Over 2000 deer harvested during hunt tested positive for CWD

With the conclusion of the 2025 deer hunting seasons, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) summarized the year’s chronic wasting disease (CWD) sampling efforts.

For the 2025 season, the DNR focused its efforts on increasing sample collection in designated 2025 Fall Priority Areas. As in past years, testing was available statewide, but the additional samples tested from this year’s priority areas will help the DNR better understand disease levels and distribution in areas where the disease was most recently discovered.

Across Wisconsin, a total of 242 CWD sampling locations were available to hunters, including 163 self-sampling kiosks and 46 staffed sites. In total, 17,759 deer were sampled throughout the state during the 2025 hunting seasons with 2,006 samples testing positive. Eighty-seven percent of these detections were in the Southern Farmland Zone, which is the WRCO/WRCE listening area.

Crawford County had 263 positive results out of 5,194 deer analyzed. Grant County had 620 positive results out of 9,031 analyzed samples. Iowa County had 4,720 positive results out of 54,653. Richland County had 2,904 positive results out of 22, 135. Sauk County had 2,513 positive results out of 23,793 analyzed samples; and Vernon County had 334 positive results out of 8,256 analyzed samples.