Kentucky Fish and Wildlife supports House bill to limit further spread of fatal deer, elk disease

​FRANKFORT, Ky. (Feb. 27, 2025) — In 2019, the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) report on best management practices for prevention, surveillance and management of chronic wasting disease (CWD).​​​

The always-fatal disease is caused by abnormal proteins that affect white-tailed deer, elk and other members of the cervid family. Prohibiting live animal movement and restricting carcass movement top the AFWA list of best practices.​​

​​A bill filed earlier this month in the Kentucky General Assembly by Rep. Josh Bray and co-sponsored by Rep. David Hale could immediately implement measures acknowledged by AFWA as necessary steps to protect wild deer and elk.

​​Specifically, House Bill 700 outlines the boundaries of a CWD Surveillance Zone related to the exportation of cervid carcass parts and wild cervids. A surveillance zone would include any county within a 30-mile radius of a CWD detection. When less than 10 percent of a county is within the 30-mile radius, that county would not be included in the surveillance zone. The surveillance zone designation would expire when there have been no CWD detections in the zone for five years.

The bill also would prohibit the movement of captive cervids outside of a 10-mile radius from a captive facility that had a CWD detection. The bill does not prohibit the interstate movement of cervids. Exemptions have been added to allow the movement of deer parts and allow breeding of captive deer inside the facility in which the cervid is housed.​​

​​A committee substitute filed and adopted by the House Tourism and Outdoor Recreation Committee on Thursday, Feb. 27, declared the bill an emergency and added an exemption that would allow a captive deer farmer to build a secondary fence 10-feet inside the facility’s perimeter to serve as a buffer between wild deer and the captive herd. If that secondary fence is built before a CWD detection within 10 miles of the facility, the operator could export captive cervids to other facilities within the state.

The bill now waits for assignment for a floor vote of the full House of Representatives.​​

​​Elected officials play a critical role by approving laws and regulations that strengthen conservation efforts directly tied to Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. Bray’s bill is the latest in a long history of legislative action aimed at protecting Kentucky’s wildlife.

Kentucky has had a CWD Response Plan in place since 2002 and laws restricting the importation of potentially infected live cervids since 2006.​​

​​To date, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife has tested more than 60,000 deer and elk from every county, with most samples provided by hunters. It has tested 8,864 since March 2024. Testing also occurs year-round from reported or found deer outside the fall hunting season.

​​Every state that borders Kentucky has detected CWD. Kentucky activated its response plan in September 2021 following a CWD detection in nearby Henry County, Tennessee. Two years later, testing confirmed Kentucky’s first CWD case in a wild deer in Ballard County. In October, a captive deer from a facility in Breckinridge County returned a positive detection. Earlier this month, a 2-1/2 year-old hunter-harvested deer in Posey County, Indiana tested positive for CWD. Posey County is directly across the Ohio River from Henderson and Union counties in Kentucky.

There is no known cure or vaccine and testing can only be done from a deceased animal. Once introduced, CWD spreads through direct animal-to-animal contact and contaminated environments (such as feces, urine and saliva).​​

​​The movement of infected animals — whether through hunting or captive deer facilities — poses a serious risk of spreading the disease across greater areas.

​​Wildlife-related recreation supported by Kentucky Fish and Wildlife accounts for more than half of the overall economic impact of tourism in the commonwealth. Hunting alone generates $2 billion annually with big-game hunting responsible for about 80 percent of that total.

In just a few generations, dedicated conservation efforts have successfully restored populations of deer, elk and other wildlife in Kentucky.​​

Leading this charge since 1944 is the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, the state agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing the commonwealth’s wildlife. Strong partnerships and continued support from hunters, anglers, boaters, outdoor enthusiasts, policymakers and outdoor industry partners are essential to achieving this mission.​​​

For the latest information on CWD, please visit the department’s website (fw.ky.gov) and follow its social media channels. More information about CWD is available at fw.ky.gov/cwd, cwd-info.org and through the CDC website.