CWD Identified In Four New Hunting Districts
Four new hunting districts across the state recorded a detection of Chronic Wasting Disease since July 2025, the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks said Friday, Jan. 9.
The four districts were in FWP regions 3, 4 and 6. Those regions cover the south west, north central and northeast parts of the state.
The department announced since July, there were 433 positive Chronic Wasting Disease tests out of 8,574 tests to date, an increase from last year, though FWP said it was too early to make any authoritative call on potential new trends.
“Without this data, the risk of CWD going undetected increases, which can lead to significant, long-term declines in herd health and hunting opportunities,” a recent FWP release said. “Proactive management based on hunter-submitted data is the only way to help ensure Montana’s big game populations remain resilient for future generations.”
Of the positive results, 250 were white-tailed deer, 179 were mule deer and four were elk.
As a comparison, from July 1, 2024, to March 25, 2025, there were 356 positive CWD tests on slightly less than 10,000 samples, according to the 2024 CWD report, published by FWP. However, the department said it’s important to note high concentrations of animals were tested in areas already known to have CWD.
The data helps biologists track where the disease is moving and guide where the agency might take management action, such as an extended season on a particular animal and where to concentrate their sampling efforts.
“We use the proportion of positive CWD tests from adult hunter-harvested animals to calculate prevalence in each hunting district,” Jacobsen wrote. “To calculate prevalences, we use data from the last three years. We also look at new detections in hunting districts.”
From July to present, the agency processed 8,574 samples, with 433 of those returning a positive test. The fourth week of the season, Nov. 13-19, saw 1,741 samples collected — the highest sampling week ever for that period. The agency processed samples from 4,537 whitetailed deer, 3,047 mule deer, 944 elk and 46 moose.
FWP wasn’t ready to make any determinations on prevalence of the disease compared to last year, as they need to clean the data — a report on the 2025 hunting season and CWD is expected this summer. There are still active hunts on some animals as well, which could also influence the data.
“We would like to thank our hunters and local communities for your collaboration with our seasonal CWD staff who handled collecting and receiving their samples throughout the season,” Sam Treece, FWP’s wildlife CWD technician supervisor, said in a press release. “We are sincerely grateful each and every year for your contributions in aiding the wildlife heritage of Montana.”
On average, hunters received their tests back in an average of 7.6 days.
CWD is a neurological disease that elk, deer and moose can be infected with, and it’s neither a virus or bacteria. Instead, it’s a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy — a naturally occurring protein, called a prion, that is not broken down by the animal the way it should be.
The disease can be spread through contact with feces and other bodily fluids. Importantly, soil that has been contaminated with any of those fluids can also infect other animals. CWD is always fatal to the creature, and animals can spread the disease long before they develop symptoms.
There isn’t a cure for the disease, and there’s been no recorded transmission of CWD to a human. However, meat from CWD-positive animals should still never be eaten.
There are several ways to get animals tested — hunters can remove an animals lymph nodes and mail them in, or bring the head to any FWP regional office. The results of the test can be then found online.
About 30 percent of Montana’s hunting districts have CWD-positive animals, and the state has invested significant resources into tracking the disease for nearly three decades.
Extended hunting season FWP also recently announced it was extending the season on white-tail deer hunting in some parts of southwestern Montana due to a rise in CWD cases there.
The extended season runs through Feb. 15, 2026, in all of Hunting District 309 and portions of HDs 301, 304, 311 and 312. Those are primarily along the Gallatin River corridor where white-tailed deer are most concentrated, FWP said in a press release. The goal of the hunt is to reduce the white-tailed population density.
The agency also reminded hunters to check the specific boundaries of the CWD hunt and that there are weapon restrictions in Hunting District 309.
“Reducing deer numbers in key areas is one of the most effective tools we have to slow the spread of CWD,” Region 3 wildlife manager Warren Hansen said in a press release. “Early action improves our ability to keep disease prevalence low, protect mule deer and elk from potential spillover, and maintain a healthier deer herd overall.”
