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CWD Frequently Asked Questions

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Please contact our Information Center at 1-800-858-1549 or Info.Center@ky.gov if you have any questions not answered below.

General Questions

What is Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)?

CWD is a fatal brain disease caused by abnormal proteins called prions. This disease affects members of the cervid family. Cervids include deer, elk, moose and caribou.

Has CWD been detected in Kentucky?

CWD was detected in hunter-harvested wild deer in Ballard County and a deceased, captive deer on a deer farm in Breckinridge County.

Where has CWD been found?

As of May 2024, CWD has been found in 34 states in the United States, including all of Kentucky's seven border states. CWD has also been detected in five Canadian provinces. More information can be found here.

When was CWD first detected in the United States?

CWD was first detected in the US in a captive mule deer in Colorado in 1967. The disease has also been detected in Canadian provinces, Europe and Asia.

Is there a cure for CWD?

Currently, there is no cure, vaccine, or treatment for CWD. The disease is always fatal to the animal. Deer or elk can potentially live for years after they become infected and before they show symptoms of the disease. During this time period, they can shed the infectious prions that cause the disease in the environment.

How does CWD spread?

The movement of deer is the primary reason for its rapid spread. This is why government agencies and conservation organizations battling CWD favor restrictions on the transportation of live deer as well as whole carcasses. An infected deer or elk can transmit the disease, whether alive or dead. The disease can be spread through direct contact between animals, such as shared body fluids, or from plants and soil in a contaminated area. Infected deer can transmit the disease even if they are not currently showing symptoms.

Can CWD prions be destroyed?

Very potent chemicals can denature or degrade CWD prions. Otherwise, incineration of CWD-infected tissues and carcasses at a very high temperature or burying infected tissues and carcasses so no other animals can be exposed can be successful in eliminating the danger of the disease. Burying limits surface exposure to the disease because CWD can live in soil for years and still be infectious.

How do you know if an animal is infected with CWD?

This can be difficult because healthy-looking animals can be infected since it takes on average 16 months to develop symptoms. Symptoms of CWD include weight loss, listlessness, lowered head, blank stare, excessive salivation and staggering or circling. Many of the symptoms are not specific and can resemble other diseases symptoms. The only way to confirm CWD is to test tissues of an animal after it is dead. There are no reliable tests for live animals.

Does CWD affect people?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "To date, there have been no reported cases of CWD infection in people. However, some animal studies suggest CWD poses a risk to certain types of non-human primates, like monkeys, that eat meat from CWD-infected animals or come in contact with brain or body fluids from infected deer or elk. These studies raise concerns that there may also be a risk to people. Out of an abundance of caution the CDC and The World Health Organization do not recommend eating meat from animals that test positive for CWD.

Recommended precautions:

Don't harvest an animal that appears sick or unhealthy.
When field dressing and processing an animal, bone-out all meat and avoid severing bones.
Don't split the backbone.
Avoid or minimize handling of brain, spinal cord, tonsils, and lymph glands.
Do not consume brain, spinal cord or lymph glands.
Thoroughly wash your hands and sanitize your tools when finished processing game.
The CDC recommends not eating meat from an animal that tests positive for CWD.

What makes CWD different from viruses or bacteria such as blue-tongue or hemorrhagic diseases?

Other living organisms, such as viruses, cause illnesses like hemorrhagic disease or blue tongue disease. CWD comes from abnormal proteins formed in the body, called prions. Prions are not living organisms and not like your normal type of germs (bacteria, virus, parasite). All animals have proteins in the body, but in the case of a prion, the protein folds abnormally, becomes transmissible and causes holes in the brain, making it a neurological disease. Other wildlife diseases, like hemorrhagic disease (EHD), are not always fatal because animals are able to create antibodies to fight the disease. Those types of diseases usually require vectors such as insects to spread, while CWD transfers through contact. The other big difference is that a virus can be destroyed relatively easily, and with captive animals, the USDA has been able to work on a vaccine for viruses in the cervid (deer, elk, caribou, etc.) family. There is no vaccine for CWD because proteins already naturally occur in the body, making prevention impossible. It’s important to know that viruses can be survivable, but there are no cases of survival among CWD.

Why are deer and elk important to all Kentuckians?

Kentucky's deer herd numbered only a few thousand a century ago. Thanks to restoration efforts undertaken by the department, Kentucky now has a deer herd close to a million and a free-ranging elk herd measuring in the thousands.

