The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources has announced that chronic wasting disease has been confirmed in four white-tailed deer in Jefferson County.
“Jefferson County has been part of the CWD containment area for several years because it lies adjacent to CWD-positive counties in West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland,” said Paul Johansen, chief of the wildlife resources section. “While there is no evidence that CWD is harmful to humans, it is important that hunters abide by the carcass transport regulations to ensure the proper wildlife management and reduce risk factors that may affect our deer population.”
Jefferson County is the first new West Virginia county to detect CWD-positive deer since 2018. Previously, positive cases were identified in Berkeley, Mineral, Morgan and Hampshire counties.
The WVDNR has implemented restrictions on baiting and feeding deer and on transporting high-risk carcass parts out of the CWD containment area to reduce the risk the disease will be further spread by human actions. Baiting and feeding deer have been unlawful in Jefferson County since 2015, and the presence of CWD in the county further adds to the importance of not feeding deer. The WVDNR has also implemented deer carcass transport restrictions in Jefferson County because of the detection of CWD.
A full list of deer carcass transport regulations can be found on page 13 of the 2023-2024 Hunting Regulations Summary. These restrictions will remain in effect for the 2024 deer hunting seasons. Questions should be directed to the WVDNR District 2 office at (304) 822-3551.
