Chronic Wasting Disease
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible, always fatal, neurological disease that affects deer and other cervids such as elk, moose and reindeer/caribou.
CWD was detected in North Carolina in March 2022. In response, CWD Surveillance Areas with special regulations have been established.
CWD Testing Locations Full Screen
CWD Mandatory Sampling
Hunters that harvest a deer in the 2024-2025 season in either Surveillance Area during the dates November 23-25 in Surveillance Area 1 and November 16-23rd in Surveillance Area 2 must submit a sample, within two weeks of harvest, to the Wildlife Commission for CWD testing. Samples may be submitted to a Commission-staffed facility, to a Cervid Health Cooperator, or deposited in a Commission CWD Testing Drop-off Station.