Tennessee Confirms First CWD Deer in Montgomery County as Statewide Sampling Reaches 950

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency said in a November 6 release from Nashville that a hunter-harvested deer in Montgomery County tested positive for chronic wasting disease, the first positive case in the county.

CWD is a fatal, progressive nervous-system disease that affects cervids such as white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk and moose. The county sits outside the CWD Management Zone.

Season dates and regulations are unchanged. Because the county is outside the zone, carcass transportation restrictions do not apply. TWRA asks hunters to leave carcasses where the deer was taken or dispose of them responsibly.

The Earn-a-Buck harvest incentive program is now available in Montgomery County. Hunters can earn additional bucks by taking antlerless deer there and submitting them for CWD testing. Hunters who already submitted antlerless deer for testing this fall will be provided an earned buck. Details on harvest incentive programs are at CWDinTN.org.

Testing is free. The agency provides it through partnership with certified laboratories, and 950 samples have been submitted statewide so far this hunting season. Hunters can use participating taxidermists and meat processors, or drop-off freezers. CWDinTennessee.org lists CWD information, sampling locations, test results and current regulations.

TWRA called hunter participation in sampling critical for continued surveillance and monitoring of CWD throughout Tennessee.

Hunting over bait on private land with a Deer Bait Privilege License stays legal for the rest of this season. The baiting prohibition and general wildlife feeding regulations take effect after this deer season, and Earn-a-Buck has been open in Montgomery County since the November 6 announcement.