan's whitetail deer.

The herd's size, estimated to be around or over 2 million deer, is a powder keg waiting for a spark. With this fatal condition spreading through everyday deer-to-deer contact, it could take out entire populations.

Chronic Wasting Disease: A Silent Threat to Michigan Deer

CWD is a fatal neurological disease caused by prions (proteins that cause other proteins to fold). It affects deer, elk, and moose. It spreads through direct contact between animals or infected saliva, urine, and carcass parts. Unlike EHD, CWD can live in the environment for over a decade, making it difficult to control.

Deer infected with CWD may not show symptoms for years, but advanced signs include severe weight loss and abnormal behavior, like losing their fear of humans. CWD was first discovered in Michigan deer in the wild in 2015 and has since been detected in 13 Michigan counties: Dickinson, Clinton, Eaton, Gratiot, Hillsdale, Ingham, Ionia, Isabella, Jackson, Kent, Midland, Montcalm, and Ogemaw.

Testing Michigan Deer For Chronic Wasting Disease

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) offers hunters free CWD testing in counties of interest and free self-testing kits for others. You must submit your harvested deer head for the DNR-provided testing.

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To see if your county is included in either the free testing or if you are eligible for a self-test kit, click here. To see a county-by-county breakdown of the 2023 deer harvest, keep scrolling.