CWD in Captive Deer: DEC’s Response in 2024
No CWD Found in Wild Deer
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a fatal disease that poses a major threat to New York State's white-tailed deer and moose populations, hunting traditions, and sustainable use of venison. It has spread widely through deer and elk populations across North America and is caused by misfolded proteins, called prions, that affect a deer’s brain and nervous system. Because there is no vaccine or treatment for CWD, it is almost impossible to eliminate once introduced. Therefore, preventing its introduction or finding it early, if present, are the best management strategies.
Since 2002, DEC has collected samples from and tested over 69,000 deer as part of its annual CWD surveillance program. In 2005, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (AGM) detected CWD in a captive deer facility and in two wild deer in Oneida County. Through swift action by DEC and AGM, including depopulation of the index herd and removal of nearly 300 deer in the area, New York eradicated the CWD outbreak, the first successful eradication of CWD ever documented. For the next 19 years, New York continued to be CWD-free.
Unfortunately, in the fall of 2024, AGM again detected CWD in a captive red deer herd in southern Herkimer County. Upon confirmation, DEC and AGM activated the Interagency CWD Response Plan, which guides the actions of both agencies to determine the scope of the outbreak and inform future disease management decisions. DEC’s primary responsibility was to determine whether CWD was present in wild white-tailed deer nearby and, if so, to what extent, while AGM was responsible for depopulating the infected red deer herd and investigating possible sources of origin from other captive deer facilities in the area. AGM found CWD in 4 of the 200 depopulated red deer but could not determine how the red deer herd became infected.
DEC’s initial CWD surveillance efforts involved the sampling of wild deer from within approximately one-half mile of the captive deer facility. With cooperating landowner permission, DEC and United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service – Wildlife Services (USDA-WS) staff collected 31 deer for testing in early November.
DEC also established an area of interest around the captive deer facility that encompassed the towns of Columbia, German Flatts, Litchfield, Warren, and Winfield in Herkimer County, and the town of Richfield in Otsego County. DEC partnered with hunters, venison processors, taxidermists, and highway departments in these towns to collect and test samples from hunter-harvested and road-killed deer. To aid in this process, DEC obtained seven deer head collection bins from the Pennsylvania Game Commission and placed them at convenient locations throughout the six-town area to provide an easy avenue for deer heads to be submitted for CWD testing.
CWD head collection bin.
DEC collected samples from a total of 201 wild deer over the course of the fall and into early winter. Of those, 196 were submitted for CWD testing with all determined to be CWD-free. The remaining five samples were not able to be tested for varying reasons. These results are encouraging and indicate that CWD has not spread into the wild deer herd or, if it has, the prevalence rate is very low.
While these results are promising, it is premature to claim that New York is once again CWD-free. There is more work to be done, and you can help.
If you live or hunt in the six-town area of interest:
- Immediately report any observations of sick-acting deer to the nearest DEC office.
- Submit the head of any deer you harvest to DEC for CWD testing. This will strengthen confidence that New York State remains CWD-free and reduce the likelihood that DEC will need to collect additional deer from the area in the future.
DEC also encourages all deer hunters to help prevent the introduction of CWD into New York State:
- If you deer hunt outside of New York, debone your venison before bringing it back into New York State as required by law.
- Avoid using natural deer urine-based scents or lures as they could contain CWD. Use synthetic products instead.
- Dispose of deer carcass parts where the deer was harvested or in a landfill.
- Hunt only wild deer and support fair chase hunting principles.
- Don’t feed wild deer which can concentrate animals and facilitate the spread of CWD.
