As Big Game Seasons Begin, WDFW Reminding Hunters About CWD Rules

THE FOLLOWING MATERIAL ORIGINATED WITH THE WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISHA ND WILDLIFE

Washington’s first case of chronic wasting disease (CWD) was confirmed in Eastern Washington in 2024. During last year’s hunting seasons, four additional CWD-positive deer were found; three in GMU 124 near the first detection, and the other in the Pend Oreille County portion of GMU 117.

CWD is a fatal disease of cervids – deer, elk, and moose in Washington. Most animals with CWD appear normal until the end stages of the disease, so it is important to test harvested cervids to monitor and manage the disease. Lab testing lymph node or brain tissue is the only way to definitively detect CWD.

New rules to limit the spread of CWD

In May 2025, WDFW Director Kelly Susewind approved new rules designed to limit the spread of CWD in Washington. Please be aware of new rules that minimize transmission to healthy animals and prevent the spread of CWD to other areas of the state:

• Mandatory CWD testing for harvested deer, elk, and moose in 100 series GMUs: If you harvest a deer, elk, or moose in WDFW’s Eastern Region (100 series GMUs), you are required to provide a lymph node sample for CWD testing within five days of harvesting animals, either by submitting the whole head with at least three inches of neck or by submitting extracted retropharyngeal lymph nodes. You can find information in the Testing for Chronic Wasting Disease section of WDFW’s website on ways to submit a sample.
• Prohibition on baiting for the purpose of hunting deer, elk, moose: Baiting deer, elk, and moose is banned statewide, as baiting draws animals together where they can spread disease. Scent lures derived from cervid urine or glandular materials are also prohibited. 
• Transport restrictions of dead wildlife: There are rules regulating how you can bring meat and trophies home if you harvest deer, elk, moose, or caribou outside of Washington; you cannot bring whole carcasses into the state. These rules also apply to people harvesting or salvaging deer, elk, and moose within the 100 series GMUs in WDFW’s Eastern Region and wishing to transport carcasses to other areas of Washington.
  • Only the following items may be imported into Washington and to areas outside 100 series GMUs:
    • Meat that has been de-boned in the state or province where it was harvested and is imported as boned-out meat
    • Any part of the skull and antlers with all soft tissue removed. Soft tissue is any tissue that is not tooth, bone, or antler (velvet must be removed)
    • Hides or capes without heads attached
    • Tissue imported by researchers with preapproved permits for use by a diagnostic or research laboratory.
    • Finished taxidermy mounts
• Mandatory CWD testing for salvaged deer and elk in 100 series GMUs: Anyone who salvages a deer or elk in WDFW’s Eastern Region must submit the whole head with at least three inches of the neck attached or extracted retropharyngeal lymph nodes to WDFW for chronic wasting disease sampling within five days of receiving a salvage permit.

You can find information on how to collect and submit samples, as well as how to properly dispose of inedible carcass parts at www.wdfw.wa.gov/cwd. You can find locations for head drop-off kiosks, landfills, and hunter check stations using the interactive map. Locations and operation times can change during the season, so always check the information before you go afield.

Test results typically take 4-6 weeks after the sample is received. You can look up results using the online lookup tool and your WILD ID. If your animal is positive for CWD, WDFW will notify you and assist with disposal if you do not wish to consume the meat. If you are notified by another state or provincial fish and wildlife agency that your harvested animal has tested positive for CWD, you have 24 hours to notify WDFW. WDFW will assist with disposal of any meat or parts not consumed.

Health and human safety

CWD has not been shown to infect people, but research is ongoing. While CWD has not been associated with human disease, there is a theoretical risk to people who eat an infected animal. As a precaution, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend people do not eat any animal that tests positive for CWD or appears to have CWD. WDFW and DOH also advise hunters to:

• Avoid harvesting any animal that appears sick or behaves strangely.
• Wear eye protection and disposable gloves while field dressing game.
• Thoroughly wash hands and equipment after processing carcasses.
• Minimize handling parts where the CWD prions accumulate, including the brain, spinal cord, eyes, spleen, pancreas, tonsils, and lymph nodes.
• Avoid cutting through bone, brain, or spinal cord.
• Disinfect processing tools by soaking in household bleach (>2% free chlorine) at a 40% solution (with water) for a minimum of five minutes. Remove any tissue pieces from tools before soaking and rinse tools after soaking.
• Safely discard inedible parts and any positive meat using a recommended method on the WDFW website. Tissues from CWD-positive animals can contaminate the environment and infect other cervids. Do not dispose of infected materials on the landscape or feed to pets.

If you see cervids you suspect have chronic wasting disease, please report at wdfw.wa.gov/sickwildlife.

Please review these FAQs and email CWD@dfw.wa.gov if you have additional questions.