Wildlife watchers by the thousands enjoy seeing deer and elk on the landscape. More than 300,000 hunters are in Kentucky's outdoors each year. Most of these hunters rely on deer as an important source of protein for their families.

Each year in Kentucky, expenditures by deer hunters and wildlife watchers on travel, supplies and equipment for their pursuits generate economic benefits exceeding $550 million, and support more than 13,000 jobs.

Guarding Against CWD

What is the Department doing to protect deer and elk in Kentucky from CWD?

Action Plan: Kentucky first created a CWD Response Plan for a CWD detection within the state or a CWD detection within proximity to Kentucky's border in 2002. The response plan is reviewed and updated periodically.
Widespread testing: Since 2002, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife has tested more than 60,000 deer and 1,000 elk for CWD. Deer samples have come from every one of Kentucky's 120 counties.
Carcass importation ban: To help prevent the spread of CWD into Kentucky, state law prohibits bringing whole carcasses of deer, elk, moose and caribou into the state. The brain and spinal column must be removed.
Public outreach: Kentucky Fish and Wildlife hosted four public forums across the state as part of a broad outreach to provide the public with the latest information. In addition, the Department created several informational videos and a dedicated webpage (fw.ky.gov/cwd) to continue public education.
Adopting national standards: The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted best management practices for the prevention, surveillance, and management of CWD from the report prepared by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.

CWD surveillance zone creation: Special regulations designed to increase the ability to detect the disease early and prevent the spread of CWD are in place for counties with detected cases of CWD or within an outlined proximity to detected cases of CWD.

I've seen a sick or dead deer. How can I report it?

Alert Kentucky Fish and Wildlife: Notify the department of any sick deer or elk. Email Info.Center@ky.gov or call the department at 1-800-858-1549 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Eastern) on weekdays. Please provide your name and contact information and what you've observed: county and date, number of deer found, and whether the deer were sick or recently deceased. You can also report your observations online through the Sick and Dead Deer Reporting application.
Remember the carcass ban: State law prohibits bringing whole carcasses of deer, elk, moose, and caribou into Kentucky from other states. The brain and spinal column must be removed. Taxidermists and processors who receive whole carcasses of these animals from out of state should call 1-800-25-ALERT (1-800-252-5378) to contact their local conservation officer.
Report suspicious activity: Motorists who see a whole carcass or intact head of a deer, elk, moose or caribou being transported across the state line into Kentucky should report the sighting immediately by calling 1-800-25-ALERT (1-800-252-5378). Motorists can also use the free KFWLaw app to report suspicious activity anonymously. Download the app from the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store.
Avoid sick deer or elk: Hunters should not harvest or handle any animals that appear sick or unhealthy.

How do I look up CWD test results?

Results can be accessed via CWD Lookup.

To look up your results, please make sure that:

The correct season is selected using the drop-down arrow ().
You enter your full CWD tag ID in the box (should include the last 2 digits of the harvest season and the letters KY before your 5-digit tag number).

Example: If you harvested a deer during the 2023-2024 season, you MUST enter 23-KY- then your 5-digit tag # (23-KY-XXXXX).

Please Note:

Your test result will be updated to “Pending – Sent to Lab” when your sample is submitted to the lab. Final results are typically available within 4-6 weeks.

What can hunters bring in from out of state?

State law prohibits bringing whole carcasses of a deer, elk, moose, or caribou into Kentucky from other states. The brain and spinal column must be removed. Hunters can only bring back the following:

Deboned meat
Antlers
Antlers that are attached to a skull cap having no meat matter or tissue attached
A skull having no meat matter or tissue attached
Teeth that have no meat matter or tissue attached
Finished taxidermy products
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What precautions can I take for handling, processing and disposing of deer?

The precautions listed below should be followed when handling any wild game to minimize the risk of exposure and transmission of diseases or foodborne illnesses.

General tips for processing

Do not harvest or consume any deer or elk found sick or dead.
Do not eat the eyes, brain, tongue, spinal cord, spleen, tonsils, or lymph nodes of deer or elk.
If hunting in an area where a CWD case has been confirmed, submit a sample for CWD testing. The CDC recommends you do not consume meat from an animal that has tested positive for CWD.

