AGFC urges hunters to test deer after CWD findings in two new counties

The AGFC has collected samples from more than 68,293 deer and elk since 2016 to track CWD and its prevalence throughout Arkansas.

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission confirmed Tuesday that white-tailed deer from Grant and Sevier counties have tested positive for chronic wasting disease.

Two hunter-harvested deer from Grant County were identified by the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory through the AGFC’s free CWD surveillance network. The findings were confirmed after a more thorough test by the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Madison last week.

One of the deer, a 2.5-year-old buck, was taken southwest of Sheridan. The second deer, a 3.5-year-old buck, was killed by a hunter near Grapevine. Both were taken during the modern gun portion of the 2025-26 deer hunting season.

One hunter-harvested 4.5-year-old buck tested positive in Sevier County. The deer was taken on the north side of De Queen Lake in De Queen Lake Wildlife Management Area, about 4 miles from the Oklahoma-Arkansas state line.

CWD samples collected from Grant and Sevier counties in early December revealed new positive cases of the disease in those portions of the state. AGFC image.

These are the first cases of CWD in Grant and Sevier counties. The source of the infections is unknown. The nearest known positive case in Arkansas to these new detections is more than 80 miles away.

AJ Riggs, a wildlife health biologist for the AGFC, said 470 CWD samples were submitted in Grant County and 403 in Sevier County before these first positive cases were found.

Cory Gray, chief of the AGFC’s Research Division, said all hunters who harvested the CWD-positive deer have been notified, and arrangements are being made to dispose of the meat.

“We are stepping up surveillance efforts in these two counties and are asking for hunters’ help by submitting any harvested deer in these areas to one of our CWD testing locations,” Gray said. “In keeping with the AGFC’s CWD Management and Response Plan, we will not change any regulations regarding these findings before the end of the 2025-26 deer hunting season.”

AGFC Director Doug Schoenrock said the agency will evaluate the need for any expansion of the CWD Management Zone and hunting regulations during the annual rule-setting process once the season is over.

“The best way hunters can help is to get their deer tested for CWD each time they are successful in the woods,” Schoenrock said. “It’s 100% voluntary and 100% free.”

A list of CWD testing facilities is available at the AGFC website.

The AGFC encourages all hunters in the state to have their deer tested for CWD through one of the options available at www.agfc.com/cwd to help track the disease.

CWD is a fatal neurological disease that affects deer, elk, caribou and moose. It was first detected in Arkansas on Feb. 23, 2016. Since then, the AGFC has tested more than 68,293 deer and elk from across the state. To date, 2,218 deer and 60 elk have tested positive for the disease in Arkansas.

Research indicates CWD is caused by a misfolded protein called a prion that is transmitted through feces, urine and saliva. Prions can survive for years in soil and plants. CWD can have an incubation period of at least 16 months, meaning infected animals may not show immediate signs of disease.

Visit www.agfc.com/cwd for more information.

All images provided by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission