FRANKFORT, Ky. (Dec. 5, 2025) — New Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) surveillance measures now apply to Casey, Laurel, Lincoln, McCreary, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Russell, Wayne and Whitley counties. The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission approved the changes during its quarterly meeting on Dec. 5, following the detection of CWD in a deer harvested in Pulaski County in September.
Chronic Wasting Disease is an always-fatal illness caused by an abnormal protein called a prion. It affects animals in the deer family, including white-tailed deer and elk.
To limit the spread, the commission expanded the CWD Surveillance Zone to include the nine additional counties. These counties now join the existing surveillance area, which includes Ballard, Breckinridge, Calloway, Carlisle, Fulton, Graves, Hardin, Henderson, Hickman, Marshall, McCracken, Meade, Union and Webster counties. The expanded zone brings specific regulations designed to slow disease transmission among deer and elk.
Key regulations now in effect:
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Carcass transport limits: Whole carcasses or high-risk parts from deer harvested in the zone cannot be taken out of the listed counties. Hunters may transport de-boned meat, clean skulls and teeth, antlers, hides and finished taxidermy mounts. Carcasses of deer harvested outside the zone may be brought in.
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Rehabilitation ban: Rehabilitating deer within the surveillance zone is prohibited.
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Baiting restrictions: Baiting is allowed in all counties within the zone as long as hunters do not use contact feeders such as troughs, funnels or gravity feeders without spreading capabilities. A statewide feeding ban remains in place from March 1 to July 31, and feeding and baiting are always illegal on Wildlife Management Areas. While permitted with limitations, baiting can cause deer to gather unnaturally, increasing the risk of spreading CWD through saliva, urine and feces. Hunters should consider this risk before choosing to bait.
Since 2002, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources has tested more than 70,000 deer and elk for CWD statewide. Hunters are encouraged to submit samples through CWD Sample Drop-Off sites or CWD Sample Mail-in Kits anytime during hunting season. Testing is free, and results typically take 4–6 weeks.
CWD is not currently known to spread to humans, but the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urges people not to consume meat from deer that test positive. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife also recommends avoiding meat from animals that appear sick or unhealthy.
More information about CWD, the surveillance zone and the state’s response plan is available at fw.ky.gov/cwd. To report sick or dead deer or to ask questions, the public can contact the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Information Center at 800-858-1549 or [email protected] on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Eastern), excluding holidays. Reports can also be submitted through the Sick or Dead Deer Online Reporting Form on the department’s website.
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