CONTACT:
Becky Fuda: (603) 744-5470
Andy Timmins: (603) 271-1742
October 29, 2024

Concord, NH – New York State has detected chronic wasting disease (CWD) at a captive cervid facility in Region 6, which includes St. Lawrence, Jefferson, Lewis, Oneida, and Herkimer Counties. To protect New Hampshire’s deer herd, hunters returning from the Empire State must follow existing state carcass importation regulations. For more details on importation regulations visit www.wildlife.nh.gov/wildlife-and-habitat/wildlife-related-diseases/deer-diseases.

CWD has been documented in wild or captive cervids in 35 states and 5 Canadian provinces including: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Quebec, and Saskatchewan.

New Hampshire hunters who travel to CWD-positive jurisdictions are required to follow the mandatory regulations when bringing home any cervid carcasses. Hunters may legally bring back ONLY deboned meat, antlers, upper canine teeth, hides or capes with no part of the head attached, and finished taxidermy mounts. Antlers attached to skull caps or canine teeth must have all soft tissue removed.

CWD is a fatal neurological disease that impacts deer, moose, and other members of the deer family (cervids). CWD is not the result of a virus or bacteria. It is caused by abnormal proteins called prions that attack the brains of infected animals. These infectious prions are most likely transmitted through physical contact (such as nose to nose), through infected feed, or through environmental contamination, for example, through feces or urine. Abnormal prions tend to be most concentrated in nervous system tissue such as the brain or spinal cord or in lymphatic tissue such as lymph nodes.

To view the most current map of CWD-positive jurisdictions and visit www.wildlife.nh.gov/wildlife-and-habitat/wildlife-related-diseases/deer-diseases.

For the most up-to-date and accurate information on CWD, visit cwd-info.org.