Field Dressing, Home Processing, and Cooking

Wear disposable gloves when field dressing, processing, or handling harvested game.
Use only knives or utensils selected for field dressing and processing for those activities. Do not use the same knives or utensils for eating.
Minimize contact with the brain, spinal cord, spleen, and lymph nodes.
Remove all internal organs.
Do not cut into the spinal column except to remove the head. Use a tool designated only for this purpose and thoroughly disinfect it after each use.
Bone out the meat and avoid severing the bones.
Dispose of any unused deer parts by burial (4-6 feet within the ground) or take them to a lined landfill as this will prevent other cervids or scavengers from coming into contact with any infected parts. Do not dispose of deer parts and carcasses on the ground, roadway, or in a waterway.
If processing multiple deer or elk, process each deer or elk separately and store each deer’s meat in separate containers.
Thoroughly clean and sanitize equipment, materials, and surfaces that come into contact with harvested game.
Wash hands thoroughly with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds after handling the harvested game.
Do not allow dogs to scavenge on carcasses or consume raw or undercooked meat.
All harvested game should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F or higher to kill any present viruses, bacteria, or parasites. Properly cooked game is safe to eat. Do not consume raw or undercooked meat.

Why is burying carcasses a disposal option if CWD can infect its environment?

Even in burial pits, the disease stays deep below plant roots, minimizing the amount of prions at the surface, where it could spread much easier. Carcasses should be buried at least 4 feet (preferably 6 feet) in the ground for proper disposal.

Can I cook CWD out of my deer meat?

No, CWD prions (unlike bacteria and parasites) cannot be cooked hot enough at home to make them noninfectious. Incineration is the only way to destroy CWD prions, which would leave no meat left to consume.

Can hunters get their deer tested for CWD?

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s offers CWD Sample Drop-off sites or CWD Sample Mail-in Kits as CWD testing options for legally harvested and telechecked deer. Testing is provided at no cost to hunters.

Which deer should be tested for CWD?

Bucks and does of any age.

How long does it take to get the CWD test results back?

Approximately 2-3 weeks. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife staff make every effort to get samples to the laboratory as quickly as possible. If your deer tests positive for CWD, you will be contacted by Kentucky Fish and Wildlife.

What should I do with my meat until I get the CWD test results back?

The CDC recommends that hunters strongly consider having deer that are harvested within CWD Surveillance Areas tested prior to consuming the meat. Until the CWD test results are returned, harvested meat can be frozen as unprocessed quarters or as fully processed and packaged meat. However, label and separate each individual deer in your freezer until you receive the CWD test results. If the deer tests positive for CWD and you choose to discard the meat, it can be double bagged and disposed of at a lined landfill or other approved methods for disposal. If you have any questions, please contact Kentucky Fish and Wildlife.

What if the deer that I harvested tests positive for CWD?

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife will contact you with the information and recommendations for the next steps.

How do taxidermists get rid of carcass remains?

A licensed taxidermist shall dispose of any unused cervide carcass material by either:

Burying the carcass or parts in an opening in the earth at least four (4) feet deep with the carcass or parts covered with two (2) inches of quicklime and at least three (3) feet of earth with the cervid abdominal cavity, if applicable, opened wide the entire length; at a point which is never covered with the overflow of ponds or streams; and not less than 100 feet from any watercourse, sinkhole, well, spring, public highway, residence, or stable.
Or bury depositing the carcass or parts in a contained landfill, as established in KRS Chapter 224.

CWD Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

​ ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​General Questions​

What is Chronic​ Wasting Disease (CWD)?

Has CWD been detected in Ke​ntucky?

Where has CWD been found? ​​

When was CWD first detected in the United States? ​​

Is there a cure for CWD? ​​

How does CWD spread? ​​

Can CWD prions be destroyed? ​​

How do you know if an animal is infected with CWD? ​​

Does CWD affect people? ​​

What makes CWD different from viruses or bacteria such as blue-tongue or hemorrhagic diseases? ​​

Why are deer and elk important to all Kentuckians? ​​

​Guarding Against CWD

What is the Department doing to protect deer and elk in Kentucky from CWD? ​​

I've seen a sick or dead deer. How can I repo​rt it? ​ ​​

How do I look up CWD test results? ​ ​​

Please Note:

What can hunters bring in from out of state? ​​

What precautions can I take for handling, processing and disposing of ​deer? ​​

Why is burying carcasses a disposal option if CWD can infect its environmen​t? ​​

Can I cook CWD out of my deer meat?​ ​​

Can hunters get their deer tested for CWD? ​​

Which deer should be tested for CWD? ​​

How long does it take to get the CWD test results back? ​​

What should I do with my meat until I get the CWD test results back? ​​

What if the deer that I harvested tests positive for CWD? ​​

How do taxidermists get rid of carcass remains? ​​

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