Michigan DNR reports another county where chronic wasting disease was discovered in wild deer

A hunter recently harvested a deer that tested positive for CWD. This means chronic wasting disease has been discovered in 18 Michigan counties.

GLADWIN COUNTY, Mich. — The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said there are now 18 counties where testing has shown there is chronic wasting disease (CWD) in the wild deer population. 

Gladwin County joins Allegan, Clinton, Dickinson, Eaton, Genesee, Gratiot, Hillsdale, Ingham, Ionia, Isabella, Jackson, Kent, Mecosta, Midland, Montcalm, Ogemaw and Washtenaw, where CWD has been found. 

The DNR said a hunter harvested a deer from Clement Township and the testing result came back positive for CWD. 

The Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory confirmed the CWD finding. The sample was also sent for a secondary confirmation to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, where results are pending but are anticipated to confirm CWD infection.

“The detection of chronic wasting disease in Gladwin County is consistent with the slow, incremental spread we have observed across Michigan,” said Brent Rudolph, DNR deer, elk and moose management specialist. “New positive results can be alarming for nearby communities and frustrating as the total count continues to grow, but these detections are critical to our understanding of the scope of chronic wasting disease in our state. We greatly appreciate hunters’ continued persistence in submitting samples for testing.”

It’s been detected in Midland County to the south of Gladwin and in Ogemaw County to the north. Gladwin County was under focused CWD surveillance in 2021, as part of the DNR’s rotational approach to surveillance.

What is Chronic Wasting Disease? 

CWD is a fatal neurological disease that affects white-tailed deer, elk and moose.

It’s a slow-developing disease that causes the brain of infected animals to deteriorate, causing the animal to lose weight, act strangely, and lose body functions. 

There have been no reported cases of CWD infection in people. As a precaution, the CDC recommends that infected animals not be consumed as food by either humans or animals. 

Hunters should take care when field-dressing or processing deer: wear rubber gloves, minimize contact with the deer’s brain and spinal tissue, and wash hands with soap and warm water after handling any parts of the carcass.

Experts say proper disposal of deer carcasses is critical to prevent the spread of chronic wasting disease. 

Deer carcasses and parts should go directly to a landfill or be disposed of through regular bagged trash pickup. Studies show that CWD can survive on the landscape for years, contributing to the spread of disease. Deer harvested from known CWD areas should never be disposed of on the landscape.

Tracking CWD in Michigan 

Michigan DNR said they’re analyzing data from focused surveillance efforts in 2025 and expect to share results in April. 

Plans for 2026 surveillance are in the works. Additional information on CWD testing in 2026, including locations of DNR drop boxes and staffed sample submission sites, will be posted on the CWD testing webpage once finalized.

All deer from counties with previous confirmed cases of CWD or bTB that are donated to the Hunters Feeding Michigan program are also submitted directly to the MSU lab for testing.

How Michigan tests for CWD 

Michigan DNR said they’ve identified 376 CWD-positive deer in Michigan out of the 148,800 tested. 

Samples come from hunter-harvested deer, response to public reports of sick deer, direct hunter submissions of deer to the MSU lab and other testing of donated deer. 

The DNR began surveillance efforts for CWD in Michigan’s wild deer in 2002. The disease was first detected in Michigan in 2015. After initial intensive testing near the first CWD detections in the state, the DNR began a rotational approach to testing harvested deer in 2021.

Each year, a group of counties is selected to collect a baseline dataset for each Michigan county. The goal is early disease detection, as management has the potential to be most effective when CWD is caught early. 

For more information on chronic wasting disease, visit Michigan.gov/CWD.

How to report sick deer 

You’re encouraged to report sick deer at Michigan.gov/EyesInTheField.

Helpful reports include deer that appear emaciated, lethargic, disoriented, lame or unresponsive are good candidates for CWD testing, though these symptoms are characteristic of deer affected by other maladies or injuries as well.