10 things to know
- CWD is an always fatal, untreatable, highly infectious disease of the deer and elk family. It's widespread throughout the United States but has not yet been detected in Oregon.
- CWD has not been found in Oregon yet. BUT our state isn't immune from CWD either. CWD has been found in all surrounding states (Idaho, California, and Washington) and is now very close to our borders.
- If left unchecked, the impact of CWD in Oregon could be profound. If we don't get ahead of it now, CWD could potentially cause a major decline in deer and elk populations in Oregon.
- ODFW needs hunters to help by getting their animals sampled for CWD. There are several places to get your animal sampled: most ODFW offices, check stations, participating meat processors and participating taxidermists.
- Sampling often takes 10 minutes or less. For the hunter, the process is quick and easy. ODFW biologists and other collaborators will collect a small tissue sample, a tooth for aging, and information about where and when the animal was harvested. General harvest location is very important for monitoring and management efforts.
- There is no evidence that CWD makes humans sick. Researchers have not found a connection from eating or handling contaminated meat, but caution is encouraged. If you're concerned about the safety of the meat, wait until you get your test results back before eating your harvest. The CDC recommends not eating meat from a CWD positive animal.
- ODFW will not damage your trophy during sampling. ODFW can direct you to participating taxidermists who will be able to collect a sample without ruining your trophy.
- Hunters can find their test results online. Results may take three to five weeks, depending on when in the season your deer or elk is sampled. You can find your CWD test results on this ODFW webpage.
- If your animal tests positive, ODFW will contact you. ODFW will provide guidance on what to do with the meat and parts, decontamination and other information.
- CWD is an Oregon issue and hunters need to educate themselves about CWD. Hunters also need to know how they can help monitor and manage the disease. This is an all-hands-on-deck situation involving multiple partners, collaborators and countless individuals.
What else can hunters do?
Hunters can do their part to help contain the spread of CWD by properly disposing of animal parts and avoiding products made with deer or elk urine.
What ODFW is doing
CWD has been on ODFW's radar since 1996, when the department began testing, with over 30,000 deer and elk sampled for the disease to date. This has included hunter-harvest animals, roadkill and other animals found dead or sick in the field.
Since 2002, ODFW's response to the CWD threat has focused on prevention, surveillance and response guided by a team of biologists and veterinarians using the most current technology to combat the disease and following a CWD surveillance and response plan.
CWD: Highly contagious, always fatal
Chronic Wasting Disease is a fatal, infectious disease that affects members of the cervid family such as deer, elk and moose. It's spread by nose-to-nose contact between animals and through urine, feces, blood and saliva. In addition, the disease-causing agents, called prions, are shed by infected animals and can persist in the soil for years, potentially infecting other animals.
The more animals are congregated the easier it is for CWD to pass from one to another. This makes commercial elk and other cervid ranches highly susceptible to CWD, in addition to wild cervids that often gather in large herds in the winter.
CWD is usually diagnosed by testing brain or lymph tissues from dead animals. Live animal testing is used on some occasions, but the tests are conducted mostly in research and require animal capture.
These factors -- highly infectious, long-lived prions, diagnosis using deceased animals – leave wildlife managers with challenges for minimizing the effects of CWD in animal populations once it has become established.
CWD in Oregon
CWD has been detected in captive and/or wild cervids in numerous states and Canadian provinces. Currently, CWD has not yet been detected in Oregon. However, CWD has been found in all surrounding states – Idaho in 2021, and both California and Washington in 2024.
Over the past 20+ years, staff have collected and tested over 30,000 samples from hunter harvested, road-killed and other dead deer and elk found in the field.
The Department will be operating wildlife check stations for CWD sample collection during the fall hunting season. If a sample tests positive for CWD, hunters/salvagers will be immediately contacted by ODFW. Note that test results will take several weeks.
What to expect at CWD check stations
ODFW will set up CWD check stations along major highways during the deer and elk hunting seasons in 2024. Look for highway signs directing hunters to pull over at one of these stations and have their animal tested.
Additional locations may be announced. Check with your local ODFW office and look for highway signs alerting you to check station locations.
Beginning in 2022, stopping at a CWD check station when you pass it on the highway became mandatory if you are transporting harvested wildlife. This regulation was adopted after the passing of HB 3152, a bill introduced by the Oregon Hunters Association and passed by the 2021 Oregon State Legislature.
If you are transporting animal parts for another hunter, you are required to have a Wildlife Transfer Record. This form can be found online or on page 104 of the 2024 Big Game Hunting Regulations. Also use the Wildlife Transfer Record when you leave your animal with meat processors or taxidermists. In all cases, the hunter tagging the animal should keep the tag with the parts of the animal they're keeping.
Other ways to get your animal tested
In addition to check stations, ODFW is happy to test your harvested deer or elk for CWD and provide you with the results via an online reporting system. Please contact your local ODFW office to set up an appointment to have your deer or elk tested for CWD. For testing, ODFW will need the animal's head and at least one vertebrae below the skull – keep your deer/elk head cool prior to sampling if possible.
When you bring your animal head or carcass in for testing, ODFW also will take a tooth for aging. You should receive a postcard several months later with information about the animal's age.
If you see or harvest a sick deer or elk, report it to the ODFW Wildlife Health Lab number at 866-968-2600 or by email to Wildlife.health@ODFW.Oregon.Gov.
Any deer or elk salvaged under Oregon's new roadkill law is also being tested for CWD.
