The DNR and other state officials are encouraging hunters who harvest adult deer in counties affected by chronic wasting disease (CWD) to have the animal tested.
As a precaution, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) recommends the public only consume venison from deer in which CWD is not detected.
In areas where CWD is known to be present, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that hunters strongly consider having those animals tested before eating the meat.
CWD is a fatal disease that affects the nervous system of deer, elk, moose, and caribou.
An abnormal protein called a prion causes the disease. Prions are not destroyed even when cooking meat to safe temperatures.
The DNR has been testing samples from hunter-harvested deer to monitor the disease in the wild deer herd since 1999 and CWD was first detected in 2002.
The testing results provide data on whether CWD was detected or not detected at the time of sampling.
To find a location in your area where you can submit samples from Wisconsin harvested deer free of charge, visit the DNR’s “Sampling For Chronic Wasting Disease” webpage. Test results are usually available from the DNR within two weeks
